Blur [360/PS3/PC]

[Family Fry]

Got a code via fileplanet, the beta started today.
All I can say is this one has caught me out, release is 28th May. Presentation is very slick but I have come to expect this from Bizarre Creations.
Beta has Multiplayer Options with preferred region rule so you can have the following
Any Region, Local Preferred or Local Enforced, always nice to see this option.

You have 4 multiplayer game modes in the beta, which are.

Skimrish Racing (2-10 Players)
Powered-up Racing (4-20 Players)
Motor Mash (4-20 Players) You have to be Level 8 to unlock this mode. This mode is basically Destruction Derby with weapons, there are 2 Tracks.
Amboy- Devils Dip
LA Downtown- Downtown Loop
Supercar Racing -? I havent unlocked this yet you need to be Rank 10 (currently 8)

There are 4 tracks in the main race mode, you can race with different class cars pending on race.
Tokyo Shutoko
Amboy
La Docks
Barcelona Gracia

The game is good fun, prefering the Skimrish Mode at the moment as 10 players is just enough, when you get to 20 it can sometimes be crazy with attacks from all angles. The maps do have that well covered though with multiple paths throughout the levels, along with well hidden power ups on certain routes. Lets just say for the moment it has my attention, will keep an eye on it and maybe read up about other modes.

In my haste I did forget to mention the power ups, they are pre set on tracks BUT you do unlock perks errrrrr I mean mods, which you unlock as you level up. Different mods, different style of play there are of course pre-set ones All Rounder, Aggressive, Defensive, Show Off. Or you can customize and make your own loadout. There are also Challenges to unlock that level you up quicker and I wouldnt at all be suprised if you could Prestige later on

http://www.bizarrecreations.com/article.php?article_id=5367

[atrus]

Doesn't Split/Second make this game entirely redundant? Even if its any good no one is going to get this when SS is out the same month.

[Family Fry]

Could be the other way round though.
I loved Pure and Black Rock are quality studio but they are up against Bizarre Creations & Activision here. Also I was surprised at just how different this was to what I expected, it's like a 4 wheel version of Wipeout with a dash of Destruction Derby and Burnout.
The Bowl sees you all dashing around for power ups, smashing into each other and blowing each other up in Destruction Derby gameplay. It seems from all the different styles of gametype/gameplay this could be what Blur has against Split/Second, maybe a dash of variety, then again I haven't seen much of Split/Seconds gametypes.

[teddymeow]

Blur Multiplayer Beta a.k.a If CoD Had Wheels (Xbox 360)

Picked up my code from Eurogamer earlier today and have been playing this for about an hour now.

First impressions are good with the typical level of presentational excellence that you expect from a Bizarre Creations game. The subdued neon and easy to navigate menus look great.

The ingame graphics are very good with some nice car models and excellent lighting effects. There are 6 tracks featured in the beta; Tokyo, LA and Barcelona are the only ones I've raced on so far but they're nicely designed with plenty of opportunities to floor it and also some nasty cornering sections. There are only two viewpoints - in car and chase cam and the in car view feels a little high up to me. I like the PGR4 bumper cam so you feel really low to the road and the impression of speed is greater.

The lobby system is set-up in a remarkably similar style to Call of Duty in that you enter, pick your car (which after a certain level you can pimp with up to 3 different abilities much like CoD's perk system), and prepare to race on a track picked by voting. There are numerous challenges that you can attempt to gain extra Fans and these are set-up exactly like those of CoD

The actual racing side of things is pretty good. The handling reminds me a lot of the first Need for Speed Underground game with ridiculous power slides starting after you nudge the analogue stick slightly off centre and no end of battling your car back into a straight line if you oversteer. The brakes don't seem to do much and I would have much prefered the PGR4 handling model as that, I feel, is the best driving game handling model ever. On the flipside the handbrake seems a little sensitive.

The power-ups are integrated nicely with you having the ability to store 3 at any time and cycle through them with the X button. They include the typical Mario Kart style stuff with a boost, red shell equivalent, shock, repair etc... Getting hit by shunt makes your car flip over through the air and the game goes silent as you watch the sky appear before crashing back onto the track.

Once the race is finished you get Fans (basically XP) that go towards your rank. As you rank up you get access to new vehicles and Mods to put on them much like the XP you earn in CoD unlocking new guns.

Everything seems really stable in terms of the net code and I've had no drops or phantom cars but there are only about 100 online so it seems so that may change when things start to get busy.

Enjoying it so far, with this and Split Second due pretty close to one another it looks like I'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to street racers with a difference.

Good stuff!!

[merf]

I stand by my earlier view that it feels like sonic racers in a suit of street urban clothes. Was ok but didn't feel like anything new to me on basis of what I've seen in beta, nice but by no means essential.

[Lebowski]

Had this since last week and really enjoyed what i have played of it, not really into the racer with guns genre as they seem a bit daft to me. The thing that works here is the weapons are all really well balanced giving everyone a chance at the race. If i could liken it to anything I’d say the wipeout series. The weapons never really stop you dead they spin you about and slow you down but you never stop you, you always have to battle to stay in the lead and i think this makes for some really interesting races.

One race the other night there were four of us constantly battling for first and it swapped about like that for the entire race we all crossed the line within milliseconds of each other and we were all screaming at each other and laughing it was a real good atmosphere, i never get this in games with randoms!

the perks are great these do things like generate a random pick up at the start of the race, give you more ramming damage or simple stuff like give you fan boosts so you level up faster. You could mess about for ages by the look of things just choosing your fave perks

loving this so far its arcadey its fast and it works fantastically online can’t wait for the release.

[MrMarbles]

I found it to be pretty addictive when I played it earlier - it's so easy to just say "one more race" and stay in the lobby for another session.

I wasn't particularly amazed by the visuals (in fact, I was pretty disappointed by them), and as teddymeow said, it's a shame that they've just abandoned the exquisite PGR handling model, but when you're battling hard for position in every race all of that just falls by the wayside.

The fact that they're able to get such incredibly close races without any noticeable rubber-banding is a perfect indication of the amount of care that's gone into balancing it. It's this that sets it apart from other combat racers and it's why I found it so hard to stop - because you know that, when you just missed out on a decent position in the previous race, it was because of your own failings rather than the game screwing you over.

[ezee ryder]

Just had 3 races on this, came 3rd twice and 1st in the final one. I really enjoyed it despite it taking me a race and a bit to get used to the handling. While the handling isn't terrible, I agree with teddymeow, it would have been better if they just kept the PGR handling model rather than go with this new one. The braking/handbraking does take some getting used to. I kept crashing into corners initially!

Apart from that everything else is really well done. The power-ups are integrated superbly into the racing and never feel tacked on. The races themselves are very tight and intense, really get the adrenaline flowing. I had a brief look at the ranking system and it certainly seems like it has some sort of depth, which rather caught me by surprise.

All in all, an impressive beta/demo and it has most certainly got me interested in the full game itself. With this and Split Second coming soon, good times ahead for arcade/combat racing fans.

[Decider-VT]

Somehow I just raced 20 races during my first session. I love the circuits and there seems to be an interesting mix of skill and luck involved- on one race I was knocked way out of first by several homing shots in a row but on another I was able to avoid another barrage and finish comfortably. Usually I groan when a demo is multiplayer-only but this seems to be the perfect candidate for such treatment. I was expecting the cars to feel weightier but the lightweight feels suits the arcadey style very well.

[Neon Ignition]

Just got my code

6 tracks seems a lot for a beta, have they said how many are in the final game? If it's not many more I'll likely spam this and skip the main game in favour for Split/Second

[mr_sockochris]

Loving this!

Did 5 races past night and could have sat there and done 105 had I not had a 5am start this morning.

+ Great range of weapons, that purple one that shunts has to be my fav so far
+ I like how you know what you're picking up, it's not random like Mario Kart/Wipeout.
+ I REALLY like how the weapons stay in the same spot each lap/once they are taken.
+ Being allowed to store 3 weapons is great as it allows you to plan ahead.
+ Only done 3 tracks so far but they were all fun to play. Nice to see some branches paths here and there too.

- Not a bad looking game at all but not as pretty as PGR

What's the framerate on this? I wasn't paying attention last night but it felt very smooth. If it's 60fps then I can ignore it's minor graphical shortcomings

[Destrukticor]

if any one wants beta codes who hasn't got one i have 3 here

pm if you want one

[Destrukticor]

1 code down 2 left

[Silvergun X]

I've signed up with fileplanet but don't have a code yet - I wouldn't mind trying this baby out.

[Destrukticor]

all codes gone Mr bubbles and silvergun X enjoy