If Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that the best entry in a popular franchise will always have a stylized "2" somewhere in its title. Oh, but not Paul Hollywood. Noooo, he's saying that Motorstorm's first sequel won't be distinguished by a number, but rather its "Pacific Rift" subtitle. Also, you'll notice it has a lot more trees than the last game.

Speaking at Sony's PlayStation Day 2008 event, the creative director at Evolution Studios talked up some of the features in the upcoming Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Boasting twice the number of tracks and four times as many racers in local multiplayer (total: four) than the PlayStation 3 launch title, Pacific Rift puts racers in a tropical locale, one filled with interactive vegetation technology. It's a fancy way of saying that when you're playing chicken with a rather large tree, you'd best be inside one of the game's new monster trucks. Another benefit of hurtling through lush island terrain can be found in bodies of water -- splashing through them can cool down your engine temperature.

We're sure to learn and see more of Motorstorm 2 Motorstorm: Pacific Rift closer to its planned Fall release.

Those eager to strap themselves into inelegant hunks of metal and hurtle across slippery jungle tracks take note: You are insane. Also, you might be interested in the upcoming Motorstorm 2 (working title, apparently), which takes the best-selling PS3 launch game's off-road racing into the "unpredictability of a remote Pacific Island." There you'll encounter 16 new multi-route tracks and impossibly huge monster trucks.

Thankfully, you won't be experiencing the "thick swamps, dense jungle, towering peaks and steaming volcanoes" on your own, as the online racing mode will cater for up to 16 players. Motorstorm 2 also promises a revolutionary new feature: "Split-screen Multiplayer" for up to four players! We hope that means the sequel will actually feel complete, as opposed to feeling dependent on patches and DLC over the course of several months.

Motorstorm is expected to return on PlayStation 3 this Fall. Until then, you can watch the embedded trailer which likely isn't very representative of the game -- again.

We've officially known a sequel to Motorstorm was in the works since last September (and logically known it for much longer) but we've been short on details. That changed today when the BBC reported that Motorstorm 2 would be released in time for Christmas and would feature four-player split-screen (huzzah!).

The piece also revealed that players would "race around a lush island environment, full of interactive vegetation." You say "interactive vegetation," we say "hottest new buzzword of 2008 con-firmed."

We've been really supportive of the amount of late-cycle support Motorstorm (which has been patched to version 3.1, if you can believe that) has received up until know, but we're afraid we're going to have to draw a line in the sand. With a new two-track pack (which should cost you around $7) Motorstorm DLC has officially gone too far.

Now, don't get us wrong, it's not that we've turned against all the love the game's been getting (though it would have been nice to have this much content with the original, hint, hint). We're just completely out of things to say about it. So, we'll just give it to you straight: It's called the Double Track Back, it includes "Eagle's Nest" and "Diamondback Speedway" and it's coming Jan. 10.

This week's batch of PlayStation Network content is pretty massive - "our biggest ever," according to the official US PlayStation blog. There's a catch, of course, in that PSN will not be updated next Thursday (also known as Christmas Eve). Enough pouting, let's open our presents a week early!

Warhawk fans have the most gifts under the tree this week, with the already-opened Omega Dawn expansion, a free theme, a game video of the expansion and (gasp!) the original Warhawk PS One title downloadable as a classic for play on either the PS3 or PSP. Rhythm fans also get a tasty sampler of the usual Rock Band DLC and a free Guitar Hero III song, the holiday-themed "We Three Kings" (strangely absent from the list: the premium GH3 songs for this week).

Downloadable games include Toy Home, Snakeball and two PS Eye games: Trials of Topoq and Mesmerize: Distort. A demo for Blacksite: Area 51 is also out, and those looking for more festive updates can check out the free Folklore DLC and PAIN wallpaper. Full update list after the break; check out our sister site PS3 Fanboy for European PSN update info.

Update: So apparently we have two fewer days to shop for Christmas gifts than we thought. Hmph.

We've got to admit it: We've been really impressed by the level of support that Motorstom has received. If our calculations are correct, it's already gotten 846 patches, and it shows no signs of slowing. The latest patch (released yesterday) brings the game to version 3.1. It's like an operating platform at this point, we're just waiting to get our hands on Motorstorm XP.

Most excitingly, all of the levels in the game can now be reversed, which should provide some interesting challenges. Also, in this version the vehicle selection screen is a bit quicker thanks to a 2D grid view (the old 3D is still there if you prefer). There are also two new audio tracks. While the changes may not exactly be earth-shattering, they represent a level of long-term support from Evolution Studios that puts most devs to shame.

This week's PSN Thursday update brings the Pain (sorry). The idea behind this $10 PSN downloadable game is to inflict as much pain as possible on your pitiable pixelated counterpart through myriad ill-advised (and physics-based!) scenarios. If you enjoy watching people getting launched from a slingshot into the side of a building, then we know the game for you (and we've also got the number of a great therapist).

Not into the pain thing? There are also new maps for Resistance: Fall of Man, vehicles for Motorstorm, David Bowie Rock Band DLC, and Oblivion's Shivering Isles. For the PSN European update please check out sister-site PS3 Fanboy, US folks can hit up the full update list after the break.

You've heard us talking about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune before, both in positive and less-than-positive lights. Now you'll get to decide for yourself. As planned, the demo for this PlayStation 3-exclusive title is heading to the PS Network today, along with a demo of College Hoops 2K8.

Additionally, Sony is giving Motorstorm fanatics some more content. The Devil's Weekend add-on ($5.99) includes a new track (Devil's Crossing), five new vehicles with three styles apiece, and The Devil's Weekend festival with nine new races. For Guitar Hero III, the Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver packs that were previously announced for Xbox Live will also be available on the PS3 for $6.25 apiece.

An assortment of game videos and movie trailers, a new wallpaper featuring Call of Duty 4 is available for free, as well as three new themes (Classy Pink, Pixel and Nature) to spice up your new firmware update. More details after the break.

Update: Sony notes on the PlayStation blog that the Uncharted demo will only work on American PS3 systems due to a bug. The demo is still undergoing localization and will see official release in other territories at a later date.

Today's additions to the PlayStation Store may not incite frenzy, but with the entire video game world talking about a certain spartan, maybe Sony thought it was to retain their big guns for another week where they could garner more press.

For US PS3 owners, in addition to an assortment of free trailers, we have demos for Clive Barker's Jericho (which also came out today on the Xbox 360 and PC) and NBA 2K8, a new vehicle for Motorstorm dubbed the Castro Capitano ($0.99) and Speed Master feature for Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

European gamers today got some Warhawk and Heavenly Sword wallpaper, a quartet of new Motorstorm vehicles (£1.49 for each pair), the Ninja Gaiden SIgma Speed Master pack a demos for Sega Rally and Folklore (this is a different demo than the one previously released).

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

It was clear how proud Sony was of Motorstorm even before the game launched on the PS3. It shouldn't come as much of a surprised to you then that Sony has purchased Evolution Studios, the developer behind the game, and its subsidiary Bigbig Studios, which you may know from Pursuit Force.

As part of the announcement, Evolution revealed they were working on a sequel to Motorstorm (may we suggest Motorstorm 2: Motorstormier?). Unfortunately, Bigbig, the studio with the more awesome name, has already beat them to the most awesome game title: Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice coming this fall to PSP and PS2.

For PS3 owners who've been battling it out in Warhawk, having to actually put a disc into your console to play MotorStorm must seem positively last-gen. With a new patch released today, perhaps the positively dirrty racer is trying to prove that, though its soul may be locked in a disc, it too can glean content from the "Information Superhighway." Below is the list of new features.

• Vehicle Select enhancement – your last-used vehicle in each class will now be presented as the default choice during vehicle selection.
• Assigned player colours are now displayed in the lobby to make keeping track of your friends and rivals easier during online races and Eliminator matches.
• Further Player-Stat Improvements.
• Purchasers of 'Coyote Revenge' can now race this track in Online and Time Attack.
• Purchasers of Eliminator Mode will find results from this mode also contribute to their Fame Ranking.
• Track Exploits for Grizzly and Raingod Mesa have been addressed.
• Headset support – An occasional firewall conflict with headset communications has been resolved.
• Headset support – voice comms output now available exclusively through headset.

Are you tempted yet? Yes, you have to sully yourself by interacting with physical media, but isn't that nostalgic fun to you PS3 owners by now?

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

It's just as well that there isn't some sort of Time Attack mode for programmers and engineers, as the fellows working on MotorStorm's latest update have encountered a few setbacks since its original May release target. Those have since been overcome, however, and the PlayStation 3's unashamedly grimy racer can now enjoy the Time Attack mode (oddly absent from the original release) complete with online leader boards and shareable ghosts. If you're keen on sending ethereal vehicles to your mates, update the game to version 1.2 (this is important!), log onto the PlayStation Store and download the update. It's free, you know.

Other additions to the online store come in the form of two PlayStation games which you may have seen before they were spirited away -- Hot Shots Golf 2 and Cool Boarders. They're available now for $5.99 each and are playable on both the PS3 and PSP. If you purchased them back when they only worked on the PSP, you can re-download them at no extra cost.

SEGA Rally Revo for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 will feature tracks that deform throughout the course of a race, Sega announced in a press release today. The deformed surfaces will have an actual effect on the gameplay, as torn-up tracks will become more difficult to drive on. This differs from the purely-aesthetic deformation in Motorstorm, despite any early promises Sony might have made.

Examples of this "true deformation" are contours made through gravel in previous laps, which vehicles can move through to avoid being slowed down. Other factors, such as mud and dirt, will also be realistically altered through the course of a race, in a way which Sega is promising will change the genre of racing games. Like we haven't heard that one before...

The PlayStation 3 has reached platinum in the PAL region, having sold one million units since its launch ten weeks ago, GameSpot reports. That report would put the console as faster selling than the PS2 and PSP. The top-selling games were Resistance: Fall of Man (600,000) and Motorstorm (500,000).

It is not clear if the data represents units sold to the consumer or units sold to retail chains (i.e. units shipped). The PAL region covers Europe and Australia. Sony's latest console also broke records at the UK launch, becoming the fastest-selling home console ever for the country with 165,000 units reportedly sold during its launch weekend beginning March 23.

The numbers are impressive for Sony, and serve as good news for the company that has lost market share since the last generation, but it probably won't deter calls for a price drop anytime soon.

[Image Context, "as graceful as a walrus falling upward with an anvil as parachute"]