The Blur beta came out today and the first thing I noticed about it is that it is called the "Blur Beta Multiplayer Demo." I guess this just further proves that most betas are demos just as much as they are betas, but I'm not complaining one bit. They need to promote the game somehow after all and get it into as many peoples hands as possible. Anyway, on to the actual game and gameplay.  At first it may appear that Blur is nothing but a kart with power ups, but with regular cars. That is somewhat true, but using actual cars instead of Karts makes the vehicles control very differently.  
 
Another thing that sets Blur apart is that you can modify your car once you achieve level 3. Think of these as perks, but for your car. These can do anything from give you a random power up at the start of the race to giving your crashes into other players do more damage. This breathes a fresh air into the racing genre. In order to level up and earn new mods and cars you can complete challenges that earn you fans which is basically experience. Challenges can make you work toward certain goals throughout the race.
 
The actual racing in blur is in the style of arcade racers. You definitely get a sense of speed as you race which is a good thing. Along the track in the race are power ups you can collect and use at any time. You can store 3 power ups at one time and switch between them while you race using which ever one you need in your current situation.  These power ups can range from a homing missile, a repair kit to repair your vehicle, to a proximity mine. Some of these power ups can be fired forward backward or  forward, so if a guy is directly behind you and you and you have a homing missile, he's about to have a bad day.