This isn't your typical MotorStorm game, it is based on radio controlled cars. Tracks are based on previous games, there are a total of 64 "events", spread out across 16 unique tracks: four tracks each from Monument Valley, Pacific Rift, Arctic Edge and Apocalypse. Types of events include normal races against 7 other AI cars, time trials, overtaking cars within a certain time limit and drifting. Therefore, before too long, the game can feel repetitive. MotorStorm: RC doesn't have typical controls, buttons correspond to accelerate, brake/reverse and reposition of the car. These are fully customizable to any face and shoulder button to your liking.
What makes the controls hard and unorthodox since instead of a "behind the shoulder" camera, it is more of a bird's eye view from above (there are four camera settings which changes the distance and angle the camera are from the RC car). You're fixed to viewing from this high up and it makes steering confusing sometimes, especially with all the twist and turns. You can either choose to have left/right of the analogue stick to turn the wheels left/right (just like a real RC car) or aiming anywhere will turn the wheel in relative to how the car is positioned. Both take a while to get used to and master. The game is as punishing as your MotorStorm games go, being physics based.
It can feel unfair at times since it's hard to control your car; all tracks have tight turns which makes steering frustrating especially when the AI can do it so perfectly. Colliding with something will most likely ruin your run since it can flip your car, force you to face the wrong way or make it spin out of control. It is not that easy to avoid obstacles thanks to the stupid camera which makes judging the position of the obstacles harder. This can't really be solved by just changing the camera since all camera options have some sort of downside.
Different cars has wildly different handling, for example, super cars are the fastest but has horrible handling and corner turning, while monster trucks can handle collision well but are somewhat slow. Events force you to use a particular type of car which keeps things interesting and different since the tracks and event types are reused to much. It can also be frustrating such as when it forces you to use a buggy, which skids all over the place, on a track with heaps of u-turns. It does get frustrating when you play a level and it's very hard to control the car since it likes to skid all over the place forcing you to overshoot corners, while other cars just bump into your and flip you over.
You will constantly restart tracks, which, when you have to restart 25+ times and still not obtain the position you were aiming for, there is a problem. That said, it's best not to hold down the accelerator button all the time and you will need to learn the tracks off by heart and rely on muscle memory. There is a playground area which is like a free roam area. It's got a skate park, soccer field and basketball court. You can drive your RC car all over the place for fun. It's nothing special to be honest since nothing changes, it can get old fast. There are global leaderboards and probably the biggest thing that holds your attention is the urge to keep replaying the tracks to get a better time.
With that said, leaderboards didn't work on my copy (both on Vita and PS3), which was a shame. There is a free mode in which you can select the track and number of laps as well as a time attack mode to try and get the fastest time possible. The game has horrible graphics on the Vita. It looks amazing on the PS3 though but I personally found the Vita's smaller analogue stick makes the cars easier to handle. MotorStorm: RC features cross-trophies, with separate trophy lists, unlocking a trophy in one version will unlock it in the other when you boot that version up. Although this feels like cheating when you earn twice the trophies with no effort.
While the game does have a Platinum trophy, it is a small list simply because this is a small game. Each track takes less than 1 minute to complete (if you manage to get a good run on it). The Platinum is a decent challenge and has a good amount of Silver and Gold trophies. At its best, MotorStorm: RC can be fun and it features an authentic control scheme of the RC cars. However, if you're one who cannot get accustomed to the controls, coupled with the traditional frustrating difficulty of MotorStorm games, it is best to give this one a miss. I want to say I regret playing this game, although I did have fun at some points but I got frustrated a lot more.
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