MotorStorm stalled
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Nov 29th 2006 at 9:55AM }
Sony has pushed back MotorStorm's Japanese release another week, vaguely citing production-related issues as the reason for delay. MotorStorm will now launch alongside Armored Core 4 on December 14.Just a reminder: Westerners won't be ridin' dirty until next March. As a consolation, Evolution will include an online mode for the 2007 release of MotorStorm. So why rush an incomplete Japanese version off to retail?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Flit @ Nov 29th 2006 10:08AM
Played a demo at target. Looked like Forza, but my car got dirty, and the far of picture of the grand canyon was clearer than current gen. Otherwise, color me unimpressed. It was still a damn car game.
Mike @ Nov 29th 2006 10:27AM
While it's little more than a steroided Offroad Fury, it's still very fun. Thus far, it's the only game that has me wanting a PS3. I guess it's good that it won't come out until March since PS3's are impossible to find right now (unless you want to overpay on ebay).
Laurens Holst @ Nov 29th 2006 2:11PM
Umm... It’s in stores already. I’m in Japan right now, saw it but did not buy it though.
~Grauw
hohoho @ Nov 29th 2006 10:45AM
i don't think japanese is that hot on online games.... and the japanese market urgently needed some games. Sony's launch killer app is a FPS. I don't think fps would sell in japan. The biggest launch title is japan is the bloody gundam game for pete's sake. Oh ya, RIIIDDGE RAAAACEEEEEEEEEERRRRR.....
HEY @ Nov 29th 2006 11:26AM
i got bored of this game after the first lap...
Mr Balls Johnson @ Nov 29th 2006 11:01AM
Yes, why rush an incomplete Japanese version off to retail indeed? Are Sony under that much pressure that they have to keep putting out incomplete products?
It's crazy to release this machine with such a fractured online service and games that don't even support it.
Criticize Microsoft all you want but at least they managed to release a complete product with a working online service. That was their bedrock principle when they first announced the 360 and they delivered on that at launch. Not months afterwards...
I guess that's the difference between one company that builds a dedicated team with a clear vision of what they want to create and another company with an ego-maniacal 'godfather' figure who is being poked and prodded by the boardroom to help push their latest soon-to-be-dead media format on a all too aware public.
IslandLife @ Nov 29th 2006 11:21AM
@Mr. Balls Johnson
Oh yeah, 'cause Microsoft NEVER rushes anything to market, which is why there is no such thing as overheating and crashing 360s and the red ring of death is just a fairytale! Don't be such an idiot fanboy.
The True Gamer @ Nov 29th 2006 11:15AM
Rushed console, rushed HD format, rushed games, rushed online service, where does it stop Sony? I used to buy Sony audio equipment, looks like I'll be moving onto Yamaha in the future.
Gamer G @ Nov 29th 2006 11:20AM
I hope they add some different envioronments to the game otherwise its little more than a tech demo in my eyes.
The cars look and behave pretty cool but other than that the rest of whats going on looks pretty average and will get boring pretty quick especially for the japanease if they dont have online play!
buttlover @ Nov 29th 2006 11:17AM
mr Balls Johnson - Not sure what you mean about an incomplete online service, sonys is complete and working. I have both the 360 and ps3 now and am happy with both of them. I figured the ps3 would lack great software for a few months just like the 360 did. But there is a demo of motorstorm and f1 that helps ease the wait and i also have my 360 that keeps me plenty busy.
HaloBreaker @ Nov 29th 2006 11:40AM
I played the demo at target. Great particle effects, great scenery, and awesome amounts of detail.
BUT the game would drop down to what looked like 15fps at the start of the game, it was horrible. It was almost a slide show. finally I was the only truck on the screen and it played at a good speed. I crashed once and about 4 or 5 cars caught up to me, BLAM frame rate drop again not as bad at the start but wow 5 cars not including mine and it was like 25-30 FPS. I had more fun playing Excite Truck.
buttlover @ Nov 29th 2006 11:33AM
Also for those of you saying motorstorm isnt that great looking maybe you didnt see it on a proper setup? It looks great and is fun with or without 2 players. Sure its just an off road racer but it still is fun and looks as good as any racer out now.
Jordan @ Nov 29th 2006 11:29AM
Kikizo has a review of the LATEST build, which apparently is FAR better than the retail demos.
To summarize:
"It's possibly even better looking that the infamous target trailer shown 18 months ago."
"So the game plays like a dream, to be quite honest."
"Clearly, this is the most awesome thing ever. "
"if there's one game that really shows off the POTENTIAL of the PS3 beyond Xbox 360 right now, absolutely it's MotorStorm,"
"There's something about the lighting in MotorStorm that's pornographically attractive."
Flash @ Nov 29th 2006 11:30AM
The True Gamer: Rushed console, rushed HD format, rushed games, rushed online service, where does it stop Sony? I used to buy Sony audio equipment, looks like I'll be moving onto Yamaha in the future.
At 1st I thought you was talking about M$, until I saw Sony, but none of the things you just listed was rushed?
Willie @ Nov 29th 2006 11:57AM
I have been very impressed with the online service of Sony. I know when I play 40 people online in Resistance; it is good stuff. I experience no lag at all. I remember Call of Duty 2 for the 360; horrible lag spikes often. I just can't wait for 32 players online for Motorstorm.
RighteousDork @ Nov 29th 2006 1:45PM
The demo that's available on PS3 kiosks is awful. I'm sure it's an early build, but it should never have been allowed on the machines as a demo. The framerate on it is terrible, there were some major geometry issues, and your vehicle reverts to a wire frame model after a crash. It's liking watching a train wreck. I would love to know what idiot thought it would be a good idea to include it as a playable demo.
maxx77 @ Nov 29th 2006 12:59PM
You shouldn't post that image for a Motorstorm article. The game looks absolutely nothing at all like that. It's like referring to the CGI scenes in the post-SNES Final Fantasy games and passing that off as being the actual game.
Like others have said already, the demo looks and plays nothing like what was first shown. The framerate is 15fps tops, often stuttering far below that. The worst sin though is that the game just plain isn't fun. Maybe the final retail really will be better than that demo. If that's true, they shouldn't have even released the demo in the first place. It's atrocious.
Shagi @ Nov 29th 2006 12:30PM
I dont know what your talking about with framrate issues, I've been playing motorstorm on my PS3 for days now and never once have I seen it drop any frames. I wonder what could be causing the machine you saw to drop frames? Overheating? Bad settings? I know, maybe its just someone who has a grudge against sony.
I'll leave that up to you.
Willie @ Nov 29th 2006 12:50PM
I know that I agree with #16. I have not experienced any framerate issues with the game that I downloaded off the Sony Store. I did experience a lot of framerate issues with the one at a local Gamestop. I really wasn't that impressed with the one at the video game store but my views have changed about the game because of the free download.
Phranctoast @ Nov 29th 2006 1:17PM
Never noticed a framerate drop while playing motorstorm.
I cant bleieve someone would find that game "atrocious". Maybe you played an older version. Maybe your just full of shit.
Flit @ Nov 29th 2006 1:09PM
Yeah, I'd agree with those of you who say it just isn't fun. At target, I got 1 lap around, and then started wandering around to see if i could drive off the cliff and stuff. For how "4D" the ps3 was, there certainly was a lot of invisible walls. Burnout 3 had more impressive particle effects and, wait for it... was actually fun! Over on 1up they have a side by side comparision from ps3 to xbox360, and i honestly don't see what the extra $200 is paying for.
If you are claiming that the ps3 is the best system out, it better not have to be compared side by side and scrutinized over to notice a difference.
I didn't experience framerate issues, but I wasn't watching for them either.
What i have to say about the game is they have 3d crowds... so what? I still can't drive through a plastic barrier to hit the crowd, why do they need to be 3d? Just me ranting...
Uh_Oh @ Nov 29th 2006 1:50PM
I liked motorstorm. I can wait for an online mode even though I don't plan to get a ps3 anytime soon. It'll be on the greatest hits by the time I buy one :).
Lou @ Nov 29th 2006 1:52PM
The game had stalled on the PS3 at the Best Buy near me.
maxx77 @ Nov 29th 2006 1:51PM
Uh, yeah, to those who say I have a grudge or am full of shit, F you. I played it for a good 10-15 mins, carefully scrutinizing the framerate, controls, physics, etc. It was my first time hands-on with a PS3, so I was very observant of what I experienced. I went into the game with an open mind and watchful eye. For me to come away from it unimpressed is a bad sign. The one thing I did actually like about the game was the motion controls (you have to pause the game to enable them though, which is a minor gripe).
Like several other people have said, I too played it at Target. It sounds like the people who played that version (I assume the person who played it at Gamestop played the same version) had a different experience from the people who downloaded the demo. That tells me either the PS3's in the kiosks have issues, or there's two different demos out there. I still stand by the "atrocious" judgment. That demo should never have been released if the final version is actually better. I hope for the sake of people who plan to buy the game that it turns out a lot better than the in-store demo. The PS3 could certainly benefit from some better games.
Laurens Holst @ Nov 29th 2006 2:19PM
Also saw Armored Core 4 laying next to that Gundam game.
~Grauw
Ian @ Nov 29th 2006 8:04PM
I don't know if it was the TV I was playing on, but when I played the demo at BB the first thing I thought was "wow this looks nothing like the target video". I remember seeing jaggies and to be honest it wasn't really fun. Granted I'm not much of a racer so if you like em' don't take my opinion to much to heart. But the controls felt wonky with the SIXAXIS. The lightness of the controller wasn't that bad but the motion-sensing made me feel forced instead of as a natural instinct. I also played without the motion-sensing and it still had so-so controls. I didn't play for to long though, I wanted to play something else.
Figboy @ Nov 29th 2006 4:30PM
so far, none of the Playstation 3 games or demos that i've played, in my home, have had a drop in framerate, Motorstorm included.
i'm guessing the units some of you complaining about framerate have played the game on were store units, often running from 9am in the morning until 10pm at night, with no break periods inbetween. or, the unit itself could be buggy, and that could be affecting functionality.
i've played 40 player Resistance battles online with not a drop in framerate or lag anywhere. at all. the game also looks amazing, even when there are tons of allies and enemies on screen at one time, with explosions, weapon fire, and all else also being rendered on screen at once. the PS3 is a well built machine.
it seems to me that Sony cannot get anyone on joystiq, or across the net for that matter, to give them any credit where it's due.
i'm sure if Motorstorm was on the 360, a lot of you guys would be creaming your pants over it's next gen visuals.
i'm playing PS3 games on a standard def TV (until a little later this year, or early next year i get my HDTV set), and even on that, games like Resistance and Motorstorm look beyond anything the PS2, X Box and Gamecube have produced. same with the 360, also.
all this bitching and moaning seriously needs to stop. it's stupid and pointless.
despite Sony and Microsoft's (and even Nintendo's) shady business practices, they've built two great gaming machines that both satisfy their particular fanbases, and will continue to do so until the next generation of gaming consoles.
Lekko @ Nov 29th 2006 9:19PM
Let me set the record straight here, because I know a lot about this game and have been following it a lot.
1) The demo version downloadable off Sony's online network is a newer version than the one in retail kiosks. The one in stores has numerous framerate issues and other such issues that have been fixed for the home version.
"The framerate on it is terrible, there were some major geometry issues, and your vehicle reverts to a wire frame model after a crash. It's liking watching a train wreck. I would love to know what idiot thought it would be a good idea to include it as a playable demo."
Actually, that's part of the game. The wireframe model is you in invincible mode so you don't get dropped down into the game and get hit instantly by a huge truck and explode another 30-40 times before you can actually play again. It's like temporary invincibility in most games, they just show it via wireframe.
The newest and closest to retail version that is out and reviewed has numerous fixes beyond the one available online, namely load times have been improved, and balancing issues.
I do agree, however, that that version of the demo should not be released on demo kiosks. It is a poor example of what PS3 can do. I've been playing it plenty at home on my own PS3, and the game feels great. There are only 1-2 slowdowns in the last 100 times I have replayed the demo (quick tip: just pause it right before you cross the finish line on your third lap and restart the race). Those two slowdowns were for understandable things, like having 5 cars explode simultaneously and driving through it.
I do want to actually steal the kiosk demo onto my own PS3 to have both, the kiosk demo seems to have a few other features that the home one does not, such as the ability to switch cars at the beginning of a race. i almost want to just put the game onto memorystick and load it onto a retail kiosk just to let people play the real version.
Figboy @ Nov 29th 2006 8:29PM
*correction*
after re-reading my previous post, and the paragraph about PS3 games looking better than PS2, X Box and Gamecube games on a standard def television set, i also said, "same with the 360, also." it seems that this implies that the PS3 looks better than the 360 on a standard def set, but that's not what i meant.
what i meant was that both the 360 and PS3 look great on standard def TVs, and loads better than their last gen counterparts. sorry to anyone who may have misinterpreted that.
Pince @ Nov 29th 2006 9:22PM
I've played the demo a good deal and every time I flew off of a jump or hit another vehicle I thought "good vehicle models...um...I wish I was playing Burnout". But maybe that is just a matter of personal taste.
On another note, the game is pretty, but when you start going faster the textures dont just blur for affect, they get really muddy. As a result, the things closest to your vehicle start to look crappy as you approach them and the ground starts to get noticably pixelly (um...pixelly is a word now).
It was a decent game and it is pretty, but hopefully they do some more graphical tweaks before the game comes out to clean up some instances of ugliness. Even so, I would opt for something different; its just not as interesting as some of the other racing games out at this point.
Ken Kuturagi @ Dec 21st 2006 5:27AM
"I have been very impressed with the online service of Sony. I know when I play 40 people online in Resistance; it is good stuff. I experience no lag at all. I remember Call of Duty 2 for the 360; horrible lag spikes often. I just can't wait for 32 players online for Motorstorm."
You do realize that Resistance does not use the "Playstation network" at all. The only thing the the service provides is a front end for buying stuff and downloading demos. It does not have any matchmaking, server listing, stat tracking, clan creation, etc. at all. All online services provided by Resistance is custom made by Insomniac.