	Blur
	Developer: Bizarre Creations Publisher: Activision Release Date: Out Now Players: 1, 2 - 4 - Split Screen, 2 – 20 Online Multiplayer	Words By:
Imagine the fun of the perfectly crafted competitive gameplay of Mario Kart combined with the licensed photo-realistic vehicles that you'd expect from the makers of the PGR series. Well, in essence, this is what you kinda get with Blur. It's an all-adrenaline rollercoaster ride of single and multiplayer karting, driving. As with most kart racers (and indeed Sony's very own ModNation Racers), the premise is very simple; race around a track for several laps, use the power-ups wisely and and try to finish first. You have a number of powerups and weapons that allow you to enhance your performance or hinder your fellow racers including repairs, speed-up boosts, shields, lightning bolts and mines. You can carry up to 3 power-ups at a time, which will be unlikely given the pace of the races, but it does give you the option of using them tactically by selecting which one to use next, the game constantly throws up questions like “do I hold onto that repair spanner for a few more seconds...?” or “do I launch a mine just after overtaking my nearest competitor...?” Cars aplenty One of the more surprising and pleasing features for me was the sheer number of vehicles on track. You're in a race of 20! Flashbacks of PS2 cult-classic Rumble Racing were also occurring from the fun all-action nature of the races. With Blur’s high quality visuals there is plenty of graphical eye candy for anyone watching the game, a lot of which will be lost on the actual players as they are absorbed in the driving. There are some lovely visual effects of intro videos morphing into race footage as the camera spins from a front-on view to an in-car/behind car view. There are also pyrotechnics aplenty when the cars ahead of you hit a mine and you barrel through their burning carcasses, it's a real shame there's no replay mode with which to enjoy your most dramatic victories or spectacular wrecks. The game consists of a single player “Career” mode which is a good first toe in the water providing gradual tutorials on how to play the game and use the power-ups. I mistakenly dived straight into a multi-player game and was a little out of my depth, struggling to even achieve a 19th out of 20 placing... Career mode is similar to Burnout in offering a number of different challenge styles that become unlockable as your rating improves. This rating is measured by the number of lights you received (based on race positions) and the number of fans you attract (based on driving performance). Fan challenges also occur mid-race that are an additional incentive/distraction (delete as applicable). These include things like tricky fan-pleasing runs through neon hoops with a fixed time limit. Challenges range from time trials, destruction, race position etc giving a fairly varied mix so that the game doesn't fall into the trap of feeling too “samey.” As with challenges, vehicles available in the game are also unlockable to further your progress. There is a good deal of variety in the vehicles and their handling characteristics really are distinctly different. There are large, slow SUVs with plenty of weight (that handle off-road sections without slowing down) to slippery powerful roadsters with better top speeds, acceleration and soap-like ability to slide around corners. Blur’s multiplayer options allow online and local split-screen races. For a group of mates around the console this is where the heart of the game lies. One-upmanship and an opportunity to get one over on your mates never loses its appeal, particularly as so many of us have big TVs on which to play split-screen games on these days. It’s nice to have a game that supports a feature that seems to be rarer and rarer in racing games, and do it with such technical aplomb. The quality gameplay and visuals of the game also deliver a solid single player experience, so top marks in both camps. I'd recommend if you don't already have a decent multiplayer racer in your PS3 collection its worth considering Blur as a multipurpose title. This is ‘pick up and play’ racing at its best.

Best Bits
- Multi-player fun with mates online or off
- Well-presented and challenging career mode
- Pretty visuals

Worst Bits
- Some challenges get difficult quite early
- No replay mode
- Being ‘beated’ by my son


by: Telecoda