PS3 Fanboy

Two of Europe's brightest development teams will share a home in the future, according to a recent interview with SCEE's Michael Denny. Studio Liverpool, developers of the popular Wipeout franchise, and Evolution Studios, developers of the MotorStorm series, will eventually merge to work at one location. The two teams have already merged "management structure" and are currently using "combined resources." The two teams are already in close proximity to each other, so it makes sense that these PlayStation teams should combine.

Each studio will continue to have their own "internal concepting group" to think up "new opportunities and new IPs." Perhaps their next game will feature futuristic hovering ... off-road monster trucks. Wait a sec. That sounds incredibly awesome.

With MotorStorm: Pacific Rift finished, the Evolution Studios team sat down with 1UP to talk about the franchise in a retrospective interview. The first question is a rough one -- going after the lofty expectations created by not just one (but two!) "target" CG renders. While the games certainly look pretty, they're far from the pre-rendered gorgeousness of the initial videos released. Their response is brutally honest, and filled with expletives. You'll have to break through an age gate to see their response, after the break.

[Thanks, David R.!]

• Buzz! Quiz TV Special Edition - October 31st
• LittleBigPlanet - November 5th
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift - November 7th
• SingStar Volume 3 - November 14th
• SingStar ABBA - November 14th
• Resistance 2 - November 28th

Does it get any more EXTREME than this? A new PlayStation.blog post reveals the upcoming one minute ad for MotorStorm Pacific Rift -- and it involves people riding ATVs ... out of planes. The small text at the bottom warns you: "Do Not Attempt." We agree.

Another trailer, after the cut.

Sony has revealed the full track list for MotorStorm Pacific Rift. The 16 levels are split between four zones, each based on an element. In the Air Zone you'll find lots of jumps, cliffs and downhill sections while the Earth Zone is a little more down to earth (get it?), with plenty of plants and undergrowth which can get in your way, hide obstacles and, apparently, fight back. In the Fire Zone you'll be faced with lava pits, volcanoes and rocky wastelands and, finally, in the Water Zone you'll find the island's coast, huge waterfalls and rivers. For a description of each of the 16 tracks, check after the break for the press release excerpt.

This should please those who found the dusty desert setting of the original MotorStorm a bit dull after a while. Pacific Rift promises to be incredibly varied, especially when you check out the tracks themselves. We've been given a huge number of screenshots to get up, including maps of most of the tracks, so check them out in the gallery below. It's definitely worth a look.

While the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo is currently only available via Qore in America, SCEE has sent out a batch of redemption codes to a number of lucky Europeans. Check your emails and make sure it's not lurking in your spam. We're not sure whether all the codes have now been sent out, or if there are more to come, but keep checking throughout the day just in case. Did you get one? Simply enter the code in the redemption screen in your acccount management section of the XMB and you can begin your download. Let us know what you think, both of the demo and of this method of content distribution.

[Thanks stargateheaven]

If Pure isn't your thing, then there's always MotorStorm Pacific Rift to bring you more off-road racing action on your PS3. Luckily, the mudslinging, dirt-in-face title won't keep you waiting long as an official October 28 release for North America is now set in stone.

With 4-player split screen, 16 multi-route tracks, and Trophies, it might be hard to say no to this one. Just don't be left in the dust and check out the demo which is out now via Qore. Better yet, brush up on your knowledge and read some previews.

We had a chance to check in with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift once again. An "80% complete" demo we played gave us access to four different levels: two single player and two split-screen races. Easily the most impressive level we played had to be the Wildfire level. This level takes everything that's good about MotorStorm and amplifies it to the extreme. Pacific Rift's play on hot versus cold goes into full effect here, in this dark volcanic level. It's unlike anything we've seen from the game so far, and it's a terrific contrast to the usual lush greens of the game.

With deadly lava and fire everywhere, this is quite possibly the most dramatic level in the MotorStorm series so far. Of course, with the heat so high, your vehicle will have a rather easy disposition to overheat whilst boosting -- we even went so far as to explode our bike. Ouch! Thankfully, there are numerous showering stations scattered throughout the branching course, which will cool down your vehicle and take out any fire which may still be clinging to your vehicle. The constant switch between molten lava and refreshing water is not only visually arresting, but creates a very good gameplay balance. Do you opt to take a shorter route to shave a few seconds off your time, or do you go headstrong through the water to cool down your vehicle, and earn a little bit more boost?

It looks like Qore has scored yet another exclusive for its upcoming issue. The PSN video magazine will cover games like LittleBigPlanet, Prince of Persia, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and BioShock. However, more exciting are the Burger King-sponsored downloads. Qore purchasers will be able to get their hands on the MotorStorm demo a month before the general public, and they'll also get an exclusive LittleBigPlanet theme.

Qore is available for $2.99 an issue, $24.99 for an annual subscription. Annual subscriptions include access to Calling All Cars.

At this point, there probably isn't much left to say about MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. The game's getting ever-so-close to release, and we're certain that Jem will walk away from this newest build just as impressed as we were at E3. Until then, enjoy this new batch of MotorStorm media:

Watch out DC Universe Online, another game on the PS3 is contending for your friendship via MySpace! MotorStorm Pacific Rift is going on a tour in the UK in the form of a "monster truck, its veteran driver and his hot female entourage." You'll also get to play Pacific Rift before its October release.

Tour dates are shown above, but you'll need tickets to get in. If you are looking to attend either the Red Bull Air Race or the Ripcurl Unleashed Festival, today is last day you can send an email over to competitionsuk@scee.net with the event you want to attend in the subject line, along with your "name, daytime telephone number and full postal address" in the body to win tickets. Check out the game's MySpace page here.

[Via ThreeSpeech]

Unsurprisingly, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift plays much like its predecessor. The build running at Sony's E3 booth was incredibly stable, feeling nearly ready for release at any time. Simply watching the trailers should give you a good idea of what to expect: it's just like MotorStorm, with branching paths through each track. However, the new jungle environments offer a bit more detail than the PS3 launch title. While there will be a few other things to think about while driving through the lush green, such as how flora and water will affect the cars, Pacific Rift is still instantly accessible.

Key to successful racing in Pacific Rift is to think about the environment and the vehicle you're in. Obviously, motorcycles will have great manueverability through the world, but it will be unable to break through dense clusters of green. Decisions must be made with split-second reflexes. Granted, had we more time with the game, we'd be able to start learning the tracks and the varied branches throughout. Choosing a random turn to be greeted with an unexpected jump certainly gave us a number of thrills.

Boosting is an even more vital part of the game as environmental factors will now affect your boost meter. As you hold down the turbo, your engine will begin to overheat. However, if you go into shallow water, you'll be able to cool down your engine, giving you a few more seconds of precious boost. However, if you encounter lava, the engine will heat up almost instantly. Figuring out the balance between boosting and choosing shortcuts adds an appreciable amount of depth to the franchise.

It's E3. It shouldn't be surprising that Sony would release a brand new trailer for their upcoming Motorstorm sequel. It may look like more of the same, but in this case, "more" really means a lot more. Seeing the franchise finally leave the desert for a bit more varied territory is refreshing -- some of these levels look incredibly epic in scope. We have some hands-on time with the game coming up, and we'll be able to report to you guys very soon. Until then, enjoy the new trailer and new screenshots: