Don’t forget to check your e-mail today, because you could be one of the lucky lucky people who got chosen at random to download the Motorstorm: Pacific Rift demo. Here’s what you’ll have access to:
Demo content:
* 1 playable track (’Raingod Spires’)
* Single player & 2-player split-screen
* Offline play only
Have you got the demo yet? Have you played it yet? What’s it like? The demo will be available to everyone next month, so if you didn’t get lucky this time, there’s always that to look forward too…
If the demo is ready - why can’t we all play it?
Any positive effects you get from the cashflow from Quore or PR effect from a compo will be far outweighed by the rest of feeling like we are treated like 2nd class citizens. Connect this to the very poor EU PSN Store and it leaves a very sour taste.
Has SCEE become so immune to the cticism of the utter lack of releases on the EU PSN Store that they feel that this is not going to annoy people?
My bet is they read the comments here on content and tell themsleves that it’s okay becuase we are the vocal minority of hardcore fans.
Well guys, go and read Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Tipping Point” (it’s a business book BTW guys so don’t panic) and pay close attention to the chapter about Maven’s becuase that’s what we are.
And please don’t think that this is another bitch, believe it or not, I’m just trying to help.
Comment by shinesevens — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:20 pm
what a piss-take
Comment by Rodge — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
What is the point in this, if its ready just release it to everyone at the same time
Comment by Talvon — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
At least they didn’t do what the US done, and charge people to play it a month early.
Comment by Cronnie — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
Lessons in unpopularity starring David Reeves and Ian Hetherington, episode 1:
“How to destroy your company’s credibility by valuing some customers more than others”
Comment by Neil — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Never got an email
Comment by JohnSketch — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
Don’t you realise why they have done it here?
Because otherwise people who don’t have a Qore sub could just sign into their EU accounts, from US, and download the demo from our store.
Simple we are getting screwed because of the US Qore subscription now which is not a very good trend to set IMO.
Comment by xxShadowsFallxx — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
So what if people get access to the demo a month before? IMHO, it’s a month less of anticipation. I remember playing the original Motorstorm demo and craving to get the full game right after it.
Comment by Paulo V. W. Radtke — Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
i want the demo:(
Comment by bignatt — Sep 11, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
If it’s ready release it. Simple. It’s not beta testing it’s a demo!!!!
SCEE and bad PR, like to pea’s in a pod
Comment by Chris — Sep 11, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
It’s called marketing, and i totally agree with it. If you make something exclusive more people want it. I am writing this before I check my email, so I’m not saying it because I have it.
Comment by John — Sep 11, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
“Simple we are getting screwed because of the US Qore subscription now which is not a very good trend to set IMO.”
@ xxShadowsFallxx, the alternative is that Sony region-lock access to the different stores (like we can’t access the US Video page) and that would screw us over far more than having a demo lottery would - I get most of my demos and trailers from the US store!
Why can’t they just region-lock the demo? It’s doable as we found out with the Uncharted US demo file and that way we get it on time and the US non-Qore members can’t download it?
Comment by Apnomis — Sep 11, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
Stuff motorstorm what about the LBP beta
*drool*
Comment by noboard — Sep 11, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
woooo
Comment by komp — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
Curses! Where’s the email Sony - come on, you know I’m on your list - please! I don’t want to wait another month. Sure I have the Pure demo in the meantime but it’s just a crappy motorstorm rip-off and I want the real deal!!!! !
Comment by reakt — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
yeah i got an email!!! just playing it now !!! awesome!
Comment by stuart stow — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
no email
will have to wait a month like the rest of the psn silver users
Comment by marvzilla — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
Completely stupid way of doing things.
Comment by Big Gareth — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
“Lessons in unpopularity starring David Reeves and Ian Hetherington, episode 1:
“How to destroy your company’s credibility by valuing some customers more than others”
This is pretty much Sony’s modus operandi though. Bring stuff out in the US first, bring some stuff out only in Japan, throw Europe some morsels, charge Australasia more than everyone else etc. The day Sony get their act together and work as a unified unit will be a joyous one.
Comment by Matt — Sep 11, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
@marvzilla
lol PSN silver your pretty funny. I forgot last time I checked I can still play online for free can’t do that with live silver. So just because you can’t get a few demos its not that big of a deal. Its called marketing. Build up the inticepation instead of people playing it for a month and getting sick of it. All companys do it. Sony’s been doing this for years with the offical Playstation the Magazine by offering exclusive demos to them how come no one complained then.
Comment by wolfehound22 — Sep 11, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
We all know NO ONE in europe that auctually PLAYS games will get a demo since Sony only send demos and betas out to people who have never visited the online store to try and get more sales. Looks like I wont be buying MotorStorm 2 in protest again this shoddy treatment.
Comment by Carl(threespecch censored me) — Sep 11, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Stop bitching… Are your lives truly that sad that you NEED this demo, if they are, peice of advice… Go out into the big wide un and get a better life?
Comment by headbang.co.uk — Sep 11, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
Carl.
oh well. Your loss.
Comment by John — Sep 11, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
piss off and kwitcher bitchin! you’ll get it when you get it you crybabies.
Comment by mikey — Sep 11, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
This is the sort of tease strategy that will NOT attract consumers to the PS3 field camp!
I agree 100% with what shinesevens said at the 1st comment.
Comment by Ricardo — Sep 11, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I hope I got an email, I won’t find out for another hour and half ( in every 200 gram block ), when I get home.
Comment by Savage( PSN : CartBlanche ) — Sep 11, 2008 @ 6:39 pm
SCEE lick balls!!!!!!!!
Comment by adairdevil — Sep 11, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
anyone know how many people will receive a code
Comment by james kharn — Sep 11, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
jus checked to see if i got email. didnt get 1. hav come 2 the conclusion that the people at SCEE r spawned from retarded monkeys. no offence mr. monkey!!!!
Comment by adairdevil — Sep 11, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Oh shut the **** up people. You’ll only be happy when Sony start paying you to play games.
Really I’ve never seen a bigger bunch of pathetic, whining to$$ers in my life. Thank god not all Sony/PlayStation afficianados are as annoying and arrogant as most of you. I’ve only been reading this blog a week and I’ve had enough.
Comment by Bronco — Sep 11, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
No email for me either. I’ll cry myself to sleep over this. Well actually I won’t. If I’m not good enough for their little demo then they are not good enough for my money.
Comment by Terry G — Sep 11, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
Euroland gets stiffed again:
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=234585
Nice one Sony. Keep up the bad reputation in Euroland.
Didn’t almost every Sony exec recently come out and say that “Europe is very important to us” and “Europe will be prioritised in the future” kind of promises?!
Over & Out.
Comment by Zed Zee — Sep 11, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
@wolfehound - I understand the concept of marketing, but thanks for the explanation anyway.
Does it build anticipation or alienate further a userbase that already feels under appreciated in comparison to its US counterparts? Judging from other peoples comments I’d go for the latter.
I agree with the shinesevens comment above (no.1), I wasn’t literally comparing to silver just that it makes people feel second class to other users which in turn is negative PR.
Comment by marvzilla — Sep 11, 2008 @ 10:42 pm
What a STUPID idea.
Why on EARTH are Sony so insistant on pissing off even their most deboted followers?
Comment by Bentley — Sep 11, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
Get your name down for the Public Beta of “Resistance 2″…
[ https://beta.myresistance.net/en-us/Apply/BetaForm ]
Trials start around the beginning of October… I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Good luck with your application.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 12, 2008 @ 12:13 am
Btw it’s 720p only.
Comment by fatguy — Sep 12, 2008 @ 1:21 am
Nope no email :(.
Comment by Savage( PSN : CartBlanche ) — Sep 12, 2008 @ 9:04 am
Thanks fanpages will check out that link for the resistance 2 beta.
Comment by reakt — Sep 12, 2008 @ 9:18 am
Censorship here too…
Comment by Terry — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:03 am
Oh boo, no email for me.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:51 am
Anybody got one of these yet? I want to know if they’ve gone out yet or if there’s still chance I might get one.
I shouldn’t get my hopes up, I know…
Comment by BadgerBadger — Sep 12, 2008 @ 11:26 am
@wolfenhound22
Actually you “can” play online for free on Xbox Live Silver… Its only for selected titles tho, only one I can remember off the top of my head is Shadowrun…
It started off as a promo, but it seems to still be going on…
Comment by Mr. Monkey — Sep 12, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Well, my code just came through now. I’m expecting vast numbers of people to be getting them, because if it were a rare thing there’s no way I’d have been lucky enough to get one.
Comment by iapetus — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
I cant believe it!! I just got one of these codes…and I’m still in work :-(…
I have to say, I agree with most that all should be able to play this demo if its ready. Anyhoo, I got one lol.
I’ll post something tonight once I have given it a go….I LOVE MOTORSTORM
Comment by xMonkeyWrenchx — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
Whoever said that beta’s are sent to people who don’t use the Store, I would like to state that you are WRONG!
I have bought a fair few games and add ons from the PS store and have been invited to the beta!
Comment by Simmo — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
I just received mine
Comment by Fuzzyfelt — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Well done!
All I’ve got is an e-mail from HMV…
—
Pre-order Pure from hmv.com and we’ll send you a beautiful exclusive artbook, packed full with concept art from the game. You’ll also receive the game in a foil sleeve, not available anywhere else. Out on PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 26th, pre-order your copy now for just £29.99.
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
wow I got a motor storm code..
pretty shocked.
Mind you I have already played it at Leeds festival on the MS stand! It was very good from what I played then. Hopefully this is a different map.
Comment by Ricky — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:39 pm
Woop got the code!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never win anything, i guess this is the first
Comment by E-ROLE — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
I got a code too. Score, I’ll download it later
Comment by BaseballFury — Sep 12, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
YAS!
code!
A day late. how could they depriveme of a day of pacific mayhem?
Comment by Idris — Sep 12, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
Well, well, just got my code by e-mail so I also can grab the demo too. Nice, but I do maintain what I’ve said before (#25).
For those who don’t get a code, they will feel (and rightly) left behind…
Comment by Ricardo — Sep 12, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
If I had some disposable income at present, the “Pure” title would be in my virtual basket on the strength of the sample soundtrack alone…
[ http://www.disney.co.uk/disneyinteractivestudios/pure/ ]
However, also on my radar just for the next two months are…
“Mirror’s Edge”, “Saints Row 2″, “LEGO Batman - The Video Game”, “Brutal Legend”, “Wet”, “Dead Space”, “Far Cry 2″, “Midnight Club: Los Angeles”, “Tomb Raider: Underworld”, and, of course, “Bioshock”.
I remain unconvinced by “Need for Speed Underground”. The trailer video of the Porsche darting across lanes of traffic was nothing like the lane-changing I can do in my set of wheels. However, I will leave the jury open on that. (”…Prostreet” got mixed reviews; I sold my Blu-ray edition bought on the strength of the ‘Store demo as it didn’t live up to my expectations).
Talking (or, rather, typing) of which I have read some mixed reviews of “The Force Unleashed” as well. I wasn’t too impressed by the playable demo on the ‘Store.
Has anybody else been turned on/off by the demo?
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 12, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
Now, I don’t want to appear ungrateful… but I have spent all day downloading videos, themes, & wallpapers from the US & European ‘Stores, filling-up my on-board 60Gb hard drive & my external 250Gb USB drive.
And 2 minutes ago, I receive an e-mail…
“Download your exclusive playable demo of MotorStorm Pacific Rift”
Nuts!
Now I have to choose whether to remove the “FIFA 09″ demo before my kids see it, or try to find something else to go.
Thanks Sony… yeah, thanks a lot!
Seriously… yes, thank you… means I don’t have to queue at Bluewater Shopping Centre tomorrow!
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
[...] Trur det er bare noen tilfeldig utvalgte som fr laste ned no, resten m vente litt til ser det ut som. Three Speech: Semi-Official PlayStation Blog Motorstorm: Pacific Rift demo out today! [...]
Pingback by Motorstorm Pacific Rift BETA - Norsk PlayStation Forum - PS3FORUM.NO — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
big problems in germany and austria: i (and a lots of other people) get the email but WITHOUT code! i think they have forgotten the code! thanks sony!
Comment by nick — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Yeah those suckers… no code in my email either (Germany)
Comment by TheWretched — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
Still no code
My life is just unlucky like that.
I’m the one who loved every part of Motorstorm 1 and I’ve probably played 800 hours of it. I think I might have to buy a code off EBAY or beg someone to share it to me.
Please Sony, just let me into something.
I feel like I’m being left out on purpose.
Comment by BAZ1307 — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
i have just recieved the e mail and am looking forward to playing this amazing looking game!!!
Comment by pete — Sep 12, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
hurrah I got one!
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Sep 12, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
No Code
PSN: St0rmBr1nger
Comment by Mark — Sep 12, 2008 @ 5:49 pm
i dont get it i never bought the first game, infact when i played it at a m8s i thought it was rubbish. i wont buy the 2nd one so why send me a code. surly someone who actually liked the first game and bought it should of got the code, so stupid to not target people who liked the first any way i posted my code on eu forums about 10 min ago so at least someone that likes the game gets to try it
Comment by tony — Sep 12, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Downloading. =D
Cheers SCEE. =)
Comment by JaKhris — Sep 12, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Just checked my email got a code!!!! Downloading now.
Comment by mumraa — Sep 12, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
Just checked my email, demo downloading, pleasant surprise…
but still think the Demo should be open to everyone, it is a demo not a beta afterall…
Comment by Mr. Monkey — Sep 12, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
Yeeeaah! SCEE (for Sweden) delivers for once! Downloading ATM
Comment by rBerggren — Sep 12, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
got second email, now WITH code! thanks for the fast fix sony! greetings from austria!
Comment by nick — Sep 12, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
Got my email today and have played the demo - loved it - such a shame it’s only 1 course…. will be playing this for some time to come..
Comment by MrGilder — Sep 12, 2008 @ 7:56 pm
hey i received the redeem code for the demo today! i though the demo was limited to UK… thanks to SCEE France.
Comment by Yannick — Sep 12, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
I got a code, I’m so happy this game is am amazing!!!
Comment by Peter — Sep 12, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
If you don’t get a demo code then you aren’t allowed to buy the game when it comes out. That’s how I’m viewing this marketing and PR disaster anyway.
Comment by FullSpecWarrior — Sep 12, 2008 @ 9:44 pm
Erm… dont let the excitement of getting a code make you tell porkies.
The demo is really really good. But for anyone who bought MS at launch and played it loads due to the lack of games for months this is more of the same.
Its just the same with more grassy bits and i’m sure the full game will have cool tracks along shorelines etc but how much does that matter when the core gameplay is identical (apart from really odd attack/barge buttons)
It does look and play great. But ifCOD5 was identical to COD4 but they replaced all brown textures with green textures we’d shout “CASH IN”. But thats pretty much all MS2 seems to be.
(cue whiners saying itsonly a demo. True but it shows tha despite being still great fun, there is little evolutio to justify 40quid in terms of pure gameplay mechanics)
Comment by Pig — Sep 12, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
just checked my email and had the code, just wish it would download faster!
Comment by noobzors — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
i only just gotmy email! downloading now…. 9% lol
Comment by jonsiuk — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
Got the code too. Quite unexpected! Will download later and play on Sunday when not at work.
Comment by Dave Vincent — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
Just played the demo for a bit.
Didn’t like the slow mo / low grav. jump/air stuff. Something feels just very weird and slow about that.
Really hated the exaggerated ‘camera’ shake when boosting. I don’t mind if the screen goes wild near the end of the boost bar (as with MS1) but now I can barely see a thing when it’s only half way. Yuck.
I think they should really fix these 2 things.
Also missed the ability to play with the camera in the pause menu.
Overall I don’t think It looks much better than MS1. Perhaps the real jungle tracks are better but I thought the demo track was a bit bland/empty. Pure, for instance, had much more foliage etc.
I loved MS1 and am a bit disappointed about the demo. Will buy day 1, though
Comment by Qwark — Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
Wooo! playing it now
Comment by lxd — Sep 12, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
Got the code. HAPPY FACE!!! Still think its cheap to exclude other people from it. Come on sony, share the love!
Comment by mr_sok — Sep 13, 2008 @ 1:10 am
Code turned up today. WIN.
i have a feeling that the code aint that exclusive and the numbers involved will be quite a lot.
also get the feeling they know it will be quite popular and they are trying to stagger the downloads so they dont break PSN… haha
Comment by SH4RKY — Sep 13, 2008 @ 9:56 am
SCEE has made me feel left out back to the xbox 360 then!
Comment by looloo — Sep 13, 2008 @ 11:22 am
well if anyone is lucky enough to have a mate that has been invited to the motorstorm demo, you can gameshare it!!!!!
Comment by badmeaningood — Sep 13, 2008 @ 11:59 am
yesssss, got the email, downloaded, demo is awesome,
can’t wait for the actual game, i wonder what the chances were of actually getting chosen?
Comment by Jonny — Sep 13, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
As a European Sony PS3 user who has gained access to Japan’s and the US’ PS Stores I already realised I was a second class PS3 user due to me living in the back waters of Europe. now I realise I am also a second hand motorstorm gamer too. £40 lee leaving my bank and entering Sony’s coffers for definate, I won’t buy it if I am not allowed to try it.
Comment by Neil — Sep 13, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
Wooooo!
I got the demo so I’ll withdraw my sarcastic comments. Actually quite like it, its a lot more enjoyable than the first purely becasue if you crash your not left watching your car fall to bits while everyone flies by. Monster truck is a bit slow though… Now going to try Pure out and see which I prefer…
Comment by Terry G — Sep 13, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
Woo Hoo! I got an email. I have it through. It works. It’s, erm, okay! Dunno what I was expecting. I thought it might feel, bigger somehow. It’s good, but I just feel that the camera positions are a little out. Wouldn’t it be ace to have the option to fine tune the viewpoint from the preferences? Anyway, the monster trucks are my fav so far.
Most likely gonna be gettin’ this bad boy when it finally arrives in full. Well, unless I’m too busy with WipeoutHD to notice it’s arrival.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Sep 13, 2008 @ 7:48 pm
I have mine
Comment by Elliot — Sep 14, 2008 @ 8:49 am
Got the code, played it twice through on bike and racing truck. Now its a while since I’ve played Motorstorm so I could be imagining this but it felt faster than before. Was good fun though so not a demo I’ll delete straight away.
Other than that its Motorstorm. I got a bit tired of the first one after a bit so can’t say I’ll be buying this unless the reviews have some compelling reason. Wipeout HD and LBP are on the horizon, I’m hoping thats all I need for a bit.
As for others saying they felt a bit underwhelmed, I know what you mean, felt it too but then I remembered its just a demo.
If your used to being in betas a lot then it may be that expectation your used to when you receive an email with an access code. Sending a code to access this may be raising the excitement you get when your accepted to a beta but in this case you find out its just basically a short demo of a tarted up game (still fun though!).
The other things your (hopefully) getting codes for have been things like Home and SOCOM (if you’ve been buying things you shouldn’t on the US store) which are either whole new ideas or have a lot of online play.
I can’t see this as being intentional on SCEE’s part or a marketing ploy, just an unforeseen side effect of having to do the random code thing to appease the EU
Comment by Shrui — Sep 14, 2008 @ 8:54 am
@ 7 (xxShadowsFallxx): Which begs the question, why restrict it in the US either, or even charge for it there at all?!
Does Sony enjoy torturing its user base until they start to haemorrhaging onto the XBox 360?
Ridiculous and ludicrous strategy…as always!
Comment by Zed Zee — Sep 14, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
@ 12 (Apnomis): If Sony got their strategy right in the first place, then all of these pitfalls would’ve been avoided now.
Comment by Zed Zee — Sep 14, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
Well I think it’s great. I think it runs smoother than MS which occasionally slowed down when loads of action happened on screen (not that it really bothered me though!). Quite a good track as well - on par with Rain God Mesa I’d say. Expecting the full game to have some great tracks from the some of the clips on the intro!
Oh and I hadn’t heard Ministry’s Jesus Built My Hotrod for about 10 years which was quite cool!
Definitely top of my Xmas list!
Comment by Dave Vincent — Sep 14, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
I went down to BlueWater today to play the Pacific Rift demo and I have to say that Sony need to tell people where they will be. Not even the Sony shop in Bluewater knew where the Motorstorm guys were. When we got to the hut there was no one other prospective customer there ( in the carpark ), which was great as we could spend half an hour really testing out the game.
The game looks good, though on split screen I noticed some pop-up, which I hate. But keeping in mind that the demo there was 80% complete, I think it played really well. I hope the developers have ironed out the popup and a few other glitches before release.
We now have a £5 off voucher and also some lovely Pacific Rift Flip-flops to booot. I’ll definitely be buying this one when it comes out.
Comment by Savage( PSN : CartBlanche ) — Sep 14, 2008 @ 11:59 pm
Flip-flips? Essential footwear whilst riding a bike over rugged terrain!?!
I summarised by thoughts on the “MotorStorm® Pacific Rift Private Beta” / “MotorStorm® Pacific Rift Demo” in this (awful) WordPress editor entry…
[ http://www.1upgamers.com/storm-warning/ ]
—
Review Dated: Sunday 14 September 2008
System: PLAYSTATION®3
Title: “MotorStorm® Pacific Rift Private Beta” / “MotorStorm® Pacific Rift Demo”
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Developed by: Evolution Studios Limited
Availability: European PlayStation Network Promotional Download *
* The select few (thousand, so it seems) audience members for this so-called “Private Beta” were contacted by e-mail from around midday (UK time) on Friday 12 September 2008, & offered promotional vouchers codes to redeem via the PlayStation Network (valid for use until 11 October 2008).
Demo Title Release Date: Friday 12 September 2008
Download file size capacity: 617Mb
Genre: Racing (off-road)
Number of Players supported / Vehicles available:
1 Player Race (offline)
Event title: “Rain God Spires”; Race Type: Standard; Number of vehicles: 16; Laps: 2
Vehicles: One variety of the following classes of: a) Bike, b) Racing Truck, or c) Monster Truck
2 Player Race (offline)
Event title: “Rain God Spires”; Race Type: Split-Screen; Number of vehicles: 6; Laps: 2
Vehicles: Each player has differing varieties of: a) Buggy, b) Rally Car, and/or c) Racing Truck
Commercial Release Date/Rating:
[US] 28 October 2008 (T)
[EU] 14 November 2008 (16+)
[JP] to be confirmed
1 to 4 Players supported Offline / 2 to 12 Players supported Online
16 Players supported concurrently
(4 offline + 12 online to concur with the quoted “16-player online battling, and four-player split-screen play”?)
16 Events (Tracks) available
8 Vehicle Classes available (including previous classes from original “MotorStorm” title & new vehicle class added, the “Monster Truck”)
—
Review game-play time to date:
1.5 hours, then a further 30 minutes
Input controller(s) used:
a) Official Sony SIXAXIS™ wireless controller (UK supplied),
b) Official Sony DUALSHOCK®3 controller charging via console front-mounted USB port (Japanese import)
Output device:
26-inch, 11 year old, Cathode Ray Tube (”Fat” screen) Toshiba TV
—
Calm before the Storm…
I did like the first “MotorStorm”, probably not as much as former Sony chief of Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison, but I was suitably prepared by the original promotion & months of lead-up marketing video footage to want, nay, need this title as a priority (alongside “Resistance Fall of Man”) as soon as I had bought my release day console. The original title developed by Evolution Studios (now part of Sony’s growing empire of first party development teams when brought in-house for a whopping 33 million US dollars with subsidiary Bigbig Studios) was the first PS3 title I played, and the first PS3 title I went online with. Although, to be fair, the debut night was filled with people who couldn’t understand how to participate in an online game [..."What's the [Start] button for again?”… “Oh, somebody has dropped-out with boredom, now we’ll all have to quit & restart”…], so I only got one race all evening.
I received the promotion code to download the playable demo (“Private Beta”) of “…Pacific Rift” by chance and, if I am honest, I could have waited for a full commercial release date, and then some, as I haven’t returned to the original “MotorStorm” so far this year. Apart from the new multiplayer local game option, that I did think was a limitation with the first title (especially as it always seemed to be an age before it is my turn again whilst waiting for each of my three kids to make it to the finish line this side of Christmas), I was nowhere near as eager to venture back into the driving (or riding) seat this time around as the soon-to-be released follow-up title didn’t seem to offer me anything else.
But, as Sony were kind enough to remember me in their mass mail delivery on Friday, it would have been rude not to at least download the demo, and “Rip it up in Paradise” at least once. The e-mail went on to say that I was welcomed to “…the island, a tropical paradise deep in the heart of the Pacific. This is a brand new racing location – diverse, dangerous and unpredictable - a unique and exciting location for the MotorStorm Festival”. So, I “off-roaded” some of the various videos I had been downloading to that point on Friday to my external USB hard drive, in order to make ample provision for what I thought was going to take at least one & a half to two ‘gigs’ of space of my on-board 60Gb capacity (going off other PS3 Beta Test versions I have been lucky enough to sample).
The e-mail content had me hooked… I was keen to “Rampage through 16 multi-route tracks across four diverse racing zones”, “Tear into the landscape with eight vehicle classes, including a devastating new Monster Truck”, “Rev it up for some reckless fun with split-screen action for up to four players”, “Race online with up to 12 players”, and “Download new tracks, vehicles and liveries”. OK, so I wasn’t expecting the latter option from the Beta Test demo, but it was going to be there in “autumn 2008”, so I would just overlook that for now.
Anticipating a general state of euphoria for the PlayStation Network traffic on Friday afternoon/early evening, I waited until 11pm before kicking-off the massive… no wait, 617Mb download. 617Megabytes? Is that all? The download size for the playable demo of “Clive Barker’s Jericho” was bigger at 821Mb, “Kane & Lynch: Dead Men” was 840Mb, “and “Haze” clocked-in at 1,557Mb. This wasn’t a good sign. Equally poor was the speed of delivery of the download. At 12:30am I gave up & fell asleep watching something or other on “Sky 4+1.5” or whatever the channel was called. Unavailable to play at devote a decent amount of PS3 gaming time for most of Saturday, I got up early this morning (Sunday) to see if a demo of such a small size could keep my attention for any longer of the three comparative titles (that, if truth be told, wouldn’t be difficult).
Start your engines…
Albeit, by definition of ‘demonstration’ version, and a Beta Test version at that, the limited “MotorStorm Pacific Rift” game-play would have benefited from the inclusion of a second event (track) of the new tropical environment in the Pacific known only as “The Island”. Additionally, the ability to play more than one human opponent in the offline/split-screen mode (in order to gauge if up to four players would be a viable option) would have been appreciated, but I the developers didn’t just target me & my requirements, so just the provided single player mode, and two-player (horizontal) split-screen mode could be tested.
Online multiplayer game-play was not available to test, but it has previously been announced that there will be “a radical re-look at the whole MotorStorm online experience, focusing on ease of use and breadth of game-play all while tearing it up in races up to 16 players”, or described as an “immersive online experience”, or some other marketing hype-nonsense-speak terminology putting the “PR” into “Pacific Rift”, best left to a session of boardroom “buzzword bingo”.
I will also add that any graphical improvements in terms of gloss or shine on the vehicles, or denser more intricate scenery, is likely to be lost on my aging visual display equipment, as well as my failing eyesight that was never going to be 20/20 to begin with (due to red/green & shade colour-blindness, and vision that is long-sighted corrected by prescription spectacles). So you will not find any image quality comparisons to the previous title, nor to an Xbox 360 side-by-side screen spot-the-difference (with the) competition either, as the MotorStorm franchise remains solely on the Sony console for this second outing!
I will add, however, that my co-player in the two-player offline mode was one of my son’s. At the grand young age of seven, he is very adept in most of my catalogue of PlayStation (One, 2, and 3) titles, that are mainly first person shooters, or games within the racing genre. His first impression was that “…Pacific Rift” was “very hard… much harder than ‘MotorStorm’ was”. Whether this is just because we have not played the previous title for quite a few months, or whether the improvement in handling of the in-game vehicles, and subtle changes to the overall realism in the driving experience (that, to be fair, was never that poor anyway) made the arcade-feel more true-to-life than before is debatable. I mention his (only) feedback for your information in any respect, but I certainly noted that the game is less forgiving when taking corners too wide at speed, especially over rough terrain. The back-end of the Buggy and the Rally Car vehicle classes certainly was more ‘twitchy’ than I recall meaning a slight lapse in concentration for only a second or two can cause a few places lost to the unforgiving and relentless console-controlled opponents (or my seven year old, as applicable).
The track on offer is, well, just like the first track (if not all of the tracks) of the first “MotorStorm” title, rugged & mountainous, only not as exciting the second time around. No water or mud effects, no “thick swamps, dense jungle, towering peaks, & steaming volcanoes” (as regularly quoted at the various gaming industry showcases); just jumps, jumps, corners, & more jumps. Cliffs, precipices, chasms, long drops, narrowing valleys, and lots & lots of smashes, crashes, and restarts. Same old, same old, you could say. But this is what made the first title so playable, and is what turned a “quick ten minute” test into a ninety-minute battle of wills between a sleep-deprived 30-something adult & his up-too-early-for-his-own-good son this morning.
When said youngest had returned to bed this evening, I returned to “The Island” to make sure what I had typed here was true to what I thought at the time this morning and, unfortunately, on a second viewing, I was more critical than before.
Best pedal foot forward…
A few of the precursory trailers for “…Pacific Rift” have made reference to the new landscape, and the additional of tree branches ready to remove rider from helmet (with head still in it), and overhangs/underpasses ready to take the roof (or, in my case, the bonnet) off a four-wheeled racer,
And yes, there are a few. And yes, they are placed just right to catch you off-mud guard, and meet you slap in the helmet (head, or otherwise).
However, after a few laps of the only track on offer (in one of the three single-player vehicles, or one of the three other vehicles to trial in the local multiplayer mode) you realise where not to go, and how to keep your set of wheels in one piece regardless of how many times the in-game competitors try to knock you off course.
The concept of track-forks still exist for the adventurous (or foolhardy), and each branch of the circuit presents differing obstacles & hazards to navigate. Some routes are better suited to one vehicle class, and other detours from what may be perceived as the intended route are only passable if you have sufficient speed & ‘boost’ energy to clear a jump successfully. Try a higher route in a Monster Truck, for example, and you may not have enough power to reach a fast enough velocity to land safely off a ramp, or take a lower route on a bike and the undulating track may be designed to bounce rider & machine into a collision if too much speed is used. Slow down too much though, and the benefit of breaking from the main vehicle pack may be wasted. Something to learn from trial, and error. And I made plenty of those. Thank goodness for the inclusion of the [Select] button to reset the vehicle back to the track, and in the long-term the “Restart Race” option from the ‘Pause’ menu.
Taking a spin as a bike rider offers the ability to turn corners quickly using either the D-pad direction buttons, or the tilt facility of the SIXAXIS controller. However, the “health & safety” rules for track racing are not adopted by all, & as soon as you meet a group of larger, stronger, more metal-looking and, hence, greater mass & sharp-edged shaped competitors coming sideways into you at speed, then you realise the limitations & vulnerability of a two-wheeler very quickly no matter how good the ‘Boost’ button reacts when needed. Herein lies another danger too… keep your finger down on [X] to expel the ‘Boost’ energy for a faster ride too long, & an imminent explosion meets you head-on when your vehicle overheats. Not good! So, with one eye on the road ahead, one of the ‘boost’ gauge, and one on the surrounding competitors, you need to keep your wits about you at all times.
I also noticed vast disparity between collision impacts while racing in just head protection, a dust mask, & rolled-up sleeves [seriously… are these riders mad?]. Sometimes the rider can take immense amounts of physical punishment without as much as breaking sweat or anything else. The bike remains intact, and the rider remains defiant. Then on other occasions the slightest pebble in the track causes the rider to bounce off & fall headlong into some convoluted tumbling sequence not out of place in the PlayStation Network title “PAIN”. Also, mess up your timing in a jump & you can drop into a precarious situation between ledge & imminent death whilst participating in an ad hoc round of BBC TV’s “Kickstart” (but without Peter Purves congratulating you for not putting a foot down during the entire bunny-hop on one wheel back to safety).
OK, so you can now punch (‘attack’) left or right on a bike, or shunt (’ram’) in a similar way if in a larger vehicle, but by the time you’ve set-up a hit, and timed it within a second of the perfect opportunity, you’ve crashed into somebody, or got shunted yourself. The ability for a motorbike rider to punch a quad-biker in the mush & send the four-wheeler into oncoming vegetation is amusing nevertheless, but at times it is just good luck, rather than good management, to achieve this. The ability to duck away from attacks from your opponents is also now available, but boxing-on-wheels has never been a genre I considered for a video game, so maybe trying to traverse the course without injuring yourself or your vehicle may be seen by many as the primarily, if not only, objective. I don’t think winning a race by referring to further rules courtesy of The Marquis of Queensbury is going to catch on. In fact, winning is not the only deciding factor in the outcome within the full commercial game. For once, the taking part counts too! A new rating system is to be introduced that will be based on participation in a race, not just how near the player is to the finish line before crashing out at the last bend & watching the entire field pass with seconds to go. So, thankfully, this is going to be better than “Mario Kart Wii” (and just look how long that has been in the multi-format video game charts!).
Oh yes, and something that I never noticed in the original game, but it may have been the same as now… when on a bike, in the “…Pacific Rift” demo, the wheels don’t quite touch the ground meaning man & machine are in perfect harmony without making contact with the terrain! It isn’t that noticeable when playing as you have much more pressing issues to attend to, but when the race has finished & you are watching the bike go around the track automatically without intervention, then the fact that your are on some futuristic hover-bike just looks sloppy.
As mentioned above, you can now race in a monster truck, but it just acts so realistically in a sponge-like bouncey-tigger fun-fun-fun-fun-not-so-fun way you lose the majority of the other racers by the first bend and never catch up due to the mass of the vehicle far out-weighing the torque on offer. This is the vehicle to use if you want to lose friends by running over their in-game player, but if they can out-manoeuvre your over-the-top wheels from the race-off, keeping ahead of you shouldn’t be a problem, well, on the sample track. If the undergrowth becomes over-growth, then the new vehicle class will be a welcome addition to the existing roster, as it will literally just drive over anything. Where do you park a Monster Truck? Anywhere you want to. The end.
So, back to the Racing Truck; the only real ‘all-rounder’ available in the single player mode. It has the road-presence to knock bikes and mud-plugging buggies aside, but also has the performance to keep up with them too. It also can beat the Monster Trucks from the starting line, but so too, can the delivery schedule for the “WipEout HD” project, so that is not worth mentioning.
But, on my second time of loading the demo version, I started to notice faults when playing as a Racing Truck. The damage modelling was nowhere near as realistic as I would have expected. The Truck can accelerate hard to a fixed object, all momentum is lost on impact, and then seconds later when the vehicle is at a standstill one or all of the windows will shatter & then the Truck will flip rear bed-over-hood. When objects are struck at speed & impact occurs, no marks are seen, and drops from a height are taken the vehicle will either continue without pausing, or will instantly lose all four wheels & come to an abrupt stop seemingly denying one, if not all, of Newton’s Laws of Motion. The more I played as the Racing Truck, the more this annoyed me. I don’t recall being this critical with the original “MotorStorm” title, but I do have to bear in mind that this demo is still officially a Beta Test version. Maybe some polish and “jazz hands” are to be applied between now & the full public playable demo or, at the very least, before the Blu-ray editions are burnt & shipped to the high street & online outlets. The current collision physics engine needs tweaking, as in the present state, for want of a better phrase, it is ‘broken’.
Also, in the demo version tested, the crashes seem to take ages to reset you back to the track (offering a tap of the [X] button after a preset time), & in this playable demo version you cannot move the camera around the paused image of the damaged vehicle shell. Maybe that is a limitation of just a 617Mb download. Alternatively, maybe that moveable camera rotation feature has been removed completely. I guess once you have used the feature once or twice, unless wrecked car/truck-nage is your thing, then you wouldn’t bother again, so perhaps making way for new features is some form of progress. It has been reported that the “Photo Mode” in the full release, for example, will be used to capture either a victory or a crash’n'burn moment to share with your friends, so there must be some form of multi-angle camera positioning at some point during game-play.
The full commercial release is also to offer a “Free Play” mode where event ‘tickets’ can be created to result in a build-your-own race structure, although the actual race courses are said to change on a lap-by-lap basis anyway due to “in-game unpredictable events”. Whether this means wreckage will be left where it lies to hamper further traversing of the same circuit, or weather conditions or other environmental changes will influence the fluidity of play is yet to be seen.
When the first game was released, it was all about dynamic physics, true-to-life graphic rendering, and attention to detail with fully destructible vehicles. The PS3 was obviously new & showed great promise. Life was good. But since March 2007, the launch title has been overtaken. Many racing titles have come (and gone). Cars that crash & deform are available in new racing genre titles each month (or with a patch due to public demand). So, maybe the lack of complete attention to detail in this respect is intentional in “…Pacific Rift”. If you cannot compete, why bother? Concentrate on your strengths. The original “MotorStorm” team realised video footage showing where your Blu-ray disc money was spent in advance by demonstrating the great distances to fly helicopters to outback locations to take environmental readings of landscapes to model back in the studio into the initial event locations. The same data could probably now be taken from Google maps, meaning that there need not be any more video footage of the team landing on large rocks miles away from civilisation just to prove they can. So, this sort of begs the question; what is the benefit of “MotorStorm Pacific Rift”?
The finishing line…
My current favourite racing title, “Burnout Paradise” (published by Electronic Arts), is patched with the “Davis” update this coming Thursday (18 September 2008) to add ‘Bikes & Night’ game-play to complement the existing post-release development that the team at Criterion Games have undertaken to date. Coming a close second is “Race Driver: GRID” (developed & published by Codemasters following their pedigree with the “TOCA Touring Car” series) that is also receiving regular updates. I am also keeping an eye on future titles such as “Midnight Club: Los Angeles” (developed by Rockstar San Diego) due for release at the end of October 2008, and “Need For Speed: Underground” (developed by EA Black Box) released a few weeks later (by mid-November 2008).
In contrast to the original “MotorStorm” that had very little competition in off-road racing titles (“Colin McRae’s DIRT”, and erm,… that’s it), the development team for “MotorStorm Pacific Rift” has perhaps adopted the arguable viewpoint, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.
That said, if “…Pacific Rift” is to be the second title in what will surely be a recurring series, it is going to be challenged by the upcoming ”Fuel” (developed by Asobo Studios, and to be published in 2009 by Codemasters) across not only the PS3, but also PC & Xbox 360 platforms.
These same platforms are also playing host to “Pure”, the off-road, All-Terrain Vehicle (Quad Bikes) trick-racing title developed by Black Rock Studio, published by Disney Interactive Studios, and released on 16 September in the US, and 25 September 2008 in the United States of Europe. The playable demo for the PS3 title is already available for download (from the PlayStation Network/Store), and offers a similar feel to the “ATV Offroad Fury” franchise (not unsurprisingly as Black Rock Studio was formerly known as Climax Racing, the developers of the later “ATV…” [PS2]/[PSP] series titles).
In summary, the Private Beta for “MotorStorm Pacific Rift” did do something for me… it demonstrated how much I enjoyed the original “MotorStorm” game, and how much I need to continue playing it.
Discounting the support for the PS3 Trophy System (that I don’t see the point of anyway) that was not available in the original “MotorStorm” title, the local multiplayer option in “…Pacific Rift” seems to be my only reason for considering buying the same game again. That said, the preview of the follow-up title has been limited to only half the promised capacity on offer in the full version, so I am not entirely convinced this can deliver to my satisfaction either. Having two local players may be achievable, but doubling the amount of information being processed across one console may well result in a lag in performance or degradation in on-screen rendering. For a title that presents itself as “brutal off-road racing”, then I hope I have been equally as brutal in my expectations this time around.
I would like to be more positive as I do think the “MotorStorm” series demonstrates the technical capabilities of the PS3 (as of 2007), but for a console that is nearing the second year in the marketplace, a few more bells, horns, and whistles would have to be added to convince me to pre-order at this time.
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 15, 2008 @ 2:29 am
Demo felt lacking. Track was sparse and low on details. Physics felt ‘off’, as FP has already mentioned, its odd to see my truck hitting a little tree at full pelt for it to come to an immediate stop, squirm about a bit then for all 4 wheels to ‘pop’ off. Dunno, I was expecting a lot more, especially after playing the likes of GTA4 with its excellently fun physics engine and destructible car models. I was expecting a similar effect actually when I first clipped a tree… but no all i was treated to was a car that broke into a million pieces and my race to be interrupted by a slow mo sequence.
Monster truck was wasted on the level provided. Wasn’t fast and didn’t feel big. it should be the fastest accelerating vehicle in the game too as that’s what monster trucks are good at, but it was just dodgy. Bike hovered but was fun until I fell off for no reason.
Need to play it some more, maybe it was a bad level or a very early demo but ill be cancelling my preorder until I’ve seen some reviews confirming its a valid purchase.
Comment by SH4RKY — Sep 15, 2008 @ 9:07 am
I just experienced the “comedy wheels” moment you mentioned, SH4RKY.
I hope the version we downloaded is a very early build as I’m finding more & more points to moan about the more I play the Beta Demo.
But not nearly as much moaning as I am finding with what WordPress did with my text before I copied into the comment above.
If anybody uses WordPress & can explain why the “Synonymize this post” tick-box within the editor really means “Garble the text, drop characters, and add some random ones”, I’d be very grateful of the information.
Thanks.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 15, 2008 @ 9:46 am
I think it must be… I couldn’t get over how bland it looked. The track was flat, didnt deform and looked like it had low rez textures. There was hardly any grass or other features.
Plus side, I never noticed the framerate drop…
I’ll give it another blast tonight, maybe im judging it a bit harshly from sunday morning memories.
Comment by SH4RKY — Sep 15, 2008 @ 11:45 am
It appears that Qore subscribers (so, presumably, European Promotion Code access users) have received a “less than 80% build” of the final title.
Below is a link to a thread on NeoGAF that tries to demonstrate how much the landscape can be transformed when viewing the demo presented to the world’s press…
[ http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?s=ce0917a0691fff59a25db9806b986efc&p=12789925 ]
Note the new skyline view of the mountains, the attention to detail in the floor rockery, and the additional green foliage. Also note the fact that we got clouds & the media got sunshine.
The Boost indicator is in a different location… and oh yes, we get a buggy game & the press get a buggy.
BFN,
fp.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 15, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
And once again for emphasis…
“BFN,
fp.”
There was a young man from Kent
Whose tool was so big that it bent
He put it in double
To save him the trouble
And instead of coming he went
(I’ll get my [rain]coat]…
Comment by fanpages — Sep 15, 2008 @ 12:06 pm
For anyone who didnt get the demo, I’ve posted some screenshots and stuff on my blog:
http://xmonkeywrenchx.blogspot.com/
check it out if your interested…
Comment by xMonkeyWrenchx — Sep 15, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
For anyone who didnt get a demo code, I have posted some screenshots and video here:
[http://xmonkeywrenchx.blogspot.com/]
Comment by xMonkeyWrenchx — Sep 15, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
http://xmonkeywrenchx.blogspot.com/
Comment by xMonkeyWrenchx — Sep 15, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Had a bit more of a play, its still good fun when you get used to it. Initial impressions till stand, bland tracks etc, HOWEVER after seeing the videos and those images on neogaf its pretty damn obvious the exlusive demo is a reeealy old build.
Shame, cos I would have imagined the demo would be a deciding factor if someone would buy or not, and giving out something that wasnt really at all representative of the final game is a poor desicion. personally i would have prefered to have waited a month for a general release demo from a newer build.
Kept my preorder for now.
Comment by SH4RKY — Sep 16, 2008 @ 8:58 am
I got an email eventually and had alot of fun playing split-screen multiplayer with a friend who wasn’t randomly selected. Having seen a video of the press build demo its a shame that they chose to release the old build but I’m guessing it was down to time constraints. Nice review FP..
Comment by marvzilla — Sep 16, 2008 @ 11:57 am
@100 [marvzilla]:
Thank you for your appreciation here & in the “PSN Store Update” blog comments.
Yes, it is odd about the decision to release an old build, especially to a wider-audience (the audience that would actually buy the finished product on the strength of the demo). I can only think that the fact that a playable demo of “Pure” was already available (or, maybe took the MotorStorm team by surprise) meant they rushed out what they had (already tested previously).
I loaded-up the 60% Private Beta again this morning, and did enjoy it for what it was. It is by no means a poor racing title, it just doesn’t present anything substantial above the existing “MotorStorm” game.
That said, I will revisit the more publicly available demo of “…Pacific Rift” when it is released as a lot can happen in build quality & playability in the last few weeks of an iterative development/testing cycle.
@98 [xMonkeyWrenchx]:
Many thanks for introducing me to “The Philip DeFranco Show” by way of the embedded YouTube videos on your blog.
That’s the rest of today/week/month gone…
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 16, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
I didn’t get an email
Comment by PS3 Forums at GameSlurp — Sep 16, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I got quite a high attention span measured by todays standards… I usually read one or two books a week…
But just could not be bothered to read that review…
Sorry Fp! Might just be that its 10 to 10pm @ the mo though…
Comment by Mr. Monkey — Sep 16, 2008 @ 9:52 pm
I got an e-mail! Only just noticed it! It came on Friday though not Thursday!
Comment by Apnomis — Sep 16, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
@105 [Mr. Monkey]:
No worries. There is a dedicated thread at the Official PlayStation Community (English) Forums too, btw:
[ community.eu.playstation.com/playstationeu/board/message?board.id=411&thread.id=10594 ]
As for attention span, I can relate to that this morning.
I was playing “Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection (Online)” last night (well, early this morning) & around 2am I was thinking ‘I should really get some sleep now’… especially when my partner arrives downstairs (…and I’m half-expecting the “what time do you call this?” face).
But no… she’s after my help… our 10 year old waterbed (bought for said partner’s bad back do to a car accident many years ago) has sprung a leak & the bedroom resembled the shallow end at the local swimming pool.
Finally got the water drained & bed dismantled by 4:30am, but had used every towel in the house to soak up the water so that the wooden laminate floor wasn’t damaged.
Partner goes back to sleep with smallest offspring, and I went back downstairs & fell asleep on the sofa after a few bleary minutes trying to source a new job (after my last one concluded at the end of August).
Up again at 6:30am when bounced on by another joyous bundle of fruit from my loins.
Off to Ikea after the kids finish school this evening to find another bed.
Sleep is for amateurs. Official
PS. Remember when ‘they’ tell you not to keep money under your mattress? The same applies to notes in the under-bed drawers of a leaking waterbed. I’m laundering money as well as towels this morning.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 17, 2008 @ 9:34 am
Lack of sleep means more typographical errors too…
“…said partner’s bad back do to a car accident…”
Should read… “Due to a car accident”.
But I’m sure you got the idea.
I’m also having an eye sight test this afternoon. I wonder if the matchsticks between my lids will help or not
(Eye sight test not related to car accident, I hasten to add)
PS. @106 [Apnomis]:
I don’t think the e-mails went out until around 12noon on Friday.
Have you heard of anybody receiving the promotional voucher codes on Thursday?
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Sep 17, 2008 @ 9:39 am
cant wait 4 this game. motorstorm kept ps3 alive 4 10 months b4 any other good games come out
Comment by carcus7 — Sep 23, 2008 @ 9:27 am
I was one of the ones to get the code so nah nah!!
Comment by PS3 User — Sep 27, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
I want to play demo !
Comment by neger — Nov 7, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
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