I love driving fast cars — and destroying them. Ever since the original Twisted Metal in 1995, I have always loved games that give me both wheels and weapons. I’ve never been much of a simulation guy, so while I can appreciate Gran Turismo’s beauty and stunning accuracy, I’m the type of gamer who can’t help but wonder why a rocket launcher doesn’t come standard.
Today, the PlayStation 3 demo of Blur became available in the PlayStation Store — and you know what comes standard? Pools of lightning bolts, explosive mines, bursts of nitro speed, and big glowing red balls of homing-missile danger. This is the kind of arcade-style combat racing that gets my motor running. Oh, and the mileage is excellent — I’ve been playing Blur for weeks now and I’m still not bored.
The Blur multiplayer demo gives you a pretty sizeable chunk of what the game has to offer. A dozen real-world cars, including I’ll-never-own-it-but-I-can-drool rides like the Lotus Exige Cup 260 and Ford GT; six tracks in two gameplay modes; seven mods that let you tweak the game mechanics to match your style of play; all eight of the chaotic power-ups; and the ability to boast about your skills to friends on the PlayStation Network with a single button press. (The full retail version also lets you brag on Facebook and Twitter.)
I’ve been pretty vocal about my love of this game over at oneofswords.com. I have hosted PS3 Blur gameplay nights on multiple continents, and have more in the works. I shared some of my personal Blur strategies for success (and people used them against me). I even had Gareth Wilson, lead designer from developer Bizarre Creations, on my podcast to explain some of the choices that went into the game and wound up getting him to reveal a key to success that I’ve been personally milking all the way to the finish line.
If you haven’t tried Blur yet, it’s understandable – heaven knows there are plenty of options when it comes to quality PS3 racing games. But the demo’s free for the taking as of today, so check it out and let me know if you feel what I feel when you play it – I’m @OneOfSwords on Twitter. And know that I’m serious when I say I will see you on the track…
@46 whitwhit
What your point about it being business? So because it is business, it is ok to screw PS3 owners just to play favoritism to another console?
I can’t believe how many people here inexplicably hate Blur just because it’s published by Activision. BOO HOO, THE DEMO IS LATE! WHAAAA! WE DIDN’T GET A BETA!!! Shut up, seriously. I bet if I look at most of your trophy lists, I’ll find Activision games all over the place, and probably Call of Duty Black Ops too, come the fall.
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Blur is pretty good. I say this as someone who has actually PLAYED it. I like the neon colors – it makes it unique, and reminds me of Geometry Wars’ aesthetic to a degree. I generally don’t like car or racing games (GT5P is cool, Burnout Paradise too, using a racing wheel), but I’ve played Blur more than I thought I would (offline, mostly).
That being said, Activision needed to put a bit more weight behind it (and Singularity, too). Oh, and racing wheel support woulda been nice… I can make due with a gamepad, but I generally don’t bother – luckily I got the game for a good enough price that I decided to try it anyhow. I really don’t understand why ANY car game releases without even basic wheel support.
Is the demo staying on PS Store?
No reason it would be removed — people are downloading it and playing it as we speak. I played with ’em and it worked fine for me.