NowGamer talks to BigBig game director Richard Ogden on his snow-fuelled portable iteration of Motorstorm

Motorstorm is a series that's made its mark by taking advantage of the PS3's hardware, so what are the key things you have to consider when transferring it to a portable console with limited graphical capability?

Given our history on PSP with the Pursuit Force series we were well placed to take on the task. Early on we realised that we would be able to bring the full MotorStorm experience to PSP. No need to make a 2-D, top-down version or anything like that! The main area to deal with is the graphics and visuals – we have to use lower resolution textures and less polygons in our models, but in such a way that it’s still going to look great on the small screen. Really, nothing else needs to be compromised that much, at least not in the player’s perception of the final product. We just do everything in a different way to suit PSP’s capabilities.

As long as you take a sensible view on what you’re trying to achieve then there aren’t really any major constraints when translating a PS3 game to PSP. We really think we’ve managed to capture the feeling and excitement of the other MotorStorm games and, when people get their hands on it, I’m sure they’ll all agree.

Why did you decide to go with Alaska for Arctic Edge and has the change in setting allowed you any more leeway in the development process?

From the beginning we knew we didn’t just want create a port. The PSP definitely deserves its own MotorStorm experience. I guess the snowy mountain setting was obvious. How many games have a lava level, a forest level, a desert level, a snow/ice level, etc? We had some other ideas but this was really appealing because of the potential for the visuals and the possible new vehicles and game-play ideas that it conjured up. Alaska specifically has some really stunning and inspiring scenery and fits nicely with the previous game locations.

What are the main changes between this and previous instalments?

Aside from the location we’re hoping that no one will notice any changes when they start playing the game. Everything that is MotorStorm is there – the variety of vehicles, the brutal off-road racing, the crashing, explosions, boosting, ragdoll characters, aggressive and close A.I. competitors and player-centric action.

We’ve built 12 tracks and there are two versions of each: they can be raced in clockwise and anti-clockwise. There are 24 vehicles and we’ve included vehicle personalisation – the player can create their own unique version of a MotorStorm vehicle by changing spoilers, lights, exhausts, colours, livery patterns and decals, etc. We’ve got the same kind of game modes (Festival, Time Attack, Free-Play) with loads of races, and online multiplayer for up to 8 players.

How closely are you working with Evolution Studios, and how hands-on have they been on Arctic Edge?

We work closely. Evolution obviously have a vested interest in the MotorStorm brand and, more so earlier on, made sure that our plans and designs didn’t step beyond the boundaries of what MotorStorm is all about: the crashes, the destruction, the brutal off-road racing.  We “got” MotorStorm anyway so this wasn’t really a problem.  On a day-to-day basis though, we’re pretty much left to get on with it.  Because of our PSP experience and the fact that a lot of our staff have a great heritage with racing games, Evolution know that the game is in safe hands.
 
Can we expect the same amount of detail and variation in the Arctic Edge in terms of vehicles and tracks?

We’re bringing 6 vehicle classes over from the previous games: Bike, Buggy, ATV, Rally Car, Big Rig and Mudplugger (or Snowplugger as we call it). We’re adding two new classes: the Snow Machine (a small, fast, tracked vehicle with skis) and the Snow Cat (large, powerful, tracked) – both suited to the snow and ice environment.

The tracks are based throughout the snowy mountain environment at different altitudes. There are mud and gravel tracks passing close to an oil processing plant and abandoned saw mills around the base of the mountain. And, there are others amidst the snow, ice and rock of the peaks and glaciers at the higher levels. All the tracks have multiple routes to race along, a mixture of visuals, and some gameplay events like avalanches.

How much life do you think the PSP has in it? Have you, as one of the higher profile PSP developers, made the most of the console yet?

I think the PSP has loads of life left in it and it’s clear when you look at the great games coming out this year that we’re not the only ones.  In terms of performance, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge really does push the machine.  We’ve got more physics and damage and destruction going on than most other games on the system.  As to whether there’s more that can be squeezed out; most definitely.  We’ve been working with the hardware now for a good few years and we’re still finding ways that we can squeeze more out of it.

With a new PSP on the horizon, are developers going to have to rethink the way they approach the console?

We don’t comment on rumour or speculation such as a new PSP, so I can’t answer this question.

Is BigBig likely to move onto PS3 development, or is PSP development a place you’re likely to stay?

The priority at the moment is Arctic Edge. Beyond that, you’ll have to wait and see.

How have things changed at the studio since Bigbig’s acquisition by Sony in 2007?

Actually, things are very similar to how they were before. Whilst we’re now part of a much bigger family, which gives us the ability to utilise other resources and expertise within Sony when need be, we still get to retain our own identity. A perfect combination.

Why do you think Sony has waited so long to bring the Motorstorm franchise to the PSP?

A number of factors came together at the right time to make it happen: Sony acquiring Bigbig, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice being finished, the need for a developer with solid PSP expertise to attempt brining the franchise to PSP. There was no point just rushing out the obvious port. When it’s released I hope that everyone who plays the game will agree it was worth the wait!