Supercool 'MotorStorm' forgiving offline, but screw up online and it's game over

By Doug Elfman
The Game Dork

The moment I understood "MotorStorm" wasn't going to forgive my car-racing mistakes was when I played it online and got outraced by real-life gamers nicknamed JerkHusband and InUrEye. I also got beat by Bart_21. Cowabunga? Really, dude?

But it's worth losing a lot during the learning-curve process of "MotorStorm." It might be the first near-masterpiece made exclusively for the young PlayStation 3.

"MotorStorm" is a series of off-road racecourses. This is a genre that has proved only mildly entertaining over the years. How much fun can it be to jump dirt hills over and over? Usually, not much.

"MotorStorm" makes those previous off-road titles look silly. More than that, it's the most supercool car game since 2004's "Burnout 3: Takedown."

We begin with a vehicle check. Do you want to drive an MX motorcycle, buggy, ATV, truck, "mudplugger" or a "big rig"? You can't go wrong with any of these fine, filthy wheels. They bounce and speed across rough, rocky and muddy terrains oh so sweetly.

And the terrains -- magnifique. The eight tracks are large and gorgeous moving pictures of desert cliffs, valleys and drivable ledges. From the look of roadside fans and their hippie bonfires, the RainGod Mesa racing locales seem a virtual shadow of the Burning Man festival.

You will crash a lot, despite the game's superior, intuitive driving controls, because it's so hard. When you play online, crashes make you lose; you just fall behind so quickly. When you play against offline computer drivers, though, the game is merciful. You can crash, say, six times (and get resurrected each time) and still win a race.

Sumptuous visuals put the fancy new PS 3's computer to serious use. This is great news. PS 3 has been out a few months, while the Xbox 360 is barely more than a year old. But game makers just now have turned a corner, taking advantage of the systems' power to give us even bigger, more beautiful games.

Even hotter-looking than "MotorStorm" is another new game, "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2," an action-battle game where you shoot and direct squad mates to kill terrorists around the world.

If you think "MotorStorm" is muscle-car macho (though you can drive as a few female characters), you should see and hear the grunts of "Warfighter 2."

This dialogue will put hair on your chest: "Can you chatter! And put your foot to the floor!" (while riding to battle); "I'm not gonna blow sunshine up your ..." (your boss assessing your chance of survival); and "Secure your rear" (I can't remember when that order came, since I was laughing at it).

"Warfighter 2" does a fun job of making killing difficult. For a game, it's gritty, entertaining and pretty nearly a battle simulator. Online, it offers team elimination and various other subgames to keep you shooting at rival gamers until you've been shot in the head about 4 zillion times.

By the way, "Tom Clancy" games are bloody right wing. This one's no exception. A TV in your tank shows you news footage of journalists exclaiming you, the good American guys, are actually the bad guys. Your commander barks, "Since when does the news get anything right?"

Well, Mr. Clancy, I'm the news, and the news loves your game. Did I get that wrong, too?

("MotorStorm" retails for $60 for PS 3 -- Plays extremely fun; looks fantastic; challenging; rated "T" for language, violence. Four stars out of four.)

("Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2" for $60 for Xbox 360 -- Plays very fun; looks phenomenal; challenging; rated "T" for blood, language, violence. Four stars.)