Hands-on with MotorStorm RC for PS Vita

There may not be any controversial earthquakes this time around, but despite the change of view and focus, MotorStorm RC still feels a lot like a MotorStorm game.

From the level select screen, consisting of familiar environments from previous titles in the series, right through to the vehicle selection itself - ranging from tiny grippy buggies to tiny slippery muscle cars - MotorStorm RC bears all the hallmarks of the acclaimed console racing series.

Only this time, however, the racing festivals that make up the main chunk of the game revolve around remote-controlled cars. Remote-controlled cars chasing magical medals that float around the track, in fact.

Controls aren't handled by the shoulder buttons and the X button doesn't take care of acceleration. Rather, one of the Vita’s joysticks acts as the accelerator, much like a real RC car controller.

There are bumps and sharp corners to throw off those holding the right joystick permanently in the up position, though, so don’t expect to breeze your way through the tracks with your fingers glued to the Vita.

These tracks are deliberately designed for short bursts of gaming - there aren't any multiple routes for vehicle classes or two-minute epics here. Instead, the ones I played on lasted about 30 seconds per lap, although this can extend to quite a mammoth sitting if you’re chasing after medal times.

The medal times are represented on-screen by actual floating medals, speeding along the track like AI opponents. There is a normal race mode with actual AI vehicles to race against, but I’d put some good money on the ‘hardcore’ time trials being the mode of choice for most gamers.

That’s mainly because MotorStorm RC comes with its own version of Autolog (or, if you want to be historically accurate, Blur’s friend challenges) called the Pitwall.

This wall stores all the ghosts and best times of your friends (with the option of downloading anyone from the global leaderboards, too), and sends out in-game notifications when someone beats one of your times.

Cleverly, holding down the X button transports you straight to the track in question, allowing you to instantly respond with another record-breaking lap (no doubt with skills honed through the time trials).

MotorStorm RC will be released on both PSN and PS Vita, and while the portable version won’t offer the same four-way multiplayer as the home console edition, it does link up progression in both games via the cloud.

That means if you start racing before you head out to work / school, your times and medals will automatically be on your Vita when you pull it out on the bus, ready for you to pick up and continue playing. There’s no need to buy the game twice, either - once you buy one version for your account, the other comes free.

MotorStorm RC is expected to launch around the same time as the Vita, and while Sony is remaining tight-lipped when it comes to pricing, Evolution Studios has told me to expect it to be in the "impulse buy" territory.

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