MotorStorm RC is a few short weeks away and already the competitive online cross-play at its heart is igniting intense rivalries. Here at Evolution Studios there’s been a lot of competition for the best performances on every track and we’re thrilled that gamers and journalists are experiencing this at special preview events all around the world (such as the UK Vita Rooms).

Ahead of getting the opportunity to jump into the competition for yourself (Vita Rooms is still on the road, by the way!), I’m here to give you the low down on just how online competition works with other players – running you through a short video of me competing with Zoe (Evolution Studios QA Manager, who sits on the desk across from me) as I take on her performance in a Hot Lap race.

It’s so easy to see what your friends and rivals have been up to and, with super-fast load times on both PS3 and PS Vita, jump into a race instantly to beat their fastest times and wipe the smirk off their face.

Competing like this, on your own schedule, is a perfect fit for both MotorStorm RC and the PlayStation Vita, letting you pick up the game and compete against friends when it’s convenient for you. Whether you’re playing on your PS Vita or PS3, for a few minutes or a few hours, out and about or in the comfort of your own home, you can always see what’s been going on and get right into the heat of competition.

MotorStorm RC is coming soon, so keep an eye out for more information and be sure to join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/motorstormrc and follow us on Twitter @MotorStormRC to keep up to speed.

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Every member of the team here would like to extend their gratitude to you for supporting and encouraging us throughout a very eventful year. During the course of developing MotorStorm Apocalypse (and the many updates and DLC goodies that have followed), and since our unveiling of MotorStorm RC, your ongoing enthusiasm has really kept us going. As a thank you, there’s a new MotorStorm Apocalypse livery on PlayStation Store right now, and our artists have created this card for you:

We love this time of year. There are tons of great games out and there are always high hopes for a White Christmas, because few things are as exciting to drive on as freshly fallen snow. Maybe we’ll get to take the truck out for a spin again…

We’re also looking forward to 2012, to showing you more of MotorStorm RC and creating exciting new things. We’re hiring too, so if you’d like to be a part of the family (and you’re particularly highly skilled in C++ programming) then please head over to www.playstationjobs.com

Enjoy your holidays! We hope to see you on the new mirrored tracks playlist in MotorStorm Apocalypse (look out for us in the black carbon ‘Evolution’ liveries)! All the best for 2012 and keep in touch – we love hearing from you!

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Judging from the comments, we caught you by surprise when we announced that MotorStorm RC is coming to PS3 and PS Vita in time for launch. You all seem really excited about the game so I followed up with its director Paul Rustchynsky to discuss in more detail the vision, the Cross-Play with PS3 and PS Vita, and the social interactions that will be at the heart of MotorStorm RC.

If you have any further questions then please let us know in the comments and I’ll get the answers.

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I’m delighted to be able to announce – and show a trailer for – MotorStorm RC, Evolution Studios‘ upcoming radio controlled off-road racing game for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Network. It was also announced literally moments ago, on stage at a PS Vita event in London – so it’s hot off the press!

I’m Paul Rustchynsky, and I’ve been Game Director to a small, elite team at Evolution Studios for most of the year, creating a simulation of high-speed radio-controlled car racing for PSN download. We’re extremely pleased with how the game is coming together; it’s a perfect combination of classic racing with really modern connectivity features and it’s already bigger than your average download game, with visually stunning renditions of all four MotorStorm worlds (and 8 of their vehicle classes). Every aspect of the game comes loaded with endless competition that you can share with friends and rivals worldwide – whether that’s on PS3 or PS Vita, or both – and we’re still packing it full of challenges, race types and features too!

Everyone who has played MotorStorm RC so far says it really gets you hooked, with an addictive, hypnotic core experience – just like the best arcade games. Also like the best arcade games, stages take just moments to load, giving it that ‘just one more go’ quality, especially when you can play at home on PS3 and then continue your progress on the go with PS Vita.

And it’s still early days! We’ve got a lot more lined up and we’ll share all of it with you as the game comes together, but for now please check out our trailer and some of the killer features in MotorStorm RC!

THIS IS OFF-ROAD RACING ON A WHOLE NEW SCALE

Conquer the most extreme racing environments in powerful radio-controlled vehicles, with hundreds of uniquely customised models to collect and performance based on 8 distinct racing categories: Buggies, Superminis, Rally Cars, Muscle Cars, Racing Trucks, Supercars, Big Rigs and Monster Trucks!

4 CLASSIC LOCATIONS, 16 UNIQUE TRACKS

Experience the simultaneous challenge and excitement of racing in the world’s most extreme environments, from the dusty desert mesa’s of Monument Valley, to the dangerous jungles of a Pacific island, to the icy tundra at the Arctic Edge, to the apocalyptic ruins of an urban city.

SETTLE RIVALRIES ANYTIME, ANYPLACE

Challenge friends and the rest of the world to compete for the fastest times in every event – whether that’s on PS3 or PS Vita, or both.

SHARE EVERY MOMENT

Share every moment with your friends and make new friends via the Pitwall. Keep tabs on their activity – so you always know when there’s a new challenge or a new leader – and you can always stay one step ahead of the competition.

4 PLAYER MULTIPLAYER ON PS3

Settle the score with your friends in person with 4 player split-screen races.

PAY ONCE, GET BOTH

It’s the same experience on both PS3 and PS Vita, and picking up the game on PS3 will give you full access to the game on PS Vita (and vice versa) – so if you own both you can carry your progress between the two, and always pick up where you left off.

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More than two years ago we decided where the MotorStorm festival should head next, and I’ve been itching to talk about it ever since. Now, as part of the global announcement, and with E3 just around the corner, it’s so exciting to finally be able to share some information about the game.

Here are some of the headlines…

You May Have Heard…We’re Heading to the City!

But this is no ordinary city. In the same way that the first MotorStorm was set in Monument Valley, and MotorStorm Pacific Rift was set on ‘The Island’, inspired by Hawaii and other Pacific islands, we’ve set this MotorStorm in ‘The City’, inspired by the West Coast of America, and, in particular, the Bay Area of California.

MotorStorm’s brand of racing is not about ‘going urban’ though. We all know that the lunatic ‘Stormers would take every expectation about street racing and turn it upside-down. So this is what they’ve done. Welcome to Brutal Urban Off-Road Racing!

Post Apocalyptic? NO!

The city has been abandoned and somewhat damaged after a tremor. When the ‘Stormers find this out, they head straight in. Pretty soon, two things become clear: it isn’t completely empty and Mother Nature isn’t done yet!

Throughout the game the city will be ripped to pieces, in real-time, as you race. Routes will be affected, as will our emergent gameplay.

Buggies using collapsing walls as half-pipes. Big Rigs on the rooftops of skyscrapers as they collapse. Superbikes gunning into the basements of enormous rifts. Supercars flicking on their headlights to barrel through the subways and sewers. Multi-vehicle pile ups on giant bridges as they buckle and twist. Driving through someone’s office and smashing up their desks. It’s all there.

Two groups have also stayed behind, and neither takes too kindly to MotorStorm’s arrival. I’ll talk more about them another time, but for now I’ll say that when they realise there isn’t going to be much of a city left, they start to destroy it too.

This isn’t post-apocalyptic. It’s apocalyptic. You are there when it happens. It’s survival racing.

Variety, Chronology and Depth are King

We’ve listened to everything people said about our previous games and, as a result, one of our priorities is to make a more satifsying overall game experience. In our single-player mode, every race is unique. When a building comes down it stays down. When you race a track again, the buildings will still be down and the MotorStorm crew will have carved yet more routes into the ruined landscape. The only time you’ll see the same thing twice is when you choose to. Underscoring this chronology is the fact that you’ll get to see the game from three different viewpoints.

Nothing annoys me more than the notion that an accessible action racer must also be shallow or plain dumb. So once you have experienced the single-player journey, the true depth of our title will come to the fore. Our overhauled ‘Wreckreation’ mode has been heavily influenced by the best online titles: from shooters and action adventures, RPGs and platformers. It features:

• Sixteen player online multiplayer.
• Four player split-screen.
• Combinations of the two. Play with three friends in the living room against 12 more online.
• Massive vehicle customisation. Change vinyls, vehicle parts, vehicle shapes and more. Upload them to the community site and share them with others. They automatically work on all vehicle types, and include your PSN ID.
• Vehicle perks. Modify your handling, boosting and offensive abilities as you unlock new perks.
• A wealth of rankings to progess through online with associated rewards and recognition.
• Stacks of online rewards to earn and persistent progress giving the most determined and successful racers the status and recognition they deserve.
• Persistent matchmaking. Keep your party together throughout your gaming session.
• A Game Mode Creator. From a completely blank canvas you can design your own game rules and victory conditions, play them online, and incorporate them into tournaments.

Lots More

We’ve got a lot more to reveal too; things like replacing loading screens with cut-scenes that finally reveal what it’s like to be a part of the MotorStorm subculture, to changes to handling and boosting, to the five completely new vehicle classes making their way to this festival.

The end of the world…is just the beginning

Let me know your thoughts.

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