After the recent release of a few driving games on the PSP I thought it might be worth taking a look at them across various sections so that people looking to buy can make a more informed choice.
For full reviews of each see the links below:
MOTORSTORM: ARCTIC EDGE
GRAN TURISMO
DIRT 2
So here we go…
GRAPHICS
Obviously a big part of any gaming experience but boy do people love cars that look good
Dirt 2 is the least prettiest of the three with Motorstorm’s slightly cartoonish style in second place. Gran Turismo takes the chequered flag in this department, with some lush visuals although the odd screen tear stops it getting a perfect 10.
Motorstorm 8
Gran Turismo 9
Dirt 2 6
Dirt 2: “The least prettiest of the three…”
HANDLING
How your car handles is obviously an important part of any driving game and these titles are no different.
Motorstorm’s use of boost is well implemented and you only ever feel out of control via your own mistakes.
Gran Turismo’s handling is lifelike and if you try to drive like a maniac you will up in the wall before long.
Dirt 2 isn’t too bad in this respect but at times it’s difficult to tell whether the game is keeping tabs on things like grip etc as it’s often possible to just hold down accelerate and take turns.
Motorstorm 8
Gran Turismo 9
Dirt 2 7
GAME MODES
No doubt about the winner here – Motorstorm has a fabulous single player campaign of ranking up and tackling different events in different vehicles.
Gran Turismo doesn’t have much in the way of modes for single player, it’s just race where you want to and while Dirt 2 does have a World Tour mode it’s pretty limited and doesn’t have much to keep you coming back.
Motorstorm 9
Gran Turismo 7
Dirt 2 7
Motorstorm: “Has a fabulous single player campaign.”
MUSIC
Again Motorstorm takes this hands down – some great tracks on there including the anthem ‘Omen’ by The Prodigy. Good use of music.
Well the other two games are much of a muchness – not a great deal of music, surely they could’ve squeezed some more tunes in there?
Motorstorm 9
Gran Turismo 7
Dirt 2 8
CAR SOUNDS
Gran Turismo wins out in the engine stakes – you really can hear the difference in vehicles, even when the cars are similar.
More impressive than Motorstorm because Motorstorm’s engine sounds only vary between different types of vehicles. (i.e cars and trucks)
And sadly Dirt 2’s engines sound the same regardless of what you’re driving.
Motorstorm 8
Gran Turismo 9
Dirt 2 6
Gran Turismo:”You really can hear the difference in vehicles.”
TRACK SELECTION
Moving onto the available tracks and Gran Turismo roars into the lead – yes you race each course backwards and forwards but even so there are still a huge amount of tracks to race on.
Motorstorm also has quite a selection and also gets a bonus for mutliple routes through each track.
Dirt 2 lags behind again – boasting in the region of around 8 tracks.
Motorstorm 8
Gran Turismo 9
Dirt 2 6
VEHICLE SELECTION
You can’t argue with 800 cars. Gran Turismo is the undisputed king in this round, regardless of the fact some are just different models of the same car.
One of the main points of Motorstorm is to race different types of vehicles against each other so it wouldn’t be much of a game without a decent selection of vehicles. New snow based vehicles have been added to the usual Motorstorm suspects.
Dirt 2 doesn’t deliver massively on the vehicle front but there is probably just about enough to keep you going.
Motorstorm 8
Gran Turismo 9
Dirt 2 7
Gran Turismo: trumps Motorstorm right at the end.
OVERALL
Motorstorm 58 / 70
Gran Turismo 59 / 70
Dirt 2 47 / 70
It’s a very close race between the front two but Dirt 2 is way back in last place.
Gran Turismo trumps Motorstorm right at the end based on Vehicle and Track selection.
My advice would be simply – if you can’t afford both then go with Motorstorm for mindless fun or Gran Turismo for a slightly harder but more rewarding driving experience.
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