MotorStorm (Playstation 3)

That pretty much sums it up. The single player part of Motorstorm is fun, especially at first, but without the variety of tracks and different objectives besides finishing in the top 3, it can get old. I don't mind having vehicles assigned for the races that you must run to advance the game. It's good to learn all the different types of vehicles for when you race online. The single player game starts off easy and get very difficult as you advance through the race tickets.

The online part of the game is much more fun. Racing real people is, of course, more difficult, and a blast when you find just the right field of players that have about the same skill as you. The tracks are well done, and there are different paths to take through them. Depending on which vehicle you are using, you'll want to take advantage of these different routes to the finish line.

There are many dangers on the road. Not only will other players and A.I. vehicles try to run you off the road, but hairpins, splippery surfaces, and blind obstacles can wreck you in a hurry. This keeps things exciting, even after running the tracks for the 100th time.

Hopefully, there will be some extra track downloads soon. The Time Attach download seems fun, although I haven't tried it yet.  One other thing I really hope gets fixed is the online ranking system. It seems as if only the winner gets credit, and gets ranking increases. In a field of a dozen racers, there is only one winner, and the 2nd and 3rd place finishers certainly derserve some recognition and a little increase to their rank. Players can take advantage of the sytem by running races with a friend, with only 2 vehicles in the field, they are both going to win their share of races and boost their ranking quickly.

Graphics are excellent, best I've seen on a PS3 game to date. The animations and physics are good. Vehicles damage is pretty good, too, and it's not all realistic, as I've been driving a complete wreck and crossed the finish line when it seemed as if I should have needed a wrecker to come scrap my ride off the ground.

I'm happy with Motorstorm. It's a good buy for anyone who likes competitive racing with a twist (running in Monument Vally, Arizona, atop mesa and in the ruts of canyons). This game will definitely hold me over until the release of Nascar 08 next week.