Harrison: "We turned down the mud"

Sony exec and studio overseer Phil Harrison has given much love to the crash happy racer, MotorStorm, identifying it as the killer app for PS3 and boasting that it actually exceeds the expectations that were set by the now legendary E3 2005 demo footage.

When the subject of the much debated movies is raised during an interview with GameTrailers, the vertiginous Harrison claims that if the original demo movie and genuine in-game footage is compared side-by-side, it's apparent that Sony has "over delivered," explaining that: "You actually get a better experience in the game - more cars on screen, more physics, more dynamics than we ever did in the visualization..."

When the interviewer points out that there's a lot less mud in the finished product, Harrison replies, "You know what? We actually turned down the mud because it made the game impossible to play." So, less dirt flinging, more of everything else, but is it really more impressive than the intense, jaw-dropping trailer that first introduced us to MotorStorm nearly two years ago...?

Harrison obviously thinks so and even goes so far as to identify MotorStorm as a killer app which, when it releases in March,is going to help PS3 fly off shelves. He believes that "it's the title which a lot of people are going to go 'Wow - that's actually what I was expecting PlayStation 3 to represent!'"

We agree that MotorStorm is gorgeous looking and immensely playable, but is it worth the$600 PS3 admission fee on its own? We'd have to say "no." Sorry, Phil.

Above: The final, de-mudded MotorStorm

February 14, 2007