One of the several surprise games announced for the PlayStation Portable this afternoon was MotorStorm Arctic Edge. We’ve recently acquired a few assets for the game and it appears that MotorStorm fans will find themselves right at home in the snow -- Arctic Edge will take the the series' formula of smash mouth, exploratory racing and apply it to a cliff-happy Alaskan environment.
As you may have noticed already, the game will feature snowmobiles, motorcycles, and an assortment of large four-wheeled vehicles. The video lingers on the crashing, which is something most players will probably want to avoid if first place in a race is a priority.
In addition to plowing through snow and rocking mad jumps, players will be able to customize their vehicles with parts and paint jobs. There will also be an ad-hoc- and infrastructure-based multiplayer mode that allows up to eight people to compete simultaneously. Chances are most PSP owners don’t know anyone else with a PSP -- or eight for that matter -- but we’re glad it’s in there. MotorStorm wouldn’t be the same without some sort of human competition.
Arctic Edge is set to hit North American PlayStation 2s and PSPs this fall. Hit the break for the press release.
The MotorStorm® festival is unleashed in Alaska
o Brutal off-road racing, MotorStorm® Arctic Edge, arrives on PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®2
o Multi-route tracks, unpredictable terrain, hostile AI and sub-zero conditions: never race the same lap twice!
London, 24th February 2009: 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. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is delighted to announce that MotorStorm® Arctic Edge is set to arrive in Autumn 2009 for PAL territories and will be available on PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and also on PlayStation®2.
Developed by award-winning Bigbig Studios, the team behind the best-selling Pursuit Force™ series, 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.
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!
MotorStorm Arctic Edge comes exclusively to PSP and PlayStation 2 hot on the heels of the multi million selling titles MotorStorm and MotorStorm Pacific Rift.
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.
Looks nice. I'm probably gettng a PSP for LBP Portble (and all those JRPG's I've missed out on. Like Valkyrie Profile.), and racers tend to work well on portables. I've probably spent more time with Mario Kart DS than any other racing game on any platform.
VashTS, maybe they're pushing the platform because its profitable? Just a thought. As for what Motorstorm will look and play like, it could be anywhere between terrible and awesome. There have been excellent racers for the PS2 and PSP so why dismiss it without knowing any more?
I'm not into racing games actually, I'm neither not into PSP... Yet. I'd actually like to see something really interesting for it, like Persona, maybe Prinny (need to check it out) and Parasite Eve 3.
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Contest:
4:40 PM on 02.24.2009
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Also I don't doubt that this game is going to look horrible.
Always wanted to do that.
Looks nice. I'm probably gettng a PSP for LBP Portble (and all those JRPG's I've missed out on. Like Valkyrie Profile.), and racers tend to work well on portables. I've probably spent more time with Mario Kart DS than any other racing game on any platform.
I myself am happy with today's announcements