Blur Beta Impressions: THIS SHIT IS MAD AS A FRUIT LOOP
By Kill 5 Comments
Blur wasn't even on my radar until I got my beta code off Giant Bomb. To be honest, I hadn't even heard about the game. Racers are usually completely off my radar, especially the usual realistic forays by the Gotham Racing blokes at Bizarre Creations. The combination of Mario Kart and Burnout (the only two racing franchises that I actively enjoy) was too much to pass up. I've spent around three hours with the beta so far. I've hit the level cap and messed with all the modes. Here are my impressions...
Blur also feels different to its competitors due to its Geometry Wars-style graphics. Neon lights are used heavily and power-ups have similar iconography. It is a truly beautiful game at times, with a hyper-realistic approach to racing. It's how i'd imagine a race would look if you were watching it on a massive TV inside a nightclub, while on drugs. It's so colourful that my eyes started to hurt after an hour of play. My ears rang too, because the sound design is incredible. Power-ups sound futuristic. Cars slam with impressive exaggerated thuds. It's real life... but better.
The power-ups in Blur are identical to Mario Kart in a lot of ways. In fact, they brought back memories of the original Mario Kart on the SNES for me. Gone are the more modern game-breakers like Blue Shells with the power-up count brought down and the power balance less CRAZY than what Mario Kart has become in recent years. You have your red shells, your three-round projectiles, your "banana peel" in the form of a mine. What makes Blur interesting is its robust counter system. In Mario Kart, no matter what your skill level, you could always be scuppered by a well-placed red shell. While this danger is present in Blur, you are given a multitude of options to avoid it. You can swerve at the right moment, go off a jump, fire a projectile backwards, use your shields... it goes on, and this is why Blur feels unique and derivative at the same time. There is a true feeling of strategy to the proceedings, as you see people reflect your projectiles with lightning reflexes. Thanks to the three power-up banks, you can save these options up and react quickly yourself. It can be extremely satisfying to see a homing missile in your rear-view mirror and to manage to deflect it through quick-thinking. It feels empowering rather than frustrating when you take someone out in Blur, as opposed to the feeling of chance that Mario Kart has adopted.
My gripes with the beta... well, there are many. I found that, in too many cases, if a player got out in front, they would pretty much always win. This left a constant struggle between small groups of racers but no real sense that you could catch up. I often settled for getting XP by satisfying challenges. While this is fun in itself, it was still frustrating that I felt the race had already been lost before even the final lap had started. Another gripe is that the beta often punished me for no reason whatsover. There is a quick restart whenever you get stuck in the geometry of the track that usually works well. However, a lot of times, the screen would black out and i'd be set way back for no reason. I'd maybe be hit by a power-up beforehand but there was nothing stopping me from recovering from this. I also had issues with matchmaking and have only got into one 20 player lobby... there was only three people in it. No one else joined in half an hour of play.
Blur is an exciting racing game. When there are five cars exploding all around you and neon colours erupting from all directions, you can't help but feel your heart pounding. I worry about its lasting power and the repetition inherent in a multiplayer focused title. Can the perks system keep people hooked for long, or will people drop out once they hit the cap? What will single player be like? Blur has a ton of promise but still seems to have a long way to go, in my opinion. With the release still a few months away, I hope that Bizarre Creations use this beta well and pump out a finely-tuned arcade racer for those of us who like a bit of ridiculousness in our lives.
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