MotorStorm - hands-on

Dirt and explosions - that's MotorStorm. Running through the desert, high on top of a crazy-big mesa overlooking a barren wasteland below, crowded with jeeps and motorcycles bouncing around, careening off the edge ... that's the sort of chaotic gameplay experience we just had, and we're ready to go back for more.

While the jury is still way out on whether the control is crappy or just plain challenging, we're excited to figure that out for ourselves. Nobody we watched play got as good a handle on the control as we did - and we were still skidding off the level, tearing into walls, and generally crashing spectacularly with alarming frequency. Sometimes, it just plain wasn't our fault: clip a tiny little ledge, there go your tires. Boom. Dead. Watch the aftermath. The secret we cottoned onto: do the big turns with the analog stick, and the finesse moves by tapping the digital pad. We'll see if that tactic still works on November 17, because while MotorStorm isn't a launch title, there will be a demo up for download, day one.