Blur - Multiplayer Hands On Preview

'Mario Kart with real world vehicles and locations'.  The simple premise behind Blur didn't exactly instill a great deal of confidence before we travelled up to the creators of Project Gotham Racing hometown of Liverpool to sample the latest version of the game.  Since establishing themselves with a decent Formula One game on the PSOne, Bizarre Creations has deservedly made a name as being experts in the racing genre.  However after being swallowed up by Activision and ending its relationship with Microsoft and the PGR series, weapons and power-ups just seemed a step too far.

That opinion immediately changed when we got our hands on the game.  Since slipping off the radar following the game's delay last year, Bizarre Creations's first title under the ownership of Activision has undergone some significant improvements, most notably in terms of polish and balancing.

Although Bizarre appear to have been forbidden from describing Blur in such a convenient manner as the Mario Kart comparison, it's perhaps the best testimony we can label and certainly the easiest.  During the initial presentation we were reminded of the concept behind Blur: to make racing games fun again.  Amidst the Forzas and Gran Turismos of the racing world, it does seem that the strive for realism has come at the cost of fun and entertainment, which in turn has cannibalized the market.  Blur's Lead Designer Gareth Wilson informed us that the racing genre used to be one that everybody could enjoy, but is now solely the reserve of piston-heads and fuel-fanatics.  Although we enjoy the simulated offerings of the two aforementioned games here at TVG, there's part of us that's inclined to agree with the premise.

The lavish event focused solely on the game's multiplayer modes.  We're reliably informed that the single player mode is a comprehensive experience, with players hurtling through various different challenges, defeating boss battles and unlocking new vehicles and mods as you level up - but more on those later.

In terms of multiplayer Blur is pretty hard to fault.  Offering support for 20 player online races, four-player splitscreen (with no noticeable sacrifices) and system link, Blur manages to tick all the boxes expected.  Embracing the social networking craze, Blur takes the idea and runs with it; some directions we're still not entirely sure, but it does seem to suggest that Blur will constantly evolve and react long after the game is released.

Slightly fearful of the feature, Bizarre Creations's Ben Ward provided a glimpse of the benefits that the interaction brings.

"There's lots of thing we're doing that latch on to that," Ward explained.  "One of the things is we're watching what people are doing with the game modes, we're looking at the stats and finding out what's being created and then promote that via the Social Playlists.  So that's part of the actual game and will keep cycling around, it's all server based so you log in and it will all be updated to keep the game fresh."

It's Bizarre Creations responding to the way in which PGR fans created Cat & Mouse, allowing their fans to shape the game in the way in which they choose.  Another clever idea related to the concept is the ability to complete a challenge and send that via PSN/Xbox Live to a friend, who can then take on the challenge, attempt to beat it and send it back to you.  Because this is essentially a glorified game invite it's available even to Xbox Live Silver members.  Although we're still not entirely sure whether we need another game to fill up the pages of our preferred social networking site with inane messages proclaiming a friend has reached level 30, we're certainly less sceptical of Blur's social networking aspirations then before we'd seen it all in action.

Our first experience on the track was nothing more than carnage.  20 players hooked together, hurtling too fast into the first corner and beginning to work out the capabilities of the various weapons.  Action racing games such as Blur can be a frustrating beast to curtail.  Frustration stems from the fact that a good weapon can always be enough to take the best racer out on the last corner regardless of skill or technique.  Blur makes amends with a careful balance between racing precision and tactical use of the weapons, which in our opinion easily creates a new benchmark for the genre.

A considerable range of vehicles are available to get your hands on, ranging from the quick, nimble and trusty VW Golf R32 to the more cumbersome yet powerful Hummer.  Initially it seems that Blur sacrifices some of the refinement in handling that was demonstrated in PGR, however this appears to be an attribute assigned to the vehicles that are designed to be a little more forgiving.  Fans of Bizarre Creations earlier work will want to pick out those labeled as being 'Drifty' in the handling stakes, and quickly realise that Blur easily layers the quality of racing and handling you'd expect from a game bearing the Bizarre Creations logo.

A Fan system which rewards good driving, drifts, etc... works similarly to the Kudos system in PGR.  Gaining fans on the track is the technique to levelling up in the game, but it's the way in which it's also chained to the weapons that marks the feature out.  Hitting opponents a considerable distance in front with a weapon such as Shunt will gain big bonuses, as will completing the various different challenges that are geared in a similar way to Modern Warfare.  The fan system is the glue that binds the two aspects together, creating an experience that is easily greater than the sum of its parts.

Getting to know the handling and the layout of the various tracks comes pretty quickly, which leads on to the challenge of mastering the power-ups - and it's here where Blur's hidden depths and strategies really begin to emerge.  With three different slots to collect, store, and switch between different power-ups, Blur provides the scope to develop numerous strategies dependant on your style.  You could be the type who uses them as soon as you get them, or pick up specific ones to suit your strategy; it's also worthwhile to keep a Repair power-up in storage just for when you need it.  The concept also caters to Team race modes, with the option to drop a specific power up to a team-mate in desperate need.

Including Repair and Shield, Blur's range of weapons seems a little limited at first; but it's not long before you realise just how perfectly Bizarre Creations have whittled these down.  Part of the strengths of the combat system is the fact that the power-ups are immediately recognisable, you get to know exactly what weapon is and what it does pretty quickly.  It's unlike Wipeout in this case, each weapon has a very definite purpose and work together brilliantly in various different combinations.

Most of the power-up's have an alternative firing mode.  Typically this involves firing from behind, which is pretty handy for getting rid of anybody following too close behind.  The true technique however is getting to know the timing and using these to deflect power-ups coming towards you.  Other examples of alternative options include the airbrake on the Nitro, which is especially handy for drifting around a corner that you weren't expecting.  We're not going to fool anybody, the idea of defensive capabilities to offensive weapons is a tactic that Mario Kart has employed for years; but there's something that just seems to work so well when taken in the context of what Blur offers.  The fact that weapons are specifically placed on the track instead of being randomised also helps to emphasises the tactics and strategy that are crucial to the experience, benefiting those who learn the tracks and tailoring their strategy accordingly.

Thankfully Blur is so far removed from the game we were fearing.  Yes it's a game that anybody could and should enjoy, but it's not a game that ignores skill and strategy.  Those who race well or discover the tactics that each weapon brings will always benefit.  It's the way that all of these aspects come together which is where Blur really begins to shine.  Weapons and racing don't feel like two separate elements, as is often the case, but combine to create an experience that is more exhilarating than Mario Kart and more tactical than Wipeout.

So Blur offers plenty of fun and intense excitement, but it also provides the depth and long term replay value that most racers of this kind lack.  Being under the same ownership as Infinity Ward has evidently helped the Liverpudlian studio to take a leaf or two out of their book.  A persistent online career provides the depth and addiction expected from any decent online multiplayer game.  The Mod Shop, which is unlocked at Level 3, allows you to customise your loadout and grants the game that 'one more go' appeal as you crave to find out what's unlocked next.  A variety of provisional loadouts provide basic options, but it's the ability to customise these that provides the genuine hook.  Each loadout consists of three different mods, each of which can be exchanged freely with those that are unlocked as you level up by gaining fans on the track.  Examples of Mods include those that grant extra health whenever you successfully absorb an attack with a shield, to passive effects such as making your vehicle stronger or granting additional fans whenever you perform an impressive technique on the track.  It's a great setup that provides all of the strengths that Modern Warfare does such a good job of, promoting individual styles and certainly making this a game that you just want to keep coming back to.

It's not often that a game manages to surprise, but Blur certainly managed it.  Blur is a game that evidently has benefited from a great deal of playtesting, balancing and refinement to the point of near perfection.  The range of weapons and their various functions compliment the core racing action, creating an experience that is next to impossible to put down.  Bring on the end of May, racing games just got enjoyable again.