Cranking the ‘wow’ factor

WHEN the PlayStation 3 made its glorious debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2005, one of the games Sony showcased was an off-road racer named MotorStorm. Watching the demo was exactly like watching ESPN racing coverage. And this was going to be a game we could play? Wow.

Flash forward to last May and E3 ’06. The playable demo of the game was boring and looked generic. What happened? Where was all that promise?

Then last month, the final version of MotorStorm was released. The verdict? The most realistic-looking game ever. That’s right. Ever.

It’s a winner-take-all series of off-road races at a big “Burning-Man”-type festival in the desert. Choose from one of seven classes of off-roadster (from dirt bikes to dune buggies to souped-up big rigs) and hit the track. Never before have dusty trails and muddy bogs been so authentic-looking. Although the racing itself lacks any kind of real-life simulation feel, the arcade-style fun and stunning environments keep it locked in the “wow” category.

Details: PlayStation 3 platform; $59.99; rated: Teen (language and violence).

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Looking for a fight? You’ve found it

Virtua Fighter 5 and Def Jam: Icon are button-mashing fighting games for next-gen consoles. Besides that and maybe the price, they have very little else in common.

VF5 takes its fighting very seriously, with numerous button combinations needed to pull off complex ways to attack your opponent. Oh, and the graphics are nice too. But that’s it. Where are the story lines? Where are the mini-games? How about cut-screen movies to liven up things? Unfortunately, VF5 has none of these. Get in a fight or don’t play. (Even the character customization, something that should offer some variety, is lacking.)

The fights of Icon, on the other hand, could easily be confused with pre-rendered cut screens, the visuals look so good. Pick from some of today’s hottest rappers (including Ludacris and Lil Jon -- “What? OK!”) and slug it out. In the story mode, sign and manage real-life rappers to earn enough scrilla to get that bling (er, money to buy jewelry) while cracking heads of those who dis. Though the controls aren’t as intuitive as they should be, the story line, locations (including the real-life set of BET’s “106 & Park”) and slamming hip-hop beats give Icon the edge.

Details: Virtua Fighter 5; PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms; $59.99; rated: Teen (suggestive themes and violence).

Def Jam: Icon; PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms; $59.99; rated: Mature (blood, strong lyrics and violence).

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Good -- but not great

Sure, God of War 2’s graphics are better than the hit original’s and every five seconds some giant monster has to be defeated in some epic way, but it’s not a super game because there is no way to control the point-of-view camera. That means our hero Kratos is often walking the wrong way or stuck off camera behind something, just like in the first God of War. Still, the grand soundtrack and deeply complex plot make it worth checking out, as well as the cut-screen finishing moves that add to the game’s “epic adventure movie” feel.

Details: PlayStation 2 platform; $49.99; rated: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, sexual themes, strong language).

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Virtual soup’s on!

Cooking Mama Cook Off is delightful fun for those who like to cook as well as those whose cooking knowledge is limited to opening a can of soup and jamming it into the microwave. Using the Wii remote in a variety of ways, gamers have to slice, mince, mix, stir and serve one of more than 50 international dishes, and do so before time runs out to achieve the best score. Sadly, there is no way to taste the scrumptious meals you’ve just painstakingly prepared; seeing the outcome on your TV is as close as you get.

Details: Wii platform; $49.99; rated: Everyone.

weekend@latimes.com