| 10 March 2010
By now, you may have heard comments being made about how Blur is like Mario Kart with real cars – even the game's executive producer has been quoted as saying as much. After playing the Blur multiplayer beta, that sounds like a fair approximation of the game, though not in the way that you'd expect.
Given that the game is developed by Bizarre, the devs behind the PGR series – a realistic racer that couldn't be further removed from Mario Kart if it tried – you'd be forgiven for thinking that the game has something of an identity crisis. You'd also be forgiven for not knowing exactly what to expect from the game. The truth is, though, that Blur manages to play like both games without ever becoming confused. That is to say, it plays like a real racing game, but one that isn't afraid to be a little silly at times. Thankfully, for the most part, it's a pretty entertaining experience.
The handling of the cars successfully manages to be both realistic and arcadey at the same; the handling is realistic enough to require you to invest some time into getting to grips with the controls, but arcadey enough as to not alienate beginners. The result is a game that is accessible to all, but one with hidden depths for the high-level racers to enjoy.
Despite the fact that it already sounds like quite a fragile balance, the power-ups fit seamlessly into the mix, and it's when the power-ups start flying that the game feels most like Mario Kart. However, as well as being genuinely quite fun to use, the power-ups also add an extra layer of strategy to the proceedings; whilst some power-ups clearly serve a single purpose, others can be used to counteract the effects of your rivals' power-ups, and even the ones which initially seem useless can end up being an invaluable addition to your inventory. The only gripe with the power-ups, though, is that in larger games (Blur supports up to twenty players at any one time) the tracks become a veritable minefield, and make navigating the course nearly impossible.
As well as power-ups, Blur also features a “mods” system. While the name suggests that this is just a way to tune up your cars, it is actually a level-based perk system, which gives you a passive boost to your abilities and can be tweaked to fit your racing style as you see fit. My only complaint with the mods system is that it's perhaps a little too simplistic, though this is a minor concern.
Whilst the racing and the power-ups are generally good fun, the online portion of the game is only as good as its game modes. The four modes available in the beta (two initially, with two being unlocked as you level up) are somewhat standard, but still fun nevertheless. However, it's the modes which weren't available which looked to be the most fun: a one-on-one mode, a hardcore racing mode (presumably this disables the power-ups), and a community event mode (presumably to allow you to take part in massive group events organised by Bizarre), which sounds like it could have some real potential.
All told, the Blur beta showcases a game which is a lot of fun, and has a lot of potential. Though it's not quite as fast or arcadey as some might hope, it still does a fine job in balancing the two play styles together in a way that is fun. Whilst it remains to be seen as to how long the various multiplayer modes will keep players enthralled, if Bizarre can create a good community around the game and sustain it with interesting and fun community events, not to mention regular DLC, then there's no reason that Blur can't be a brilliant racing game.
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