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Blur Hands-On
The next evolution of the kart racer
Written by Jon Seddon, 02 March 2010
Bizarre Creations' next racer, Blur, seemed to quietly slip beneath the radar last November, after missing its initial release date. After what we saw last week on a visit to their studio however, when it finally does launch on May 28th, it will put Bizarre very much back in the spotlight.
Blur racing into stores May 28thBlur is a racing game built around a singular concept - 'what would happen if you made a kart racer, but gave people realistic cars and tracks and kept all of those crazy power ups?'. That in essence is what the guys were planning on releasing last year, which was a great idea, but just didn't really seem to add anything new to a stale genre. Luckily, that's what Bizarre thought as well and since then they have been working hard - and in a radical move for a racer - have added influences from Modern Warfare!
Blur racing into stores in MayBlur then aims to change the way people play racing games. Lead Designer Gareth Wilson told us that he wants to "bring fun back into the genre". He wants to make a racing game that "people want to keep playing" beyond the launch window.
Don't worry, this is not a game based around camping and javelin glitches, but what would happen if you built an online racer that included experience points. These points would then let you unlock a vast array of 'perks' that Bizarre are calling 'mods'. We've played just that game, and it's left us wanting more.
It's not just the multiplayer experience system that's been added to the game, they have also added Twitter integration. This allows you to send 'tweets' to your followers letting them know that you've just beaten the lap record or completed a challenge. Messages will be completely customisable and only sent when you want to send them, so hopefully won't annoy your friends too much, especially if you've just beaten their time. Unless you want to annoy them of course. Originally, the game featured some fake social networking aspects, allowing you to speak to imaginary in-game fans, but now you can tell the real world how good you are.
360Zine Issue 44
For our latest Blur coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 44 for free.The last few months have also allowed Bizarre Creations time to tidy up the graphics engine as well, which now looks stunningly realistic but retains the neon-lit fantasy that fans of Geometry Wars will love.
While Blur contains a full single-player game with a separate experience and ranking meta-game, we think the multiplayer is going to be the star of the show. It is a kart racer after all. While the game will support the classic 4-player split-screen mode for those nights when you get back from the pub, the main event will take place online. These online races will support up to 20 players and allow you customise your car and race across more than 30 locations, including both off-road and on-road environments. We've played both city tracks and wide-open spaces and there's plenty of scope for crazy tactics.
One of the make-or-break aspects to any kart racer is the disruptive influence of your weapons; do they build or break your game? When racing one of over 50 licensed cars included in the final game you have 3 slots to fill, each of which can contain a power-up chosen from offensive and defensive options. Our favourite is 'barge', which throws a devastating shock wave in a 360 degree arc around you. Nothing beats squeezing between two cars, letting 'barge' loose and then watching competitors fly off the track in your rear view mirror. Some of the power-ups like 'mine' can be thrown forward or backwards, which can either slow down an opponent or even counteract their power-ups.
With all of these weapons being used you might think that races will end up being determined largely by luck. That's something that Gareth Wilson is keen to eliminate from the game. "We have largely removed luck from the game...every time you get hit by a power-up you can usually do something to avoid it." According to Gareth, great Blur players will be "great multi-taskers" who will be able to spot who's doing what and strategise accordingly. That's not to say that you won't feel robbed on the line by a last minute lightning attack, but then we're not playing Gran Turismo here.
The other vital element of multi player, and the reason we think this game could become as well-supported as the greatest online shooters, is that experience system. Every time you race you win fans. The better you do and the more outrageous you drive, the more fans you win. After getting to a certain fan-base, you will level-up, unlocking new vehicles, but more importantly. Blur's 'mods'. These include all manner of options including how much damage you cause in collisions, how many fans you get for using power-ups...you can even opt to start the race with a power up. You can choose 3 'mods' and save a custom loadout. Chosen wisely, these could be game-changing; the difference between first and second when it really heats up online. Expect the perfect loadout to be debated online for months to come.
The challenge then for Bizarre is not whether they can create a good looking racer with great handling and a new twist, but whether they can create a balanced game that still hits the spot months after launch. Will the 'mods' mean that high-level players will dominate the game after the first few weeks? That's partly what the multiplayer beta will find out and with many of the key balancing factors sitting server-side, hopefully Bizarre will find the perfect answer.
Tomorrow we will be publishing our interview with Lead Designer Gareth Wilson and Community and Web Lead Ben Ward, so come back and read how Bizarre have crafted a different take on racing.
Blur coverage available in 360Zine Issue 44 - click here to download it for free!
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