I stopped in a Gamestop on my way home from work tonight, and got my first hands on time with this game.
I've got to say I came away pleasantly suprised after a single race. I was initially stoked about this game after seeing the original E3 demo from a couple years ago. Since that time most of the news about the game has centered around the fact that it probably won't match up to that E3 video that was shown.
Well, i've got to say that it clearly doesn't match up to that original video, however, it does come kinda close. The graphics are very nice, not mindblowing, but nice. The physics and feel of the game felt great. I was impressed with the physics, and crash dynamics. It was sorta ironic playing this game, as it seems to have a lot of similarities to the Wii launch title Excite Truck. Both games borrow the Excitebike turbo system, where you can boost for only so long before you can overheat, or in the case of Motorstorm, blow up your vehicle.
I really have high hopes for the remainder of the game, and I hope the later tracks get more complex, and wide open. My biggest complaint was that the track design felt sorta constricted. In the E3 video it showed much more open tracks, and the playable today was a much tighter track, and it felt like the game might work better with a slightly wider course design. The game also felt a little slow. Then again, if the tracks are all this constricted, that might be for the better.
There is little doubt that whenever I do buy a PS3, a copy of MotorStorm will accompany my purchase. I really hope the final product is fantastic. I'm a racing game freak at heart, and i'd love to have a really good one to go along with my PS3 purchase sometime next year.