MotorStorm 2

“Water is a significant new technology and has a big impact on driving tactics- now that we’re getting to know the PS3 better we can add features like this and not have any performance issues,” explains Kershaw. “Boost is affected by the environment in a few ‘cool’ ways now.”

The jungle stages could be the most impressive. The central area of the map is likely to hide the most dynamic of the 16 tracks on offer, as they will feature fully destructible trees and foliage, if you have the right vehicle. The multi-route idea that made MotorStorm such a refreshing change is back in a big way, as Kershaw puts it, “this is the DNA of MotorStorm and you’ll see even more of it in the sequel.The new island environment has been perfect for this type of gameplay”.

If you’re behind the wheel of the game’s meatier monsters -its Big Rigs and SUVs - then you’ll be able to crash through fallen trees and vines. However, the smaller buggies and bikes will need to find alternate routes to get around the hazardous foliage. Bikes can race up trees and jump through the tangled undergrowth, while buggies can use their lower chassis to skim under logs.
“As you can imagine, vehicles will all react to every new element that we’ve put into MotorStorm 2. Foliage is just one- different vehicles will cope with plowing through it in different ways,” says Kershaw on the new tropical destruction.

Of course, every track on the island will feature spectacular hazards to navigate. Clouds of volcanic ash will hamper your vision on the mountain range, hiding tire-melting lava pools. Fast flowing rivers will force the lighter cars and bikes into less direct routes, while the heavier trucks can plough on through. And like before, anything trashed on your first lap will remain trashed on the second and third - creating a mess of broken buildings, toppled trees and busted boulders. Expect far more interaction this time around. However, the inclusion of monster trucks alone will ensure that near enough anything in your vicinity can be trampled and trashed without much bother.