Blur Message Board older than one year ago

Going solo in Bizarre's urban racer.

Xbox 360 owners can actually sample Blur's particular brand of chaos right now -- a decision we'd say is "most wise." For the rest of you, the only solace we can offer is via a new trailer, admittedly awesome in its own right due to a high volume of hot whips.

From licensed cars to completely fictional autos, it's all covered in the video above. There's even a rundown of the 14 different locations you'll be able to deposit some burnt rubber, if that's what you're after. Check it all out in the video above.

#whoa Indy's It-girl Danica Patrick has a role in Activision's Blur, which I didn't know before today, and Danica's giving interviews to highlight the fact gamers now race online "against people in different places," which she didn't know before today either. More »

#preorderbonus Bizarre Creations' combat-racer Blur is coming May 25, and your choice of preorder locations determines which ride you'll get early access to in online multiplayer, because everyone loves retailer-exclusive preorder bonuses, right? More »

#racinggames In our line of work here at Kotaku we see games early, before they come out. Sometimes these games change, before you play them the first time. More »

Are you anxious to take Bizarre's chaotic arcade racer, Blur, out for a spin? The multiplayer demo -- previously exclusive to beta players -- is now accessible to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Pull into the demo section of Marketplace to download the one gigabyte sampler.

Blur will launch on May 25 in the U.S. and May 28 in Europe.

[Via Major Nelson]


Xbox.com: Add Blur Multiplayer Beta demo to your Xbox 360 download queue

#blur Because of the overwhelming demand for access to upcoming racer Blur's multiplayer beta, the folks at Bizarre Creations have decided to open the beta to all Xbox 360 users next week. More »

#kotakutalkradio The outfit responsible for Project Gotham Racing and the forthcoming Blur joined us today to talk racin' with Kotaku Talk Radio. You can download the .mp3 faster than it takes to get two new tires and a splash of gas. More »

#podcast Kotaku Talk Radio is coming to you live RIGHT NOW with special guest Bizarre Creations' Gareth Wilson, a lead designers for Blur. More »

#podcast Join us later today on Kotaku Talk Radio to chat with two of Bizarre Creations lead designers about their upcoming racer Blur. More »

#podcast Join us tomorrow on Kotaku Talk Radio to chat with Bizarre Creations about their upcoming racer Blur. More »

#betawatch Activision and Bizarre Creations continue to refine the online experience of upcoming combat racer Blur, increasing the rank cap and allowing testers to unlock new cars, challenges, and mods. More »

While Blur's aesthetic is devoid of rainbow bridges and adorable car-icatures, it's undoubtedly a kart racer -- albeit one that feels like it was made for people who don't like kart racers. Or those bloody blue shells.

The power-ups you'll pick up on the track can still knock competitors straight to last place, but opponents' fates aren't immutable once you send pulsating red orbs or bolts of electricity their way. Power-ups can be dodged before they grow too large in the rear-view mirror, or cancelled out by the blast of another weapon. It feels considerably more balanced and less random than the likes of Mario Kart, and being granted some measure of recourse makes it less frustrating when someone sends you hurtling to the back of the racing pack.

#dlc Blur's developers do have plans for DLC but they don't intend to put any out at launch. In fact, no dates have been set, and they've made clear they're not going to tackle DLC until the main game's finished. More »

Blur has been in development at Bizarre Creations for at least a year now, and probably even longer, but in all of that time, no one in the studio has worked on any DLC, according to lead designer Ged Talbot speaking to MTV Multiplayer. While the title does have some in-game pre-order bonuses ready to go, there won't be any launch DLC, so you'll have to be satisfied with the 50 cars and 30 racing locales coming on the disc for a little while.

But Talbot does say that Bizarre will be releasing additional content soon after the game goes on sale, and that "it's always been a massive part of the strategy to support the game with DLC." Your late '92 baby blue Subaru might not be in there right now, but just be patient, baby -- it's coming for you.

Our Blur multiplayer beta code giveaway needs no introduction -- it just needs a link:


Get to it >>

What's up? You didn't click the link yet? Here's what you need to know: The beta is free. It's only on Xbox Live. And our codes are limited! Get. To. It.

#multiplayer The Twitter-integrated challenge system in Blur allows players to send friends times to beat, regardless of what platform they use. Bizarre Creations says they'll also be sent as Xbox Live dashboard messages, allowing for some multiplayer without a Gold account. More »

Not only are the cats and dogs living together, but they're using Twitter. According to MTV Multiplayer, upcoming racer Blur will allow some social interaction not only between players, but between different platforms. Whether you're on Xbox Live -- silver or gold -- or PlayStation 3, you'll be able to issue competitive challenges to friends, with Twitter acting as a neutral intermediary. Think of it as that time you had to pass messages between your feuding parents, only you're telling Dad that Mom just utterly destroyed his pathetic lap record.

Speaking at a Blur presentation, lead designer Gareth Wilson offered an interesting anecdote as explanation: "I've got a friend from university who lives in Australia, and I can't play with him, because he's available at night time when I'm sleeping. So the Friends Challenge thing was really, 'How do we get people together to play who might not be able to.'" And while PS3 and Xbox 360 racers might not be able to play together in real time once the game launches on May 25, Bizarre Creations thinks of the Twitter connection as an innovative way to foster some healthy, cross-platform rivalry.

Wilson also notes that the social integration won't be a "horrible, spammy thing." So no Facebook support, then.

Click image to slide into our gallery
With the Blur multiplayer beta coming any day now, we're anxious to get some quality time with Bizarre Creations' upcoming racer. In the interim, the game's official blog details what players can expect from the beta, but perhaps more interesting is what's tucked at the bottom of the update: a release date of May 25. Europeans will have to wait a few extra days, as the game won't be in shops until May 28 over there.

While you wait, might we suggest you check out some new screens in our gallery below? That is, if you want to -- no pressure or anything!

#free Due out this spring for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, Blur is a like Project Gotham Racing meets Mario Kart... if they two had a baby in the 70s. More »

Bizarre Creation's arcade racer returns in spectacular fashion - and your chance to play the game early.

#beta Plenty of Fileplanet subscribers tipped us to a solicitation that went out overnight, inviting them to "exclusive access into a highly classified Xbox 360 beta event!" beginning March 1. Those who have signed up tell us it is for Blur. More »

This is the perfect game for social gatherings.

The Bizarre Creations team discusses Blur's social gameplay aspects, including how the game brings people together (except maybe when seeking serious revenge on your opponent!).

Bizarre Creations' Blur is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon, giving players the ability to send customized Tweets while playing through the developer's latest racing title. Bizarre Creations would...

Tweet when you're winning.

During its 2009 financial earnings report, Activision CEO Michael Griffith noted that Bizarre Creation's recently-delayed Blur would have a multiplayer beta available next month. No specific platforms were mentioned, though a recent German rating suggests it will at least be on the Xbox 360. While we don't think it's necessarily something that will be exclusive to Microsoft's platform (a demo should be on all the platforms a game will be on, right?), there's currently no indication to suggest otherwise.

Yes, Bizarre Creations' fast-paced, Mario Kart-esque combat racer Blur will apparently have a story, according to the trailer above. We're just as surprised as you! Frankly, we expected the game to be completely plotless, unless you consider "you're a guy who doesn't like being blown up or not finishing in first place" a plot, which we don't. Check out the trailer above to get a brief taste of what the game's story and character progression will entail. We guess we're okay with these two elements being present in the game -- provided they don't provide long pauses between our drivefights.

The Bizarre Creations dev team discusses Blur's storyline, unique driving styles, and impressive stunts in this doc!