Blur [360/PS3/PC]

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

To get all the primary lights you just have to get first in all races right?

Yup, but it's harder than it sounds!

[SuperBeatBoy]

Gah, had my first game just now, was winning and then i got disconnected. Getting my new router tomorrow, so hopefully that will improve things.

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

Yeah, it's funny with that sometimes.

I think it's a bit picky about NAT settings too, as people my NAT conflicts with can't join my game or if they do join the game I get booted, so maybe someone's NAT messed with yours when they joined the lobby mid race?

[SuperBeatBoy]

Weird, hoping Bizz are working on a patch to fix these mp problems.

Will have another go at it tomorrow.

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

If you're on in the afternoon, I'll give you a few games depending on what time I get home. Hopefully it will be about 2.30ish, 3 at the latest.

[englishbob]

This idea shouldn't work. A Mario Kart type racer, using real life licensed cars, in real world locations such as San Francisco and Tokoyo. And Hackney. And yet somehow it all works. Brilliantly.

Gameplay is more Wipeout than Mario Kart, but it reaches the same conclusion in what is acheived. Icon pickups are glowing green and orange colours rather than shells and banana skins. Car handling is initally quite strange and unforgiving in comparision to others of the type, but this is because you HAVE to use the brake in order to get around corners.

Cars have different attributes, such as grippy, off road and drify, to be used on the different road surfices, although this is where it is let down slightly. The single player tutorial states that you need to mix up the use of cars depending on the track environment, but then doesn't bother to tell you what kind of a track you are about to race on. Is it tarmac, off-road, water? The last Sega Rally made this glaring ommission too, with tyre choices (fixed only in the PSP version).

Track variety is quite high, and at my count there are 14 different locations, making up 30 different tracks, a generous sum and can be hardly accused of short-changing anyone in that respect. Track design is good but maybe fairly unremarkable, but then it all moves at such a pace its hard to have time to think about it. Some tracks do take longer to burn into the brain than most.

Visually it ranges from excellent to very good, it's hardly state of the art but its functional because it will have up to 20 cars on the track at once. Its rock solid 30fps with no tearing though (360 version.) The in-car views fish-eyed lens effect is pretty horrible though. Music is switched off by default in the races, and this gives the excellent sound effects chance to shine.

Presentation, bar one or two minor tweaks, is polished to near perfection. No pikey NOW LOADING screen messages, or choose your save location, are you sure yes/no rubbish here, it is streamlined brilliantly. After race screens dazzle with awards and information that is all very clear and to the point.

Single player has the usual suspects of modes and gameplay, but its no slouch in entertainment. It has a really good "friend nemesis" system, whereby if one of your online friends has the game and has played the SP modes, you can quickly and easily compare who is better at it. Most races and events also have a "fan" challenge, usually whereby you have to navigate through gates in order to gain more "fans", the games currency to unlock more cars and events.

On the subject of the "fans" system its a bit wonky at times, it is very hard to meet whats called the "fan requirement" setting of most of the single player races. Finishing first and skidding around corners is not enough, it seems you need to have a hard race and hit lots of cars to get them. I doubt anyone that leds from the front, stays there and does little to defend themselves and manage to win will get any fans.

Rounding up Single Player, it has a 9 level event series, with about 10 or so races in each, so it will keep you going for a while, especially if you want to finish first in everything, which won't come easy. Not quite sure what the PHOTO mode is for at the moment though, strangely this game in either SP or MP modes does not offer any sort of race replay system to play around with.

Making the game a-must-have is the Multiplayer part. It has been well groomed through its helpful Beta phase, and now it really shows the amount of effort that has gone into it. Its Modern Carfare for sure in that it offers the "fans" points again to unlock cars, and then build up "perks" to equip to your car to attach more bells and whistles.

It has an excellent way of starting you on your way online, a learners class that limits the abilities to maximum level 10, allowing newcommers to get in the groove before continuing up the ladder, onto the more challenging 10 to 20 car races, the latter being utterly crazy! You can even race in a mode without any of the power-ups.

It's "perks" system, like MW2, could eventually dangerously kill this game, but time will tell. Perks such as invisability could break its backbone if everyone used it for example, lets hope its balance is greater than MW2 otherwise it could end up annoyingly unplayable.

Muliplayer succeeds though in being a racer that everyone can play. Playing Forza 3 etc. online is always bad because unless your using private lobbys, everyone drives like a tit and by the first bend your out because your competetion doesn't know what the brake is on the first bend. In Blur, it doesn't matter, everyone can drive wild, thats the point. It becomes addictive because of the unlocks system and the general challenge, rarely does it feel unfair because everyone pretty much stands the same chance of winning as you, although don't be suprised if you finish 3rd 4th or 5th most of the time.

The lobby system is excellent too, it is great the way if offers the players a choice of 2 tracks to play next, putting it up to a vote. A real shame is the hidden features in the lobby, that being the excellent "Race Summary" screens, lurking under the "Garage". I would of preffered this to be mapped to a LB/RB button from the main lobby screen, rather than pressing X and scroll. The same is also true of the "Session Scoreboard" screen, I would of chosen to do away with it totally and put small numbers next to the players names in the lobby.

In summing up though, its addictive as hell and almost perfect its execution and intention. Now is the time to play Blur, no DLC can really expand on what is already here currently, there is more than enough going on, the same I believe with a sequel, which would possibly be a waste of time.

One of the best games of 2010.

[teddymeow]

Well, this is a bit special, isn't it?

I was on the beta and played that a bit but stopped when the Split Second demo went live. Of the two demos I prefered SS more.

Sitting down with the full versions I can say I prefer Blur more. I've found the handling to be more forgiving than SS's (after weirdly saying the opposite for the demos - SS feels sluggish whereas this doesn't).

It looks great, has loads going on, is rammed with content and is presentationally amazing!

Bizarre have come up with another winner!

[IainGamer]

Well giving up on this now. Fed up of trying to get the online to work and have farted about with ports etc and only managed to get one session working.

Shame seems quite good but disgraceful the number of problems getting online.

Have a good mind to complain to activision and ask for a full refund as items is not fit for purpose intended.

[englishbob]

No problems online on the 360, I assume its the PS3 version?

Rule of thumb, if ALL of your other games work online, don't start pissing about with ports and setting on your router. Its the game code at fault, not your settings. If the game makers tell you to do this, they are clutching at straws.

They might as well asked you "have you tried turning it off and on again" its that much help!

[Brats]

Had some more great games on this last night. I'm really feeling the grippy cars now and can get my best times on them, which is wierd as speaking to Famidude he prefers the drifty cars.

Was playing with some randoms last night and managed to just make it into the first place round the corner on the Hollywood route by defending against three incoming barges, just as the music hit a crescendo. My mind imploded with the awesomeness. Was a major zen moment.

Tthe Hollywood tracks remind me of Rallisport Challenge 2, with long drifty turns over high clifftops. When you nail it just right, it's just .

[dvdmike]

I picked up the PC version cheap, its bloody adictive this!

[Marmite]

Back on this after a weeks holiday. Finished the single player mode (although need to go back and start filling out all my lights on some events), so getting back in to the online mode now. I was hoping the number of players might have increased by now but its still in the hundreds/low thousands.

Still, 20 car races work nicely, and im slowly levelling up. Just wondering what everyone else uses for their mods when racing online? I find it so frustrating when i get stuck in the pack and dragged to the back of the field through no real fault of my own other than being bombarded with shunt hits, barges and people slamming in to me on the corners who clearly havent tried to brake/steer at all! Any suggestions?

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

I change my mods depending on the car I'm using. Something like a Viper I'll use stable frame, bigger cars the battering ram. I always use the bribe as that more often than not gives a shield.

The biggest tip are to know the tracks and the power up locations. I've won so many races on the LA River simple because of wise use of power ups.

Also, try to avoid the pack. Head round the outside or inside, be as invisible as possible and don't draw attention to yourself. don't immediately use your shield, wait until a shund or lightning field is coming your way. Save your nitrous for a sharp bend, drift through and nitrous out of it.

[Marmite]

I think its avoidng the pack at the start that is my biggest issue. Its really hit and miss as to whether this is possible or not. When i do, invariably i finish in the top 3. Ive learnt pretty much all the tracks now i think so i guess i need to just keep going. Up to level 31 now so got some decent cars at my disposal.

[JohnMcL7]

I find it depends on how good the rest of the racers are, if many of them are poor and just shooting each other a lot it's easy to get away and stay ahead or for someone else to do the same. However if most of the racers are half decent then it's much harder to get away which means even if you get smashed to pieces at the start you can still get a decent finish.

It is hard not to be a little petty at times though, there was someone who was doing the usual trash talking over the voice comms and not happy after we'd collided a few times (by coincidence). I was sitting well back in seventh or eighth and getting nowhere nearer the end of the race so when I approached him I just emptied all three shunts plus a fourth one I picked up as I crossed it and wrecked his car completely much to his amusement. Similarly there was a guy who felt like reciting rap lyrics the whole time so I couldn't resist wrecking his car on the way past. Is there a quick way to mute someone?

I'm disappointed with the community so far as there doesn't seem to be many people online and unlike PGR I haven't found made any good 'friends' to play the game with.

I don't like that upper ranked players have access to better cars and mods though as they already have the advantage that they know the tracks and the powerups well without needing further advantages.

On the single player to unlock the third one-on-one you have to win with a x5 combo which I'm not sure how to do given you only have three slots. Just going to have a read through the thread to see if it's been posted already but if anyone can save time and give me any tips I'd be grateful.

John