History VideoGame / Motorstorm

* ''[=MotorStorm=]''[[note]]Later given the {{retronym}} ''[=MotorStorm=]: Monument Valley''[[/note]] (2006): The original. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}'s Monument Valley, this game established the series formula of having several classes of vehicles ([[FragileSpeedster dirt bikes, ATVs, rally cars]], [[JackOfAllStats buggies, racing trucks]], [[MightyGlacier mud pluggers and big rigs]]) racing through courses with varied terrain suited to different types of vehicles. It was a minor KillerApp for the young UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, selling over three and a half million copies.

* ''[=MotorStorm=] Arctic Edge'' (2009): This installment was made for the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]]. Set in [[SlippySlideyIceWorld northern Alaska]], this game featured snowmobiles and snowcats while introducing unique hazards like avalanches (triggered by vehicle crashes or by honking your horn) and ice bridges (smaller vehicles can drive over them fine, but big ones will fall through).

* ''[=MotorStorm=] R.C.'' (2012): Released in February 2012 for the UsefulNotes/{{PS3}} and [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita Vita]] (as a launch title for the latter), it scales down the game by focusing on the use of remote controlled cars as opposed to the real deal, reminiscent of ''VideoGame/MicroMachines''. It uses environments from the original games through ''Apocalypse''.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** While it enjoyed the same critical acclaim as its predecessors, it wound up suffering from a ''massive'' case of "too soon" in the wake of the 2011 Japanese earthquake, which adversely affected its release in many markets and is likely to blame for its very disappointing sales performance.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Atlas Earthquake from ''Pacific Rift'', oh so much. An absolutely ginormous Monster Truck awarded for 100% Completion (though a random glitch can also unlock it) made from a haul truck. All cool, until you actually use it and it's massive frame makes it impossible to take any shortcut, while being outright useless on tracks like Sugar Rush. Also, when the [[CameraScrew camera is acting up]], often you won't even be able to see around the thing.

* InNameOnly: Other than being a racing game ''R.C.'' has nothing in common with the rest of the franchise by being a top-down [=RC=] racer instead of a [=3D=] arcade off-roader, and [[{{Sequelitis}} introduces several new elements that nobody was asking for]], including ProductPlacement, FakeDifficulty, and CameraScrew.

* ''[=MotorStorm=] Pacific Rift'' (2008): The first sequel moved the gameplay onto a South Pacific island, sending players through beaches, [[JungleJapes jungles]], [[LethalLavaLand volcanoes]], an abandoned sugar factory, and even a volcano-ravaged small town. Introduced here were monster trucks, which could drive over the competition, and water and fire physics -- driving through water would cool down your car, while going through burning hot areas will cause your heat gauge to go up faster when you boost. While not as big a hit as the first game, it still sold a cool million copies while enjoying acclaim for fixing many of its most glaring problems.

%%* LethalLavaLand: The "Fire" tracks in ''Pacific Rift'', which are turned [[UpToEleven]] in the "Volcanic" variants. ''Badlands'' is one too.

* MarketBasedTitle: Two installments changed subtitles to nunbers, as ''Pacific Rift'' and ''Apocalypse'' became ''II'' and ''3'' in Japan, respectively. ''Arctic Edge'' was instead changed to ''Raging Ice''.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Atlas Earthquake from ''Pacific Rift'', oh so much. An absolutely ginormous Monster Truck awarded for 100% Completion (though a random [[GoodBadBugs Glitch]] can also unlock it) made from a haul truck. All cool, until you actually use it and it's massive frame makes it impossible to take any shortcut, while being outright useless on tracks like Sugar Rush. Also, when the [[CameraScrew Camera]] is acting up, often you won't even be able to see around the thing.

%%* EarthquakesCauseFissures: Shamelessly used in ''Apocalypse''. [[RuleOfCool Not like we're complaining.]]

%%* SlippySlideyIceWorld: In ''Arctic Edge''.

There has been four games in the series before it went dormant in 2012:

* Foreshadowing: One level of ''Pacific Rift'' has you going through a small town that had been destroyed by a volcano some time ago, and the "Adrenaline" DLC featured "Volcanic" variants of vanilla tracks that have been likewise ravaged by lava - except you are racing minutes since the disaster started. ''Apocalypse'' escalated that a bit...

''[=MotorStorm=]'' is Creator/{{Sony}}'s [[VideoGame/GranTurismo other]] [[VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} flagship]] racing series, developed by Creator/EvolutionStudios, are what happens when one takes ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'' and puts it off-road. The series revolves around the fictional "[=MotorStorm=] Festival", an event that bears more similarity to Burning Man than to a professional racing league, going to various corners of the world to engage in extreme rally racing... [[ExcusePlot but it's not like you really need to know that]] to get any enjoyment out of the game.

So far, there have been four games in the series:

* ''[=MotorStorm=]''[[note]]Later renamed ''[=MotorStorm=]: Monument Valley''[[/note]] (2006): The original. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}'s Monument Valley, this game established the series formula of having several classes of vehicles ([[FragileSpeedster dirt bikes, ATVs, rally cars]], [[JackOfAllStats buggies, racing trucks]], [[MightyGlacier mud pluggers and big rigs]]) racing through courses with varied terrain suited to different types of vehicles. It was a minor KillerApp for the young UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, selling over three and a half million copies.

* ''[=MotorStorm=] Apocalypse'' (2011): Moves the action from rally racing in the wilderness to street racing in a big city... but with a twist. As its name suggests, ''Apocalypse'' takes its cues less from ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' and ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'', and more from Creator/RolandEmmerich and Creator/IrwinAllen. The city is in the throes of a massive earthquake that is destroying it piece by piece, sending the racers through [[EarthquakesCauseFissures earthquake fissures]], [[SceneryGorn collapsing buildings]], [[GiantWallOfWateryDoom tsunamis]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions galore]]. The new vehicle classes -- [[CoolCar muscle cars, supercars]], [[FragileSpeedster superminis]], [[BadassBiker choppers and superbikes]] -- are all designed to race in the new urban environments.

* ''[=MotorStorm=] R.C.'' (2012): was released in February 2012 for the UsefulNotes/{{PS3}} and [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita Vita]] (as a launch title for the latter), it scales down the game by focusing on the use of remote controlled cars as opposed to the real deal, reminiscent of ''VideoGame/MicroMachines''. It uses environments from the original games through ''Apocalypse''.

''[=MotorStorm=]'' is Creator/{{Sony}}'s [[VideoGame/GranTurismo other]] [[VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} flagship]] racing series, developed by Evolution Studios, are what happens when one takes ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'' and puts it off-road. The series revolves around the fictional "[=MotorStorm=] Festival", an event that bears more similarity to Burning Man than to a professional racing league, going to various corners of the world to engage in extreme rally racing... [[ExcusePlot but it's not like you really need to know that]] to get any enjoyment out of the game.

** ''Apocalypse'' with ''VideoGame/SplitSecond'', both of which are built heavily around a combination of racing and environmental destruction.

* LostForever: The server shutdown has locked some content across all games that can't be unlocked by legit means.

* DuelingGames: ''Apocalypse'' with ''VideoGame/SplitSecond'', both of which are built heavily around a combination of racing and environmental destruction.

* EarthquakesCauseFissures: Shamelessly used in ''Apocalypse''. [[RuleOfCool Not like we're complaining.]]

* LethalLavaLand: The "Fire" tracks in ''Pacific Rift'', which are turned [[UpToEleven]] in the "Volcanic" variants. ''Badlands'' is one too.

* LostForever: as stated below, the server shutdown has locked some content across all games that can't be unlocked by legit means.
* JackOfAllStats: Both the buggy and the racing truck fill this category.

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Dusklite in ''Apocalypse''.

* SceneryGorn: ''Apocalypse'', by the ton.
** And then we have...
* SceneryPorn: ''Pacific Rift'' oh so very much.

* ShownTheirWork: See AllDesertsHaveCacti above.
* SlippySlideyIceWorld: In ''Arctic Edge''.

* ApocalypseWow: Guess.

* DuelingGames: ''Apocalypse'' with ''Split/Second'', both of which are built heavily around a combination of racing and environmental destruction.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: How in the world did Sony allow Evolution Studios to name a track in ''Apocalypse'' "Good Herb"? And one that takes place in an obvious {{expy}} of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, the hippie capital of the world?

* BrandX: All of the cars are unlicensed, but they're still given names as if they were real cars.

* CoolCar: Of course. Ranging from speedy dirtbikes to massive heavyweight trucks (the main gimmick of the game is you can race any of these vehicles against each other at the same time).

* EarlyBirdCameo: One level of ''Pacific Rift'' has you going through a small town that has been destroyed by a volcano, and the "Adrenaline" DLC featured track variants that have been likewise ravaged by lava. ''Apocalypse'' escalated that a bit...

* InNameOnly: Other than being a racing game ''R.C.'' has nothing in common with the rest of the franchise, and [[{{Sequelitis}} introduces several new elements that nobody was asking for]], including ProductPlacement, FakeDifficulty, and CameraScrew.
* LethalLavaLand: The "Fire" tracks in ''Pacific Rift'', which is turned [[UpToEleven]] in the "Volcanic" variants.

* MightyGlacier: Mud pluggers, big rigs, monster trucks (from ''Pacific Rift'' onward), and snowcats (in ''Arctic Edge'').

* NitroBoost: Available ten seconds after the flag drops. Throttling it for too long will cause your vehicle to explode, though.

* OverDrive: If a car's boost system is used too much, it will overheat, with [[EveryCarIsAPinto explosive results]]. Starting in ''Pacific Rift'', driving through water (or deep snow in ''Arctic Edge'') will cool it down, while going through fire will cause it to heat up faster (letting go of the throttle when going over a big jump in ''Apocalypse'' will do the same thing).

** Several vehicles, including the Humbler Diablo and Patriot V8, as well as a lot of customization options in ''Apocalypse'', resemble the type of machines you'd see in ''Film/MadMax''

* DuelingGames: ''Apocalypse'' with ''SplitSecond'', both of which are built heavily around a combination of racing and destruction.

* LethalLavaLand: The "Fire" tracks in ''Pacific Rift''.

* TemporaryOnlineContent: Didn't get the online-only achievements prior to the shutdown of the Motorstorm servers? Too bad, those achivements are permanently unattainable. Even worse, some vehicle unlocks are tied to online-only trophies; didn't unlock your Wombat Beachmaster in ''Pacific Rift'' by playing enough online matches? That's gone, too, among many others. Note that the vehicles still exist in the game, however - you just can't drive them.
** Subverted with some vehicles; by downloading the free livery packs, certain models that were usually only attainable through online-only achievements can be used, albeit only with the DLC livery.

* UpdatedRerelease: ''3D Rift''.

** While it enjoyed the same critical acclaim as its predecessors, it wound up suffering from a ''massive'' case of TooSoon in the wake of the 2011 Japanese earthquake, which adversely affected its release in many markets and is likely to blame for its very disappointing sales performance.

* TooSoon: ''Apocalypse'' had the misfortune of being released just ''days'' after the 2011 UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese earthquake, and a month after another earthquake in UsefulNotes/NewZealand. As a result, it saw its release [[NoExportForYou canceled]] in those two countries, and it was delayed by almost a month in Britain and America for the same reason. While it was released on schedule in Australia, all advertising for it was pulled there, and the country didn't receive any shipments of the game after the first one.

* AllDesertsHaveCacti: Justified in the first game -- it's set in southern Utah, so one would expect to find cacti. Even so, the saguaro never shows up, as it doesn't grow there. It also features a wide array of different desert environments rather than just "sandy wasteland".

* BadassBiker: You, if you use the dirt bike or, in ''Apocalypse'', the superbike or the chopper.
** Big Dog from ''Apocalypse'' specifically.

* ''[=MotorStorm=] Apocalypse'' (2011): The latest game moves the action from rally racing in the wilderness to street racing in a big city... but with a twist. As its name suggests, ''Apocalypse'' takes its cues less from ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' and ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'', and more from Creator/RolandEmmerich and Creator/IrwinAllen. The city is in the throes of a massive earthquake that is destroying it piece by piece, sending the racers through [[EarthquakesCauseFissures earthquake fissures]], [[SceneryGorn collapsing buildings]], [[GiantWallOfWateryDoom tsunamis]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions galore]]. The new vehicle classes -- [[CoolCar muscle cars, supercars]], [[FragileSpeedster superminis]], [[BadassBiker choppers and superbikes]] -- are all designed to race in the new urban environments.