Top 10 New Video Games: Hands-on @ E3 2008

• E3 2008
• gaming
• PlayStation
• Xbox360
• Wii

Platform	PlayStation 3
Developer	Evolution Studios
Publisher	Sony Computer Entertainment
Release	October 2008

For us, the biggest surprises at E3 were from Sony. We expected a lackluster hands-on demo of Pacific Rift, and walked away impressed by how much tighter and more intuitive the controls were compared to the original. While we played, a crowd suddenly gathered, and cheesy "oohs" and "aahs" began, particularly when an early, brutally random collision sent me rocketing off my bike and into a ravine.

This sequel is just as crash-happy as the first MotorStorm, with highly-destructible vehicles and some excellent slo-mo shots of your biggest crashes. In the new version you can play a monster truck as well as the original fleet of ATVs, motorcycles and other vehicles. Also, the tracks are all island-themed, full of handy patches of water that can be used to cool your engine.

The course punished stupidity, but rewarded instincts with risky jumps and short cuts. Best of all, it didn't call for the kind of feckless driving that repulses all but the most hardcore racing fans, but was still challenging enough to have me shaking off the adrenaline for a few minutes after playing it. It was visually arresting, better than we expected, and our first inkling that this year, Sony had come to play.

CLICK FOR MORE: Top 10 Games @ E3 2008
10. Motor Storm: Pacific Rift	9. Ultimate Band	8. Resistance 2	7. Gears of War 2	6. Wii Sports Resort
5. Dead Space	4. Rock Band 2	3. Spore	2. LittleBigPlanet	1. PSN

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