Blur, arcade racing game for PlayStation3. Photo / Supplied
Blur jumps into the arcade racing arena with a hint of kart racing madness. While the cars are real world models, there are power-ups, weapons and wild tracks that are more common in titles like Mario Kart. The graphics are stunning - and they need to be. Blur runs fast,
and you'll find that instinctive reaction is more of a driving force than anything else. As you bust out crazy moves during game play you'll earn fans - the more fans you have, the more toys are unlocked. The environments are sparse, dark and moody, with the real colour coming from the vehicles themselves or the mad weapons and power-ups - purple missiles and blue lightning bolts light up the game as you battle against up to 19 AI players. If the ultra-arcadey approach of the game proper gets too much - there are 65 levels in-game, with nine bosses - it's also possible to play Checkpointmode, which concentrates on the driving and gets rid of the destruction, or Destruction (self-explanatory).
Vehicle handling is more PGR4 than Forza, and the drift mechanism - vital for scoring power-ups and gaining fans - isn't quite progressive enough and takes a while to get used to. Screen fogging when health gets low - while useful in first person shooters - makes controlling a car at 200km/h while people fire missiles at you very hard. Splitscreen multiplayer is a bit naff, with a pared-back reward system sucking some of the fun out. There's also no rearview mirror, which makes avoiding attacks difficult. Online multiplayer modes make up for it, once you've levelled up to unlock the good ones.
Verdict: Fast, furious and violent non-sim car racing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're looking for an in-depth arcade racer, this is well worth a look.
Rating: 3/5
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
