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Hot Stories
Blur is a Blast
Jason Trent, Associate Writer
April 8, 2010
When I heard that Blur, the latest game from Bizarre Creations who you might remember from the Project Gotham Racing series, was a hybrid mix between a racing sim and Mario Kart, I had to check it out. I've never been a huge fan of racing games, but the Mario Kart series has always held a special place in my heart, and having enjoyed some of the faster paced racers out there like Burnout Paradise, I figured this would be right up my alley.
The first thing I noticed when starting the demo was just how flashy and showy the menus were. They're quite beautiful, and as you transition from the multiplayer lobby, still-background images become animated introductions to the track you'll be competing on. It's a small thing but it really lends itself to the over-the-top visual style of the game. In motion, the game looks great. There's an exaggerated sense of speed that, for lack of a better word, makes your car and surroundings blur more the faster you go. That, coupled with hyperbolized lighting effects, makes for a aesthetically pleasing experience that anyone should be able to appreciate.
It's odd to see officially licensed cars in this style of game, but it works. There's something mesmerizing about seeing a real life car speed past you at fantastic speeds only to see it stopped by a heat seeking missile. Much like Mario Kart titles, as you race throughout the game, you'll find winning doesn't only involve handling your car well. It also requires that you use pickups to your advantage. Items found are pretty standard for this type of game. You'll find missiles, mines, speed boosts, shields, and a few others, but what makes these work better than a Mario Kart game is that you can hold up to three items at any time, and quickly switch between them. This means that you'll not find yourself using the wrong items for the wrong situations. Rather, you can switch to your next item, and save the other for another time when it would be more fitting. It seems that integrating parts of a game that would normally be in the UI into the actual game world is something that many developers are pushing. Blur does this by having three glowing slots on the rear of your car. These fill up with items, and are a great way to show what you have at your disposal without having to take your attention from the racing. Don't like the item currently selected? No problem. Pick up another, and hit 'X' (on the Xbox 360) to switch to the next one.
The cars in Blur handle with a perfect compromise between arcade and sim, so you'll never feel like your controls are too twitchy or too sluggish. Competition is fierce with 10 players on the track at once, and at all times, I felt as though my next move would make or break my success. It was an amazing feeling to be neck-and-neck with an opponent for an entire race, only to pass them at the last possible moment to take first. I honestly had butterflies in my stomach, and having gamed for most of my life, I can say that it takes a lot to get me this excited about a game. Unlike Mario Kart, you can see the items on the track before you pick them up. There's no roulette style selection here. This does more to change the game than might be readily apparent. In Mario Kart, the items given are tailored to the position you currently hold in the race. Being in first means you'll be stuck with the worst items, and being in dead last means that you'll see many super powerful items. This always bothered me and made me feel that the outcome of the race was more luck than skill. Blur avoids this entirely. If you're smart with your items and know where to pick up the best ones, then you're going to be more successful than a person who is equally good at racing, yet doesn't select items well.
The Blur multiplayer demo is available for all Xbox Live Gold members to download and enjoy, and I highly recommend you take a look. You may find it hard to put down.
