MotorStorm: Apocalypse

It's typical of the game's thorough and well-implemented feature set. Netcode is strong, matchmaking swift, leaderboard integration is great across the game and the interface is speedy and sensibly organised. Four-player split-screen is supported, both offline in Quick Race and in the 16-player online races. You can unlock a 'Hardcore' version of all the Festival races here, and turn dynamic events on or off for certain tracks.

In online multiplayer, you earn 'chips' – XP, in other words – and medals for various actions and race results. These rank you up and unlock perks for online racing, while vehicle-specific medals unlock new models and customisations for your rides. You can also earn chips by betting on the results of a race – a nice way to bump up your income if you're struggling to compete.

Whilst having a minimal impact on performance and balancing, the perks and customisation are fun to tinker with and a decent motivator for investing time in online play. It's a shame that you can't earn chips and rank up in offline racing at all – not even Quick Race – as this would have been a decent extension of the game's lifespan for the solo racer.

Presumably this decision has been made for balancing reasons, but it's still a disappointment. An even bigger disappointment is that the mode creator promised at the game's unveiling, which was to allow players to write their own race rules and scoring systems, has not made the cut. This was a promising alternative form of user-created content in racing games – probably closer to what players really want than the usual track editor – so we hope it can be patched in at some point.

On the other hand, MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a standard-setter for Sony's big push into stereoscopic 3D. I've not tested it, but Eurogamer TV editor Johnny Minkley reports that "the 3D effect is the most striking, immersive and downright spectacular of any PS3 game I've played. Knocks the spots off GT5, not least through the sheer intensity of the races, with a multitude of objects littering the track that can fly out at you... I've also experienced little issue with ghosting (compared to, say, Killzone 3), even with 3D whacked up to 100 per cent."

It works because it's not subtle. Not much about Apocalypse is, from the crushing orchestral dubstep soundtrack, through the astounding visual assault of bounding cars, flying masonry, landslides, dust clouds, twisters and moody, filtered light, to its sheer breakneck speed. But beneath all this clamour you can detect the stable, confident hum of a decent racing series finding its feet – in its improved boost mechanic, substantial feature set and streamlined campaign.

Britain's fight to save the arcade racer continues, undaunted. We can only wish Evolution better luck than its brothers in arms.