The MotorStorm festival has ripped-up the Monument Valley desert, it’s obliterated everything that stood in its path on The Island, and now it’s set for a whole new challenge.

MotorStorm Arctic Edge sees the music, the festival and the brutal off-road racing arrive in the breathtaking yet lethal and unpredictable setting of Alaska. With temperatures plummeting, sudden avalanches, broken ice bridges, and three different racing altitudes, this is possibly the most inhospitable environment the MotorStormers have ever had to deal with. With grip at a premium, and in addition to the six existing classes from the original MotorStorm, two new vehicles have been introduced to combat the ice, the cold and the snow - the Snowcat and the Snow Machine. One has the power and size to blast through packed snow, whilst the other has the grip and pace to combat most of what the sub-zero conditions can throw at it.

Fans who pre-order now will receive a Mirage Rapide rally car. That may not seem like a big deal to gamers who are not rally fans, so here are a few details:

• Comes with two customizable skins
• Gearing is set for top speed
• Handling is set at maximum drifting

This means the Mirage Rapide is made specifically to combat the tight cliff face turnabouts and the bobsled corners of MotorStorm Arctic Edge. Being set in Alaska make the environment more unstable than ever but the Mirage Rapide has been tweaked for drifting racers to handle all the new challenges that come with the snowy and icy courses.

MotorStorm Arctic Edge is great for single player action, online multiplayer or playing with friends; two to eight players can compete against each other wirelessly via Ad Hoc Mode on PSP. Alternatively, you can also compete via online multiplayer using Infrastructure Mode on PSP to make it to the summit of the online global leaderboards.

A further new introduction to the MotorStorm festival is personalisation of your vehicle class. Each vehicle in the game has a selection of different parts - for example wheels, exhausts, spoilers - liveries and stickers to choose from. Players can also create their own liveries from a set of base patterns and decals. There are so many combinations that each player could own a unique vehicle!

The end of 2009 is going to be as cold and challenging as it gets. So lose your t-shirt and your shorts, keep hold of sunglasses and grab your thermals – it’s time to take a trip to the top of the world to see if you can conquer the most unwelcoming terrain the planet has to offer.

Key Features:

• Stunning Alaskan Environments – Tracks are modeled after the rugged Alaskan landscape featuring a unique blend of narrow mountain passes, giant ice caves, long ice bridges, and treacherous terrain. Players must battle through each race facing a number of weather conditions including snow, rain, and wind.
• New Vehicles – Two new vehicles are available specifically to tackle the Alaskan terrain including the nimble Snow Cat and more forceful Snow Plow.
• New Tracks – 12 available tracks that show off the unpredictable nature of the rough Alaskan setting. Each of the tracks will be accessible to race in reverse for added race variety (both PSP and PS2 versions).
• Unique New Features:
  • Bobsleigh corners – Vehicles power, slip, and spin through a variety of icy structures with only boost to provide control
  • o Avalanches – Snow-baked terrain brings the imminent hazard of avalanches, triggered by players sounding their horn.
  • Collapsing Ice Bridges – Travel over these in a heavy vehicle and risk the chance of it collapsing behind you.
• Multiplayer Racing Action – Up to eight player online as well as ad hoc racing (online only available on PSP version). Global leaderboards are available to show off the top ranked players in all game modes as well as single player Time Attack.
• Split-Screen Racing – MotorStorm Arctic Edge on PS2 offers players the opportunity to challenge friends offline with two-player split-screen racing.
• Customize Vehicles – Players can personalize each vehicle in the livery by updating with a selection of various parts including wheels, exhaust, spoilers, and sponsorship stickers. Players can also create their own liveries from a set of base patterns and decals.
• Photo Mode – Snap and save the best action photos and send to friends (feature available on PSP only)
• Cutting-Edge Artificial Intelligence – A.I. analyzes the race and surroundings and reacts in the most realistic manner possible. Not only will the competition try to win the race at all costs, but the A.I. will react to situations realistically, such as locating the best routes and changing the level of driving aggression based on player actions.
• Attacking and Offensive Driving – Players must not only try to win the race but survive against the other racers. Combat-like racing takes center stage as the vehicles are the weapons.
• Soundtrack – Players will have the opportunity to add music from a memory stick to create a full list of customized tunes to inspire each race (PSP).