Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have played host to several simulation racing games, often using them a poster boys to show off each console's graphical prowess. With the exception of 2008's Burnout Paradise, there has been little in the way of social arcade racing for owners of either console. In fact even races in Paradise City were gentlemanly affairs without a red shell or banana skin in sight. So it seems Bizarre Creations, the developers behind Project Gotham Racing, have spotted a gap in the market for their brand new racer Blur. If you like your races messy, fast and explosive than Blur offers an experience not seen on consoles for quite a while.
Driving in Blur is fun and forgiving. Success is determined by breaking late, taking the proper driving line and drifting in and out of corners. Though the cars on offer are all licensed (with badges including BMW, Lotus and Renault) they can take much more punishment than their real life counterparts. Shunting your fellow racers and using crash barriers to bustle around corners isn't ideal, but it works. In fact the game makes every effort to ensure you never loose that sense of speed. If your car spins out of control or is destroyed by your opponents you re-spawn in motion almost immediately. Races are relentless, action packed and engaging from start to finish.
In any case the driving plays second fiddle to Blur's impressive weapon setup. Littered along the track are a variety of power-ups, three of which can be equipped at any time. Unlike the lucky dip pads in Mario Kart, power-ups in Blur are placed in clear view along the track, inviting you to stray from your driving line to grab your favorite. These are stored in slots which can be cycled through and fired in any order you want, enabling you to tactically retain useful weapons. To ensure your eyes don't wander too far from the track, these are represented by icons that float unobtrusively behind your car. Just as well each of the eight power-ups on offer has its own distinctive colorful icon which are easily recognizable after a few races.
The power-ups themselves consist of offensive and defensive options. Shunt is a slow moving projectile which homes in on other cars to violently flip them on impact. Barge sends out a burst of energy around your car, knocking opponents who are getting too close for comfort. Bolt consists of three straight-shooting projectiles and Shock creates a maze of lightning up-track for your fellow drivers to dodge around. You also have the common or garden Shield and Mine, the Repair to patch up your damaged car and the Nitro for a handy short burst of speed. Each of the power-ups feels useful, or at the very least worth holding onto. Others like Bolt can be incredibly satisfying to nail opponents with. Placement of these power-ups has been well balanced too as you always feel like a game-changer is waiting just around the corner.
Blur takes more than a leaf from Modern Warfare's online mechanics creating a similarly addictive experience. In each race your rewarded for placement, use of weapons and unlocking challenges, resulting in gained XP in the form of 'fans'. Over time you can level-up your online persona, unlocking extra cars and modifications. Right now the beta is capped at level ten and is limited in terms of mods & cars, but customised setup's will no doubt serve as another tactical layer to each race. In any case you'll rack up points pretty quickly, as your awarded for driving badly almost as much as you are for driving well.
After each race you're dropped back to a lobby where you can tweak your setup and vote on the next race location. Three of the four game modes on offer in the beta are variants of the basic race format, but the fourth is more akin to Destruction Derby. There's no racing, so points are gained by damaging opponents cars either with weapons or brute force. The tracks for this mode are unique, with figure-of-eight and circular domes ensuring maximum carnage. Multiplayer supports up to 20 racers, but even in low number matches each race is a battle from beginning to end.
Blur's inspirations are numerous, but the end result feels very unique indeed. Unlike online shooters, pole position has always mattered more in racing games but Bizarre Creations have created a system where its not the winning, but the tacking part that counts. If they can retain this in the single player component Blur may very well be a racing game for the masses, though its unclear if it's frantic approach will satisfy racing aficionados.
Blur is penned for release on April Fool's day 2010 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
Danny O'Dwyer
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