Motorhead PS1 Review

Motorhead is a futuristic style racing game that was published by Gremlin interactive for the PlayStation and Windows PC in 1998. 

And this game would take a very different approach to your typical racing game seen at the time as it focused on more futuristic styled elements that would have been more noticeable in games such as Wipeout and the game features eight different racing circuits and 10 cars to play from which some of which are unlocked at the start and you gradually will have to unlock them as you play through the various game modes. 

One of the most noticeable aspects of the time when this game was released it was considered to be one of the most visually and graphically impressive games seen on the PlayStation and even on the PC at the time as well as it had the inclusion of the unique modes that allowed you to change between the different frames per second so you could play the game at 30 frames per second but what this would do is depending on which mode you choose you can opt to play even at 60 frames per second which will give you vastly improved visuals and higher resolution (Rez) Graphics but it would remove some of the competitors on the screen. 

So instead of having five or six cards on the screen you would only have three but if you wanted to play for the 30 frames per second mode you would have a full selection of cars that you could race against. 

Either way it was really just down to your preference but it was quite a feat and it was an incredible visual presence seen on games at that time and it definitely was considered to be among some of the best graphically impressive games seen on the PlayStation. 

The game itself while it has some impressive feats would still receive mixed reviews as the game was often considered as something of an enigma that is considered to be playable but it exists somewhere between games like wipeout and even often compared to Ridge Racer as it feels like it's somewhere often in between those two series of games.

It would be praised for its dynamic gameplay, the use of handling physics as it has really good handling characteristics for the cars although they do vary from vehicle to vehicle. 

It is a solid racer at its core and again it does have really really good graphics but one of the issues with the game is down to the overall difficulty of the game as that was the major issue as yes you have to compete in various leagues to unlock different challenges and vehicles and so forth and again to unlock the variety of tracks that are available you do have to progress through the various championships. 

The level of difficulty within the game is what many gamers would consider to be the most annoying part of it as the further into the game you get, there's very little room for error if at all sometimes it can be almost impossible to win a race because no matter how much you perfect your racing lines on a track, your competitors especially those that are in the first few places are so far ahead of you that no matter what you do you very very rarely can you ever catch up with them and the second you make a mistake which you will in this game the chances of them catching up with you and overtaking you and then literally leaving you for dust are very high. 

It's just the barrier to entry for this game is very very high that is one of the major things for it, it's not a typical game that for a beginner that could pick up and play and enjoy it with ease it's not one of those games at all, there is a massive difficulty learning curve to this game. 

But aside from those gripes it is a very solid racer and in all respects regardless of the magazine reviews that it got, it's probably one of the most solid racers that you could play on the PlayStation during that time and it was definitely one of the best graphically in terms of the various output modes that had to offer. 

It is just a genuine solid experience while it is lacking in some cases with regards to tracks but then when you look back during those early days the majority of games especially if you played early arcade racers you only ever had one track and maybe three variations of it or maybe three tracks and that was about it anyway. 

So what it may have lacked it definitely made up for in other ways but again it's just the difficulty curve especially later into the game for me personally that's where it can get frustrating. 

Now even my first experience with this game it was actually a friend of mine that had bought it and he really enjoyed it was getting into it and I remember he took it over to the house years ago when we were younger to show us it and I was really impressed with the visuals but at the same time when I went to try and play it myself it was one of those games that I couldn't really get into at first and this has been brutally honest I genuinely, it took a while to really warm to the style of the game and don't get me wrong because I absolutely love racing games but it's one of those games that I had to give a time. 

It took a while for me to really warm to it, to be honest it took a few years for me to really get the feel for this game because for a while I didn't play it and I remember then it was actually released on the PlayStation Network a good few years ago on the PS3 and I picked it up as it was going for cheap on a sale so I decided to pick it up and I gradually started to get back into it again and I found it that I enjoyed it more then than I did when I originally played it. 

And sometimes that just happens with certain games sometimes I find some of the best games I've ever played I've never really allowed myself to get into them at the start or I just didn't really understand what was going on but then I would go back to a couple of months or a couple of years later and I ended up having one of the best experiences I could possibly ever have and that's just the reality of some games and that happens to me with quite a few games unfortunately but for me when I do get into a game that's it I do play it Non-Stop and for me right this is a difficult racing game it's not an easy racing game at all but it is a very good solid experience. 

It has great use of tracks, dynamics, really good graphics for its time, phenomenal graphics first time actually but the handling physics of the cars are really the standout show in this here as they're solid, intricate, responsive and it really just suits the whole gameplay aesthetic plus I love the futuristic feel that the vibe that the game is going for and the fact is that you can play on different high-rise modes definitely increases that playability factor. 

The fact is that you can see the visual representation of everything that's going on. In all respects for its time I know we had Gran Turismo in that time but even at that Motorhead was kind of ahead of the curve in terms of visual prowess when it comes to games so what it lacked in some areas, it definitely made up for it in others but in my own opinion it genuinely is a worthwhile solid experience that you really should try out. 

Yes it will take time to get into and to get used to the feel of it and it does get more difficult the more you play it but it is a really good solid all-around experience in general and I highly recommend that you do try it out and just to see an early version of what these type of games would have looked like back in the day as I think that you will enjoy it especially if you're looking for something that provides more of a unique challenge. 

This will definitely be right up there with those games so I would love to know your thoughts on Motorhead for the PlayStation, if you have played it yourself or even if you play it on the Windows PC version and if so what do you think of the game overall? 

Do you think that it's a graphically impressive game for its time and if so what Memories or stories you have of playing this unique game? 

Be sure to share it in the comments below and be sure to keep watching to see more content on other racing games similar to Motorhead, you can check out the blog where we will be diving into the iconic elements of these classic video games and as always keep those gaming memories alive...