Top Selling Off-Road Racing Franchise for PLAYSTATION 3 Returns With MotorStorm Pacific Rift

video inside post Intense Racer Delivers White-Knuckled Action In A Stunning Tropical Environment Along With Four-Player Split-Screen and Expanded Vehicle Classes

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the North American release of MotorStorm(R) Pacific Rift exclusively for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)). Developed by Evolution Studios, MotorStorm Pacific Rift combines amazing visuals and intense driving action to deliver an extreme and visceral off-road experience that will leave players on the edge of their seats. Named “Best Racing Game of E3 2008” by GamePro and Cheat Code Central, MotorStorm Pacific Rift brings the core off-road mayhem of the original MotorStorm(R) while adding a new vehicle class, double the amount of tracks, and a tropical environment filled with unpredictable terrain and numerous obstacles to negotiate.

Picking up where the original left off, MotorStorm Pacific Rift once again drops players into the MotorStorm Festival, however this time participants must navigate their way through a lush tropical environment featuring towering peaks, crystal clear water, molten lava, and dozens of interactive elements. Additionally, this latest installment in the MotorStorm franchise features an in-depth multiplayer mode where players can challenge friends in a variety of 12-player online race configurations or in split-screen mode with up to four- player offline.

“MotorStorm Pacific Rift is another platform exclusive that continues to showcase the true power of PS3,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “The gameplay action is still over-the-top, but we have added a number of features including more dynamic environments and tracks, more vehicles, and split-screen to provide the most brutal off-road racing experience to date on PS3.”

With smarter and more aggressive artificial intelligence that will go to any lengths to win, the goal is not only to lead each race, but to survive. Players can chose from 16 diverse, multi-route tracks, and race among eight different vehicles including ATVs, Bikes, Buggies, Trophy Trucks, Rally Cars, Mudpluggers, Big Rigs, and the newly included Monster Truck class. Additionally, players will not only carefully choose the type of vehicle for each track but implement more strategy during each race as driving through water will cool an overheated engine, while going near lava will quickly cause vehicles to heat up. Real-time track deformation allows vehicles to carve up each course in varying depths, making it possible for players to follow an old route or blaze a new trail and insuring they never experience the same lap twice.

Physics-based car damage once again delivers ultra-realistic crashes, where players break and destroy a vehicle’s parts and panels during collisions with other drivers as well as with objects in the environment. A new Photo Mode allows players to save the most spectacular crashes to their desktop, or share with friends. MotorStorm Pacific Rift also allows players to create custom soundtracks by storing favorite songs on the PS3 HDD and adding it to the list of music played within the game. The included soundtrack contains a variety of heart-pounding rock and hip-hop selections including Fatboy Slim, Megadeth, Slipknot, and Ministry.

Matchmaking, detailed stats, and leader boards are part of MotorStorm Pacific Rift’s extensive PlayStation(R)Network options, allowing players to see how they fare against the competition. Exciting new content will be made available for download throughout the year via PlayStation Network.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates MotorStorm Pacific Rift “T” for “Teen” (Descriptors: Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence). For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org/. For more information about MotorStorm, visit http://www.motorstorm.com/.