Play Station Official Magazine - UK (2020-11)

042

PREVIEW

MONSTER TRUCK CHAMPIONSHIP

All together: “Driving a truck with my high heels on...”

With a monster truck on the box and

a no-nonsense name, you know what

you’re going to get with Monster Truck

Championship. But unlike the arcadey,

exaggerated monster truck action we usually see,

this game sets out to realistically simulate this

very American motorsport. So is crushing cars

really as much fun as it looks?

You won’t find out straight away, as serious racing

is front and centre. While seeing the huge wheels

spinning up close with dirt flying is cool, the

realism in the driving physics doesn’t make the

racing particularly frantic. These trucks just love

to oversteer, which means tiptoeing around in

bumper cam view if you want to finish well. You can

race online against up to seven other players, and

customise your truck to look its best, but there’s

no local split-screen so Ghost mode is your only

competitive couchplay option.

MON-STARS

But hey – racing schmacing, right? Destruction

mode is where the real action is, as you chain

together feats of environmental carnage, keeping

your combo meter running by demolishing wooden

huts, portaloos, and caravans, and

performing tricks in between. The ‘just

one more go factor’ is here in spades.

Freestyle mode is similar, although

the smashing is replaced with ramps

that launch you into the air for a

somersault. There’s a modicum of car

damage to contend with throughout

the game, but nothing like Monster

Jam Steel Titans, and nothing that’ll

end your race.

Finally, Drag Race mode features the

usual optimum RPM target at launch,

after which you navigate a couple

of corners before the finish line.

It makes a change from traditional

straight-line drag races, and means

even a bad start can be clawed back if

you’re skilful enough at turning.

With career mode locked off in

this preview build, the true depth

of the championship remains to be

seen. Still, all signs point to it being a

decent, if unambitious, racer. And we

can answer the question: yes. Crushing

cars is as much fun as it looks.

FORMAT PS4 / ETA OCT / PUB NACON / DEV TEYON

Above The tracks are arenas

around the world, mostly in

the USA. Fireworks and a

pre-race announcer add

to the atmosphere.

Twin-stick steering allows

you to turn the back wheels

independently of the front

ones – useful in slides.

“KEEP YOUR COMBO

METER RUNNING BY

DEMOLISHING HUTS

AND PORTALOOS.”

PREVIEW

MONSTER TRUCK CHAMPIONSHIP

All together: “Driving a truck with my high heels on...”

With a monster truck on the box and

a no-nonsense name, you know what

you’re going to get with Monster Truck

Championship. But unlike the arcadey,

exaggerated monster truck action we usually see,

this game sets out to realistically simulate this

very American motorsport. So is crushing cars

really as much fun as it looks?

You won’t find out straight away, as serious racing

is front and centre. While seeing the huge wheels

spinning up close with dirt flying is cool, the

realism in the driving physics doesn’t make the

racing particularly frantic. These trucks just love

to oversteer, which means tiptoeing around in

bumper cam view if you want to finish well. You can

race online against up to seven other players, and

customise your truck to look its best, but there’s

no local split-screen so Ghost mode is your only

competitive couchplay option.

MON-STARS

But hey – racing schmacing, right? Destruction

mode is where the real action is, as you chain

together feats of environmental carnage, keeping

your combo meter running by demolishing wooden

huts, portaloos, and caravans, and

performing tricks in between. The ‘just

one more go factor’ is here in spades.

Freestyle mode is similar, although

the smashing is replaced with ramps

that launch you into the air for a

somersault. There’s a modicum of car

damage to contend with throughout

the game, but nothing like Monster

Jam Steel Titans, and nothing that’ll

end your race.

Finally, Drag Race mode features the

usual optimum RPM target at launch,

after which you navigate a couple

of corners before the finish line.

It makes a change from traditional

straight-line drag races, and means

even a bad start can be clawed back if

you’re skilful enough at turning.

With career mode locked off in

this preview build, the true depth

of the championship remains to be

seen. Still, all signs point to it being a

decent, if unambitious, racer. And we

can answer the question: yes. Crushing

cars is as much fun as it looks.

FORMAT PS4 / ETA OCT / PUB NACON / DEV TEYON

Above The tracks are arenas

around the world, mostly in

the USA. Fireworks and a

pre-race announcer add

to the atmosphere.

Twin-stick steering allows

you to turn the back wheels

independently of the front

ones – useful in slides.

“KEEP YOUR COMBO

METER RUNNING BY

DEMOLISHING HUTS

AND PORTALOOS.”