MotorStorm: Arctic Edge

All in all, Bigbig Studios has made a good PSP game. It’s not as good as its big brothers on the PlayStation 3, but it brings a complete racing experience to the handheld. Above all, it gives you bundles of fun, despite some mistakes, such as the nitrous boost and the difficulty at the beginning of the game.

A well executed handheld version of MotorStorm but not the most exciting PSP racer. [Dec 2009, p.63]

Arctic Edge is a massive challenge and in no small part raises the technical bar for handheld racers. [Issue#184, p.75]

However, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge has inherited a few too many of its predecessor's weaknesses as well: a lumpy single player campaign, some arbitrary physics made more noticeable by the less sophisticated engine, and a tendency for the less inspired tracks to merge into one grimy muddle.

Motorstorm Arctic Edge is close to the Playstation 3-titles with not so much news except from the icy feeling. But it´s a well done game that could entertain for many hours. Actually it´s a lot better than the last game for Playstation 3 and if you want to drive a car in winter landscapes, this is both the funniest and safest way to do that.

Motorstorm Arctic Edge is a beautiful, entertaining and challenging. The presentation is phenomenal and the actual racing is as exiting and it is entertaining, but somewhat shoddy controls and strange physics are two issues that keeps this title from earning our highest praise.

Arctic Edge looks good for MotorStorm’s first appearance on the PSP, but gone are the days when I can be impressed with simply squeezing down a console title intact onto a handheld. Let’s ask for more so we can get more.

For those who only now has the opportunity to put their hands on this series I would say that is well worth it. But if they are already veterans in this universe, looking at Arctic Edge as a direct sequel that aims to be like going from horse to donkey.

Arctic Edge is a good portable racer, but I didn't find the tracks varied enough to keep my attention for more than a few minutes at a time. But hey, with an arcade-style racer like this, that's pretty much all you need -- and at least it's not costing you quarters each time.

My biggest objection to Arctic Edge is also what I most like about the game: it’s the same old Motorstorm in pocket-sized form, a solid “diet” reissue of a sensationally stupid racer.

If muddy textures and a somewhat garish palette are the trade-off for involving track design and vehicular carnage, then it's a compromise we're happy to accept. [Dec 2009, p.102]

It's hard not to be a little disappointed with MotorStorm: Arctic Edge -- it plays just like its siblings on the PS3, and I mean just like its siblings. While that's likely good enough for many, the "been there, done that" feel of the game means that it gets old quickly.

It looks and plays just like the PS3 games, but alas this is just as pedestrian in terms of innovation.