PixlBit

Bizarre Creations is a developer of many talents, responsible for a wide-variety of games all in different genres. While they have done quite a bit, they seem to have stuck with the racing genre longer than any other, mostly through their Project Gotham Racing Series. Now that they have been freed from further development of those titles since acquisition by Activision Blizzard, they have had the opportunity to create something in that vein, but fresh and new at the same time. Blur is the result of those efforts, and it is something that will undoubtedly be compelling for fans of arcade-style racing games.

Blur is, in a number of ways, quite similar to the Project Gotham Racing series. It's fast-moving, requires precision driving, and looks great in motion. While similar, Blur really sets itself apart with its power-ups. Similar to the Mario Kart series, players will pick-up a variety of power-ups while driving around the realistic tracks, though Blur's power-ups are not random and each type will appear in the same location each time around the track.

Shock, Shunt, Mine, Nitro, Barge, Shield, Bolt, and Repair are the eight power-ups in the game, each of which can be used differently and serve a different purpose. Shunt, Mine, and Bolt are all projectile weapons that can be shot both forward and backward, each having a different default direction and range of attack. Shunt can be likened to Mario Kart's Red Shell, Bolt to the Green Shell, and Mine to the Upside-Down Question Mark block. Nitro is quite interesting because it can be used for more than just a quick boost. Dropping the Nitro backwards will prompt a sharp brake from the car, followed by a strong burst, enabling players to make tight precision turns without smashing the wall.

The shock power-up can be likened to the Blue Shell, though it has less direct of an effect on the race, as players can avoid the shock fields that are dropped on the track. This is a welcome change from the Mario Kart series, as the Blue Shell has a tendency to ruin a number of races unfairly, in my opinion. Barge is an area-of-effect attack that must be used while directly next to someone to have any effect. Shield will obviously protect players from the other power-ups, and Repair heals damaged cars.

Unlike Mario Kart, as players are pummeled by their opponents, the health of their car slowly deteriorates, eventually ending in full-out destruction. As such, along the track, players may often have to sacrifice an alternate power-up they want in order to heal. This makes for an interesting trade-off that wouldn't exist without the health aspect. Thankfully, there is enough health dispersed that you never feel as if you can't make it.

Interestingly, the power-ups have a similar effect on gameplay in Blur as seen in Mario Kart, particularly when playing online. Players who find themselves just barely ahead of the pack will undoubtedly be assaulted by nearly everyone's power-ups, quickly dropping players as far back as last place. A solid lead in first is an almost assured victory, as players won't be able to reach you with their attacks.

In my play experience, it got very frustrating when I was matched against equally skilled opponents, because it seemed like I was being constantly attacked. First place became a total crapshot from round-to-round thanks to the power-ups. I quickly found out that it was better to stick back at the beginning of the race, just keeping pace behind, and then rush ahead once I saw the opportunity. While developing a strategy to win is never a bad thing, it felt more like gaming the system than fair racing. Regardless, the multiplayer is definitely an exhilarating experience because it is so much more intense and much more random than the single-player mode could ever be. Players looking for that type of experience won't be let down by the mode.

Single player mode, in comparison, feels a lot more controlled, and real racing skill and strategy plays a bigger role. Good racing skills pay-out bigger returns consistently in the racing challenges. A big part of success in Blur is learning how the various cars in the game handle and what surfaces they race best on. There are a large variety of tracks in the game that all feature hugely varying terrain. As such the right car can make a big difference. While players won't have to cope with super-realistic handling, Blur does lean a bit more towards the realistic side than say, the Burnout series. Though I tend to enjoy arcade-style racers quite a bit more, mastering Blur's handling felt very conquerable and was, in the end, quite redeeming.

Both the single player and multiplayer modes allow players to level-up and earn new cars based on how many fans are earned. In each race, driving well, picking up power-ups, and hitting enemies net fans for the player. As players rack up more and more fans, various mods and cars are unlocked, allowing players to customize their driving experience to fit their style. The single player mode is a bit deeper, tasking players with a number of other objectives to complete.

In each race or challenge, players can earn up to seven lights. Five lights are awarded for first, four for second, and three for third, as well as one light for completing a fan run, which is no more than a collection of gates to drive through mid-race, and one light for earning a certain number of fans in a single race. These lights in turn unlock the next racing opponent, which contains a number of tracks and a new overarching challenge set. Each opponent will require players to complete different tasks a certain number of times in order to face them at the end of their set. Beating them in a one-on-one race will earn players their opponent's car. With so many different challenges to constantly conquer, there's never a dull race in Blur.

After extensively playing both the single and multiplayer modes, I found that it was most interesting to swap between the two. If I was beginning to grow bored with racing the computer, I hopped online and had some much crazier races. After a few races there, I was ready to jump back into some more controlled single player racing. The game's versatility in this regard is fantastic.

As far as racing games go, Blur is most definitely well-done. Players won't grow bored of the intense racing, and the power-ups bring a whole new spin to the non-kart racing world of racing games. Those who are fans of Project Gotham Racing looking for the latest from Bizarre Creations can't go wrong with Blur. Others coming from the world of Mario Kart might find that Blur is an easy transition given the common ground between the two title. Those who are fans of arcade racing games like Burnout will likely feel at home with Blur as well. With the game's many challenges, players won't grow easily bored of this solid racer.