Never have I been so absolutely sold on a game so quickly. Blur is all the fun of Mario Kart, with the speed of Burnout, and a little bit of Project Gotham Racing on the side (same developer). And it makes for an absolute blast.

I finally pulled myself away from three straight hours of playing to write this piece, and when I’m done I’ll probably go right back to it.

Here’s a quick overview of what the multiplayer-only beta features:

  • 4 Different Tracks (Amboy, Barcelona Gracia, Long Beach Docks, and Tokyo Shutoko) 14 Cars (Broken into classes - you unlock more as your rank increases) 4 Different Game Modes (Skirmish Racing, Powered-up Racing, Motor Mash, and Supercar Racing) Challenges (Similar to those in Modern Warfare) Online Leaderboards Twitter Integration

The beta states that you can progress to rank 15, but it is currently capped at 10, so there are a couple cars that I haven’t been able to try because of that.

Most of these shots were taken with a digital camera, since I don’t have a capture device, so bear with me.

The basis of the game is to win the race by any means possible. The format is very similar to Mario Kart, as there are different power-ups all along the track, and using them correctly can make or break your race. You can carry three power-ups at a time, cycling through them by pressing X, or dropping them if you need to by pressing Y. Also, you can fire most of the weapons behind you by holding the left stick backwards when you press A.

Power-ups can be seen on the back bumper of the car.

Here is a brief overview of all eight power-ups:

  • Shunt - Huge, slow, ball of homing goodness. It can be dodged, but when hits, it hits hard. Doesn’t have homing capability when fired behind you. Barge - Gives off a small but powerful energy blast around your car that pushes enemies away from you (and into walls if you’re near some) My personal favorite. Mine - Pretty standard mine, that can either be dropped behind you, or fired a set distance in front of you. Shock - Places three bolts of lightning ahead of whoever is in first place. Can be maneuvered around, but if you hit them it slows you down. Nitro - Speed boost that also can be used as an air-brake that lets you slow down to easily maneuver hairpins and sharp turns before the boost kicks in. Bolt - Basically your “green shells.” You have three bolts to fire in a straight line either in front of or behind you. Shield - Protects you from all damage for a few seconds. Repair - Repairs all damage to your car.

Many of the power-ups can also be used defensively. For example, you can use a Barge just as a Shunt is about to hit you to deflect it away. Bolts can be used to destroy Mines, and Mines can be dropped to protect yourself from Bolts and Shunts. It really gives the game a dynamic nature, and always keeps you on your toes (and your eyes on the rear-view mirror).

Next Page - Mods, Fans, Challenges

The game also features a “Mod Shop,” which is more or less a perk system for your car. You can create loadouts that consist of three different abilities. The abilities in the beta include:

Category 1

  • Battering Ram - Your car deals more damage in collisions. Showy Flourish - Gain extra Fans for each power-up impact.

Category 2

  • Shielded Boosters - Your Shield converts power-up impacts into Health. Safety Net - Your Shield converts Shunt, Bolt and Barge impacts into a usable Power-up. Splash Damage - Increases the blast radius of your Barge.

Category 3

  • Fan Favorite - Gain extra Fans for you Finish Bonus. Bribe - Gives you a random Power-up at the start of races and every time you are Wrecked.

The Mod Shop

I currently am using an aggressive combo of Battering Ram, Splash Damage, and Bribe. It’s not very defensive, but that’s not my style.

You’re probably wondering what “Fans” are, since they were just mentioned in the loadouts. Fans are basically your XP. You gain them based on your performance in the race, each time you hit someone with a power-up, among many other things. It’s the way you rank up and unlock new cars and items.

You can also rank up by completing challenges, which are handled similarly to those of Modern Warfare’s.

The challenges screen (these are only the ones in the beta - more unlock as you rank up)

They act as a fun meta-game, and encourage you to try new weapons and strategies.

Next page - Lobby, Leaderboards, Gameplay

To start racing, you select the mode you’d like to play, and you are placed into a lobby. The lobby shows you your competitors, the next rack, what car class you’ll be using, and other pertinent information. This is also where you can choose your car and modify you loadouts.

The lobby

You keep racing against the same people until you decide to leave that lobby. It makes for some fun with little rivalries brewing up after close races. There are also “session stats,” which detail who has won the most within the current bunch of races with that lobby.

The leaderboards are what you would expect, and do a good job of letting you filter through the information the way you want to.

Leaderboards

The gameplay itself is fantastic. It’s fast, energetic, and at times pretty nerve-wracking.

The car control feels mostly like an arcade racer, but it isn’t necessarily simple. There definitely is room for your driving skill to show, and some cars are harder to handle than others (but if you have the ability, you can reap the benefits of a better car).

The sense of speed rivals that of the Burnout games and once you hit the gas at the beginning of the race, it never lets up.

To me though, the best part of the game is that anything is possible. I had a race where I was in first the whole time, but got demolished with about 10 seconds left and finished in second. But the thing is, I didn’t really mind - because I had done the same thing a few races earlier. The feeling you get from taking that car out and passing it with seconds left to win the race is fantastic.

To sum up what I have experienced so far in the beta is this - Blur is a racing game unlike any I have ever played, and it honestly is almost too much fun. Throw in a couple of your friends, and you’ll have entertainment for hours. If you have access to the beta, download it now and check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Blur races to store shelves May 25, 2010