MotorStorm: Apocalypse

"There will be plenty of tracks that are circuit-based that go way beyond just urban environments, and that have that classic multiple vehicles, each of which has a fighting chance because there are multiple routes," he says. But he admits that multiple routes are now just as likely to be about "spectacle and fun" as tactical choice. "It's very rare that you'll miss the cool stuff," he says.

"I'm trying to strike a balance between something that's controllable so it doesn't become unfair, and something that still has a very depth-y emergent layer to it... like the AI. So you might have a skyscraper that topples, and when you race it again it might topple in a similar way, but its contents are totally emergent, totally physics-based."

The other half of MotorStorm's reinvention is less contentious. Freed from the confines of continuity, Wreckreation allows open-ended, freeform racing that "is multiplayer at its core but it can be played offline if you want," according to assistant game director and Wreckreation mastermind Simon Barlow. "What we're trying to do with Wreckreation is bridge the gap between the online and offline play." It will support four-player split-screen and 16 players online - and both at the same time, with four players on one console able to take on 12 more over the net.

You'll get a slight taste of Apocalypse's advancement system during the Festival story mode, but Wreckreation lays it open for you, awarding experience points for your performance, style and aggression during racing. These feed into your ranking, which feeds into unlocks: items that allow you to customise the appearance of your vehicles, and perks.

Seen by the Evolution team as a natural fit for arcade racing (Bizarre would agree, having employed something similar in Blur), perks come in combat, handling or boost flavours. A perk might increase your armour or downforce, or give you a reserve boost tank. Each vehicle class might have ten of each flavour, but you'll only ever have three slots. "What I'm trying to avoid with a lot of this system is a completely linear progression where the guys that put the time in always get the rewards and are always going to be better. We don't want that," says Barlow.

Bearing that in mind, while some perks will be awarded for straight experience gain, others will come with short- and medium-term goals called accolades and medals (wreck five or 100 opponents, say). This will ensure that players always have something concrete to aim for beyond experience grind, that's relevant to their driving style or desired setup.

Nevertheless, less experienced or time-rich players are inevitably going to feel left behind - but Evolution has an answer for this too: gambling. In every game lobby, players will be seeded according to recent performance and you can then wager on beating one of them in the race. A top seed might be worth 1000 XP, a bottom one 50 XP, and after the race you can choose to either cash in your winnings or bet them again, in which case a multiplier applies.