BLUR (PS3)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Bizarre Creations. Released: May 2010. Genre: Racing. Other versions: X360; PC. Posted 27th November 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
Those of you with good memories may recall a PSone racing classic by the name of Formula 1 97. Among the finest console iterations of its sport, it was also the last racer that Bizarre Creations would develop for a PlayStation platform for a further thirteen years. In the intervening period, they found acclaim with Dreamcast-exclusive Metropolis Street Racer and four Project Gotham Racing titles for the Xbox’s, before going multiplatform in 2010 with Blur. Their return proved a welcome one for PS3 gamers; there’s a plethora of new ideas mixed with a smattering of flaws, and though it isn’t an entirely cohesive experience, the talented developers have done another sterling job.
Blur attained a degree of notoriety for its gutsy ‘race like a big boy’ advert, where it takes a dig at the Mario Kart hegemony of power-up racing whilst distancing itself from what it felt had become a pervasively saccharine sub-genre. It affirmed Blur’s positioning as something of a cross-over title; a real-world arcade racer that melded BC’s penchant for street racing with arcade elements and power-ups. Despite the self-styled comparison, it never really feels like a Mario Kart – it’s more obviously comparable with Burnout. Apart from a few design decisions that don’t pay off, Blur is ambitious and provides a robust, well-structured challenge in both its single-player and online ventures.
The racing itself is pretty good. The first couple of speed classes are somewhat pedestrian, but the higher tier cars move at a solid rate of knots. The weight of handling is just about right and there’s a broad, inviting selection of cars, even if the performance characteristics don’t offer as much variety as first appears. Power-ups are impressively versatile and give the game a different dynamic; however in truth, there’s plenty of room for improvement as they’re not a great deal of fun to use. On the upside, shunts (rockets), bolts and mines can be deployed both in front of and behind your car, meaning that for once, there’s adequate cover provided for those defending a lead. The attacks themselves aren’t up to much though; shunt rockets require little skill or thought, and seem to lock-on to targets from absurdly long distances. The quantity of damage dealt by each weapon is too similar (there are no real standout attack manoeuvres) and the penalty for a car being wrecked is little more than a couple of seconds, which is ridiculous and frustrating, particularly in online multiplayer.
The pink disco lights prove a potent weapon
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Blur lets you race in the world's most picturesque locales. And Hackney
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Circuits are neatly crafted to accommodate the action, retracing the street racing blueprint with familiar concrete jungles throwing up a fun mix of 90 degree corners, tunnels and tight, exhilarating straights that see you hurtling between skyscrapers and lamp posts. Elsewhere, a slightly different approach is taken with the tentative inclusion of off-road elements in the form of the Barcelona Oval, a rugged dirt track, and the beaches of Brighton. They’re a bit of a strange fit alongside the more conventional tarmac roads and it’s tempting to suggest that they’re included to give purpose to the myriad of licensed, lumbering 4x4s, though in fairness, the smart physics mean they’re usually still fun to drive.
The key to climbing the ranks of the one-player is to attain ‘lights’. Maximum rewards are attained either through winning a race, accumulating enough points in a destruction event, or setting a fast checkpoint time. Each event also offers additional ‘lights’; the first involves travelling through a sequence of staggered gates before a time-limit expires, and the second tasks you with amassing a quota of ‘fans’. They’re like an evolution of MSR’s ‘Kudos’ points system; essentially you gain fans by doing damage, pulling off slides, making big jumps, reaching high speeds and just generally being a bit of a show-off. ‘Fan Demands’ meanwhile give you a chance to increase your haul at a designated location, tasking the player to pull off a specific manoeuvre in a limited duration of time. They’re not a bad idea, though many are heavily dependent on the player having competitors either in close proximity or just ahead, thus the weapon-based ones can seem somewhat superfluous if you’re out front leading.
Beating a rival in a one-on-one will award you their car as a prize, though oddly these races are generally a piece of cake next to the usually-competitive standard races. Intelligently though, ‘fans’ you accumulate after each race are added to a running total that leads to the unlocking of new motors with each rank progression.
The key to climbing the ranks of the one-player is to attain ‘lights’. Maximum rewards are attained either through winning a race, accumulating enough points in a destruction event, or setting a fast checkpoint time. Each event also offers additional ‘lights’; the first involves travelling through a sequence of staggered gates before a time-limit expires, and the second tasks you with amassing a quota of ‘fans’. They’re like an evolution of MSR’s ‘Kudos’ points system; essentially you gain fans by doing damage, pulling off slides, making big jumps, reaching high speeds and just generally being a bit of a show-off. ‘Fan Demands’ meanwhile give you a chance to increase your haul at a designated location, tasking the player to pull off a specific manoeuvre in a limited duration of time. They’re not a bad idea, though many are heavily dependent on the player having competitors either in close proximity or just ahead, thus the weapon-based ones can seem somewhat superfluous if you’re out front leading.
Beating a rival in a one-on-one will award you their car as a prize, though oddly these races are generally a piece of cake next to the usually-competitive standard races. Intelligently though, ‘fans’ you accumulate after each race are added to a running total that leads to the unlocking of new motors with each rank progression.
Vauxhall's are the fastest in Blur. They said they weren't going for realism...
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A mean duel between racing legends the Skyline and the, er, Transit van
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The multiplayer setup has a similarly robust, enduring quality to it as well. The extensive, cleverly-structured community offers inexperienced players the opportunity to race other lowly-ranked competitors for the first few goes before opening up an array of modes that include competing in races of up to twenty competitors, team races, pure races without power-ups (particularly refreshing if, like me, you’re used to being treated like a punch bag) and Motor Mash, a Destruction Derby-style elimination-for-points mode which is limited but a bit of light fun. Just as in the single-player, ‘fans’ can be amassed as a means of unlocking new cars and attribute perks such as longer-lasting shields or a bonus nitro for every lap completed. Even sticking to the same car rewards the player with health and speed upgrades. It’s an unforgiving ride however and very, very difficult to win with any kind of frequency, especially if you get caught up in mid-field scuffles early on. Also, the gulf between a new player and a veteran is amplified by the benefits you get for playing a lot. Still, even if the online racing itself isn’t as compelling as WipEout HD’s, the steady stream of unlockables and diverse (but largely achievable) array of trophies guarantee it a few weeks of shelf life.
Blur is sleek and stylish, and it knows it. The cars are exceptionally sharp and the environments are crammed with fancy-looking buildings, firework displays and towering bridges, all resplendently hi-res in the lovely Photo function, which allows the player to halt the action and compose a snazzy screen capture. It also draws attention to Blur’s impressive particle effects; dust and dirt trail the car as you launch over crests, splinters of bodywork litter the air following a collision, and sparks ignite angrily when cars trade paint. The lighting is particularly extravagant; best appreciated in the night races when wild streaks burst outwards from taillights, a superb motion effect that makes it’s easy to see how it came to be called Blur, recalling the halcyon days of Ridge Racer. Menus are blessed with some nice elevator music and, at no extra charge, there’s the added bonus of having the world’s best lady-racer, Danica Patrick, doing the voicing. For someone with next to no previous, she’s excellent; explaining the rules of each feature and the (very) occasional story element. She even had the foresight to sound as sultry as she could reasonably get away with. A cheque well-earned!
It would be easy to beat up on Blur for falling short of the games it apes, and it feels a little too clinical, when ‘fun’ should have been the first word that it evokes. The wider gaming public were cool to it, but this hybrid racer is still worth playing. The rewards for extended play are extensive, and there’s no question a lot has gone into making a game of quality and length. A lively, competitive multiplayer community proves a sizable help, as does precise handling, and though it’s debatable whether the power-ups are a genuine out-and-out plus in their current guise, they contribute to an unusual, and ultimately enjoyable, gameplay experience.
Blur is sleek and stylish, and it knows it. The cars are exceptionally sharp and the environments are crammed with fancy-looking buildings, firework displays and towering bridges, all resplendently hi-res in the lovely Photo function, which allows the player to halt the action and compose a snazzy screen capture. It also draws attention to Blur’s impressive particle effects; dust and dirt trail the car as you launch over crests, splinters of bodywork litter the air following a collision, and sparks ignite angrily when cars trade paint. The lighting is particularly extravagant; best appreciated in the night races when wild streaks burst outwards from taillights, a superb motion effect that makes it’s easy to see how it came to be called Blur, recalling the halcyon days of Ridge Racer. Menus are blessed with some nice elevator music and, at no extra charge, there’s the added bonus of having the world’s best lady-racer, Danica Patrick, doing the voicing. For someone with next to no previous, she’s excellent; explaining the rules of each feature and the (very) occasional story element. She even had the foresight to sound as sultry as she could reasonably get away with. A cheque well-earned!
It would be easy to beat up on Blur for falling short of the games it apes, and it feels a little too clinical, when ‘fun’ should have been the first word that it evokes. The wider gaming public were cool to it, but this hybrid racer is still worth playing. The rewards for extended play are extensive, and there’s no question a lot has gone into making a game of quality and length. A lively, competitive multiplayer community proves a sizable help, as does precise handling, and though it’s debatable whether the power-ups are a genuine out-and-out plus in their current guise, they contribute to an unusual, and ultimately enjoyable, gameplay experience.
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VERDICT
Visual: 9/10
Audio: 7/10 Gameplay: 7/10 Longevity: 8/10 OVERALL: 7/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: BLUR (X360)
The last racer to come from hit studio Bizarre Creations, Blur serves as a fitting send-off, instilling many of the things which made Bizarre stand out: great driving, real-world tracks and challenge. Lots of challenge. While winning races isn’t too bad, completing the difficult Fan challenges (essentially a replacement for PGR’s Kudos system) will test even the best of racers. What makes Blur stand out is the combination of real-world cars and tracks with the wacky power-ups you’d find in Mario Kart, and it makes for quite a unique experience. Driving feels smooth, and never do you feel cheated if you crash. The integration of social-functions is quite staggering too, as those with Facebook accounts among other social sites can share their successes with the world. That is, if you want people to know. It’s not quite flawless – the grimy visual style and dark soundtrack feel like a poor-fit with the idea of power-ups, but it’s not enough to detract. Those looking for great racing with a funky twist will find Blur well worth the price of admission. [8] – Shane Battams © 2012
The last racer to come from hit studio Bizarre Creations, Blur serves as a fitting send-off, instilling many of the things which made Bizarre stand out: great driving, real-world tracks and challenge. Lots of challenge. While winning races isn’t too bad, completing the difficult Fan challenges (essentially a replacement for PGR’s Kudos system) will test even the best of racers. What makes Blur stand out is the combination of real-world cars and tracks with the wacky power-ups you’d find in Mario Kart, and it makes for quite a unique experience. Driving feels smooth, and never do you feel cheated if you crash. The integration of social-functions is quite staggering too, as those with Facebook accounts among other social sites can share their successes with the world. That is, if you want people to know. It’s not quite flawless – the grimy visual style and dark soundtrack feel like a poor-fit with the idea of power-ups, but it’s not enough to detract. Those looking for great racing with a funky twist will find Blur well worth the price of admission. [8] – Shane Battams © 2012