Blur feels like, deep down at its roots, a classic game. There's no dignified voiceover guy (*cough*forza*cough) telling you in serious tones about how to tune your car. There's no (*cough*mario*cough*) characters yelling when they spin out. There's no goofy story (*cough*needforspeed*cough*) even necessary. You're in a fast car, you have missiles, and everything is neon. No one needs to tell you what to do. This is a video game. Hit the gas, shoot your guns, and go.
Instantly you can tell the game is about speed. The art style is fantastic, from the countdown at race start to the instantly-recognizable Tron-like projectiles. You get in a game, you vote on a track, you take a quick look at your car (if you want), and bang, you're racing. There's no handholding, and it doesn't seem necessary. Each powerup is very straightforward: short-range blast, long-range homing missile, 3-shot dumb missile, turbo, shield, repair, mine. We all know how this works. It's practically in the blood of anyone who's picked up a controller in the past 20 years.
The action is constant. You get a few seconds at the beginning of relative peace as you and up to 20 cars bang around through the first turn or two, and then everyone rank 3 or higher (and yes, ranks work pretty much exactly Modern Warfare 2) who's equipped it will have their Bribe mod activate, which gives them a free random powerup at the beginning. Remember you're in a lump of cars at this point - everything explodes. And it continues exploding, constantly, until the finish line -- when everyone who's got anything left in their inventory drops it, and ends the race with even more explosions. Even in last place - and I've never had so much fun being in last place - you are constantly jockeying for the right angle to get a Shunt (homing missile) onto whoever is unlucky enough to be in second-last. And on it goes.
The matchmaking is a little sketchy right now, but this beta is about testing and improving network code, so that's to be expected. Joining a room mid-race means you sit around staring at the screen for a few minutes while everyone finishes up. I've been disconnected a few times. But I don't see why those issues can't be worked out before release.
I don't know the last game that got me this impressed this quickly. I don't think it needs a single-player mode. In the state it's in right now, it is pure video game, in all its arcade-y, bright, crazy glory, and it's great.
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