Blur Detailed

Activision has released details on Bizarre Creations’ forthcoming racing game, Blur.Blur features 20 cars on track whether you’re playing online or offline, all of which can use a variety of attacks and collect power-ups that boost speed, blast other cars out of the way, and the like. Online, they can all be players; offline, you’ve got four-player split screen.The tracks themselves are based on real-world locations but have been shuffled around a bit to make them more entertaining, it seems, with courses including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, and, er, Hackney. All of these feature what you’d hope for from an arcade racer – alternate routes and jumps, for instance – and there’s a proper damage model, too.More interesting still is the talk of the game’s narrative. Blur uses an “innovative new community-based interface,” with the plot “evolving dynamically” as you race, make friends and rivals, get fans, and “connect with other racers both in-game and in real-life.”The other piece of note is mention of custom groups online, which lets people “create unique multiplayer modes based on their favourite ways to play the game.” These modes are then disseminated through the social network, meaning that there will always be something new to mess around with.”We did our homework and saw a huge opportunity to move beyond traditional racers and create a game completely focused on making racing ‘fun’ again,” according to Bizarre Creations’ creative director, Martyn Chudley. “Blur delivers a new style of racing experience for all gamers, regardless of their experience, skill or genre preferences.””Everything the player does, both in their cars and with their cars, is a dramatic adrenaline rush; it’s a real blast!” he closes, dramatically.Strong words to live up to. We’ll find out how right he is closer to Blur’s release on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this autumn.