It seems a bit odd to commend an arcade racing game set among a crumbling city for its subtlety. But when the obscene amount of destruction taking place sneaks up and grows on you like it sometimes does here, that's the only word that works.
For: PS3
From: Evolution Studios/Sony
Rating: Teen (crude humour, drug reference, language, suggestive themes, violence
Like its fellow MotorStorm games, MotorStorm Apocalypse is an off-road racing game with a taste for physics that is unquenchable.
Dune buggies, rally cars, motorcycles, sports cars, monster trucks, ATVs and big rigs all share the same track, and the game just slightly exaggerates the properties you'd expect from each vehicle to create some seriously chaotic races.
The controlled chaos that ensues isn't for everyone. But for those who can get into it, there isn't anything else out there quite like it.
Apocalypse's vehicles are squirrelly and very prone to subtle but unmistakable overreactions to jumps, bumps, boosts and anything else that forces a sudden change in speed or orientation.
What makes these brief losses of control perfectly acceptable is the terrific way Apocalypse compensates with an equally generous allowance for recovery.
Provided you understand the properties of the vehicle you're driving - bikes are fast and super responsive but extremely fragile, for instance, while trucks cannot change course nearly as quickly but are durable enough to use smaller vehicles to couch a spinout - Apocalypse's responsiveness overcomes its lust for weighty physics just enough to never leave you feeling totally out of control for very long.
The line it toes between control and bedlam is razor-thin, but it toes that line beautifully.
The MotorStorm method looks ever more impressive with Apocalypse changing the setting from jungles and beaches to cities and suburbs - and doing so at no expense to the series' off-road roots.
A goofy (in a good way, complete with cheesy motion-comic presentation) story explains all, but the gist of Apocalypse is this: A major city is about to get pummeled by a rogue's gallery of natural disasters, and while all but a few stubborn citizens flee for safety, a gang of daredevil racers decide to use the city - and the ensuing disaster - as grounds for a competition.
It may not be a smart idea, but it's a visually spectacular one. Best of all, it regularly sneaks up on you.
Tidal waves and tornadoes change the routes you can take from lap to lap, and during the game's best moments, it transforms from a street racer into an off-road racer right before your eyes.
Apocalypse's weather and other effects look awesome, and the game as a whole animates beautifully, but it is that gradual transformation over the course of a race that's most impressive.
Structurally, Apocalypse pretty closely resembles its predecessors, complementing a satisfying single-player mode with splitscreen (four players, with the option to fill the remaining slots with A.I. racers) and online (16 players) multiplayer.
A persistent milestone track awards you with unlockable perks, medals and new parts, which you can use to design and share customised vehicles with friends.
Unfortunately, the current PlayStation Network outage means there's no way to test the online functionality yet. If Apocalypse's multiplayer fidelity is a make-or-break factor in your decision to purchase or pass, you'll need to wait a little longer to make a choice.
