After the juicy preview on Blur's multiplayer beta mode, which took place in April, here is finally arriving in stores around the world, the complete game. The beta has now closed its doors in favor of the full game and we, always in line with the needs of the users, are here to talk about one of the funniest arcade games ever. Small note on the version we tested, we preferred to try the game directly on PC also to test the graphic effects to the maximum and uncompromising in the console alternative. Enjoy the reading.
SINGLE PLAYER vs MULTIPLAYER
Who has already had the opportunity to read our preview or to play directly with the multiplayer beta of the title, will know that the new Activision / Bizzarre Creations game is a product that basically aims at the online part and at the clashes between human players in frantic races of as many as 20 competitors. You read that right, furious races and clashes, since Blur allows us not only to show off high-speed racing cars but also to fight with the help of some power-ups that will allow us to defend or offend. Obviously, the product in question can also be used simply in mode single player but I immediately emphasize that the level cap chosen for this version does not exceed the 25th level: In multiplayer, things are obviously different. This choice of programmers is essentially useful to all those people who maybe want to start getting carried away with artificial intelligence (however fierce and well planned), and then move on to more serious things and clashes umani vs umani.
Of the game, designed essentially for multiplayer, we also point out the curious integration with two very important social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. What is the use of knowing this possibility? Essentially to bring in as many people as possible but also to share content as a real arcade racing social network. In fact, the possibility of sharing music and personal photos with other users is curious. In short, finally a beautiful thought that with a certain originality and without added machinations, further elevates the title.
FURIOUS RACES
There are many things to say regarding the gameplay of the game so let's get straight to the heart of the race. After connecting to live or choosing single player mode, we will be greeted on the main title screen. Here we can choose whether to play the career (campaign) or single tests: we choose the first mode and see what it offers. Essentially we will have to challenge one series on Boss (experienced pilots) who will have requests - these requests are essentially to be considered as race scores to be achieved to challenge the supreme driver of each section. It will go from the first level Boss up to the strongest one in the standings. The scores to unlock will be multiple and as we go up in the player ranking, they will change according to the choices of the Boss. We will be able to score driving fairly well, fighting like the damned, defending ourselves adequately, dodging power-ups or collecting them, performing stunts or wowing the audience - there are dozens of things to do and they are all fun.
The choice of the car also constantly influences the results of the race. By choosing a faster but poorly protected vehicle, you could end up destroying the vehicle too much or, skilfully in the driving style, reaching the top positions without too much difficulty. On the other hand, there are more aggressive vehicles such as armor but less fast such as Jeeps or 4 × 4s that still hold good traction without exaggerating speed. In this regard, I point out that Bizzarre Creations has grabbed the official license of every machine in the game: this means that, unlike the recent Split / Second where the machines were fictional, here we will see a series of truly existing cars and we will be able to get our hands on brands such as Wolkswagen - Camaro - Corvette - Rand Rover - BMW - Nissan - Hummer and so on - with machines of various displacements from those smaller than the super cars that make every motor enthusiast in the world dream more or less.
Cutting back on the aspect of the four wheels, let's talk now about the main course of the game, the fighting.
Personally I was impressed with the choice of the number of power-ups that the programmers wanted to implement - there are only eight but they are so well balanced that you don't need to have more.. Among other things, as you go up in the ranking, we will be able to unlock upgrades for these seven power-ups in order to better exploit their characteristics. They are divided into two categories, offense and defense but the uses can be multiple and it is not certain that you will invent some nice flaw to use them creatively.
Among those defending the vehicle we have it SCUDO e IMPACT ENERGY - the first serves to defend us from attacks with a sort of impenetrable bubble while the second gives off a shock of energy that drives away the cars close to us - very useful if, arriving in the finish area, someone wants to steal some position from you. We then find the WRENCH which serves to repair the damage taken and one last called power-up SPEED which is not used to defend ourselves but is basically the turbo - therefore useful to distance the opponents by a tot.
Among those of offense we find the DOWNLOAD ENERGY which creates a sort of wall of energy that descends from the sky and immobilizes the opponents in front of us for a fraction of a second. The MISSILE IN RESEARCH and LIGHTNING, are two weapons that can be used both front and back but of different potential. The MISSILE is a powerful sphere that causes serious damage to vehicles while the LIGHTNING, are small missiles that destabilize the pace of the machines. Lastly we have the MINA which, as the name implies, is a kind of bomb that sticks to the asphalt. This too can be used both from the front and from the back and causes serious damage if taken in full. As I said above, use these power-ups, it will totally influence the results of the race because, very importantly, we will not be able to capture more than three at the same time - we will therefore have to tactically think about which ones to use, to leave on the street (with the appropriate button) or those to be launched in the last laps of the races to always ensure first positions and high scores.
As for the single player, I underline how good artificial intelligence will absolutely not make us regret the multi player. I hardly happened to find opponents as damned hostile and stubborn as in this Blur. Even gaining the first positions immediately, the cars that follow will target you like the damned to steal the finish line. Many times I thought I was among the first and then found myself among the last only because the opponents had closed me in extreme attack groups. Never taking anything for granted is one of the fundamental rules of the game and the tactics of the clashes are essential to take home scores and top positions.
PULLED TO GLOSSY
Blur looks like a game with beautiful graphics and cleanliness in the overall image. Unfortunately however, as also it happened in Split / Second, it does not live by a real graphic choice who can walk on their own legs. In fact, even here it seems to look at a new arcade chapter of Need For Speed in which the brilliance is always sought in the images and in the tracks, even those that should be dirtier and muddy. But ... however, the accompanying images speak for themselves and we certainly do not find a bad title on our hands. The tested version is the PC version so we went to see how the game fared at high resolutions and i have to say that there were no noticeable slowdowns with a resolution of 1680 × 1050 with graphics to the max (Ultra), anti aliasing activated and special effects and blur at full throttle. The aesthetic cleanliness remains the same even if you will have a drop in frame rates below the 30fps perhaps due to the internet connection if you play in multiplayer and with some pop-up too evident of texture or lag between the machines (which does not depend on the graphics but on the connection). The single player instead passes the test of fire, without any slowdown except in the very first seconds of starting (even with 4GB of ram and 512MB video card) but then everything goes smoothly and whizzing around the slopes is very pleasant.
The modeling of the cars and the tracks is also very good, although in the latter you do not find anything really innovative on your hands under the sun: between tracks in the city, on the mountains, in factories or in coastal villages, we have more or less seen everything already but that's okay too. We will also have the opportunity to see some damage, finally also with the official licenses - bumpers or glass that break, still give the right sense of realism to the clashes. On the other hand, an unpleasant note with regard to the objects on the track - here there is little animation and also the "containment" wall of the tracks is quite poor - less so in open-air races set in the countryside or on the beach. I would have expected at least a few passersby to watch the races but maybe they were all engaged in other arcade games.
SIMPLY, BLUR
Blur is a damn fun and engaging title, a real drug that will hardly let you rest easy and that will insinuate itself into the soul. Games like Blur are really dangerous because they risk ruining your social life without you noticing. Among other things, both as regards the single player and multiplayer, the game remains one of the most full-bodied ever. Having fun alone (with an excellent artificial intelligence) or with 20 other humans, it will be a blast in the climb of the level cup, if only to unlock that increasingly powerful and fast car. The tracks are not too many and maybe after a month or two they will get bored but I'm sure that Bizzarre Creations will contribute to this factor with some future DLC. The power-up side is also important and here you live in a truly shocking equilibrium with few factors but extremely good and balanced. Graphics and audio (the second passable with the usual electronic music and some rock arrangements) are not extreme but perhaps it is better this way, since challenging 20 users at the same time with all the effects to the maximum, is not a joke. Well ... simply, Blur.
Final grade: 8,7 / 10 - the single player of the game is absolutely balanced and fun also thanks to a respectable artificial intelligence. The level cap, however, stops at the 25th level ... more or less after two or three days of furious play.
Final grade: 9,3 / 10 - multiplayer increases by a few numbers and integrates perfectly with the new on-line social networks, offering curious challenge modes. Here you pass the level cap from 25th level onwards and find damn good and demanding people to challenge: but also to approach with headphones and a personal Twitter page and face of a book.
