On first glance ‘Blur’ has all the credentials, developed by bizarre creations the studio behind ‘Project Gotham Racing’ and published by the powerhouse of Activision one of the true goliaths of the gaming industry but don’t let these facts fool you, because unfortunately ‘Blur’ is a distinctly average game which only rarely rises to levels above that.
‘Blur’ has an advantage of coming out in a time not overrun by other racing games its only competition being ‘Split Second: Velocity’ by Black Rock Studio and compared to the other racing games on offer ‘Blur’ is far behind the likes of ‘Burnout: Paradise’, ‘Need for Speed: Shift’ and both games in the ‘Dirt’ series.
Don’t worry though because it’s not all doom and gloom for ‘Blur’. It is still a game that appeals and should hold a place in any racing aficionados gaming library. The main selling point of ‘Blur’ is its power up system and inevitable comparison to Nintendo’s Mario Kart franchise. The power ups in ‘Blur’ are similar to those in the Mario Kart series but also refreshingly different, yes the nitro is the same as the mushroom and the shunt the same as the shells but they feel new and exciting here; the weapons hitting with a satisfying crunch or explosion and the accompanying burst of eye popping colour.
The tracks are exciting and varied in their designs but lacking in number. The exact same can be said for the cars while exciting and varied there just isn’t enough of them.
The story of the game is wholly unoriginal as it plundered nearly totally from need for speed carbon, as is the use of vibrant eye catching colours. It seems as if Bizarre Creations had a development meeting, could come up no ideas, adjourned the meeting sat down and played ‘Mario Kart’ and ‘Need for Speed: Carbon’ and then simply bashed them two games together like in some sort of dark dank gaming laboratory not unlike that of Dr. Frankenstein…in fact it seems very very much like that!
It honestly feels that Activision, fat from their merger with Vivendi, simply published ‘Blur’ without any quality control or thought for originality, which brings us to the main criticism of the game the graphics.
They are acceptable maybe even good for a game brought out in 2007 or 2008 but they just can’t make the grade in 2010. The graphics are easily beaten by ‘Shift’, ‘Dirt 2’ and even the now two and a half year old ‘Burnout: Paradise’. The omission of an in car p-o-v (point of view) is also a big loss. The difficulty of the game is also a problem with many attempts to complete a challenge often the norm. This tactic would be less annoying if it wasn’t for the obvious reason for it which is to hide the fact that the game itself is too short.
The levelling up and rewarding system is enjoyable though and will see you pushing yourself for one extra race to try and get that next shiny and faster car.
If you are new to racing games then we’d recommend getting ‘Blur’ it is a good introduction to the genre but if you are experienced in the genre this game will offer a few glimpses of gaming fun but you will have forgotten about it soon after you stop playing it – an opportunity half reached.
Rent or Buy: Rent! Buy if you collect racing games… do people collect racing games?!
Gold Coins:5.5 / 10
