Blurring The Lines

The public beta for Blur is now open and i have to say, Racing fan or not, If you have LIVE and a decent net connection you NEED to check this out...

Coming from Bizarre Creations (the team who brought you the Project Gotham Racing games) Blur plays like an insane cross between the original Need for Speed: Underground and Mario Kart. The game features realistic locales and licenced cars that look superb, but then throws in a good helping of vehicular combat just to keep you on your toes. The look of the game is impressive, With locations looking dark, Gritty and exceptionally real, But then having weapon pickups and even weapons themselves appearing in bright neon colours making them feel almost like holographic projections upon the track. The combat is great, With about a dozen weapons that while strong enough to affect the outcome of a race, Don't disturb the racing at all. This isn't like Mario Kart, Where getting hit by a shell brings you to a dead halt, Instead a missile in Blur will launch your car into the air briefly, Slow your speed just enough to disadvantage you, But let you keep moving (with that subtle thought of hope in you mind that maybe, Just MAYBE, You wont lose your place). The beta IS for online multiplayer only, But the online runs really well, With lag never really being a problem, Not many disconnection issues and with about 10,000 people on when i was, Finding a race was never too hard. Races can range in size anywhere from 2 to 20 players and the more people in a race, The more chaotic and fun it becomes. Winning races and performing various other tasks earn you 'fans' which allow you to level up and gain access to more powerful cars and playlists. Fans can be earned in a large amount of ways... Anything from winning a race to hitting enough enemies with a set weapon, So even if you aren't the best racer, You'll still find yourself levelling up. Possibly my ONLY complaint here is that your level isn't taken into account during matchmaking, So a level 1 could easily be thrown into a race with expert players on their first race.

So yeah, I recommend EVERYONE check this out while it's still available... One thing i know, When this game sees it's retail launch, All the other racing franchises better watch their rear-view mirrors, Coz Blur will give them a run for their money.