Blur (video game)

Last updated
Blur
Blur (video game).jpg
Box art featuring a Ford GT and BMW 1M
Developer(s) Bizarre Creations [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Activision
JP Square Enix
Engine Horizon
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: May 25, 2010
  • AU: May 26, 2010
  • EU: May 28, 2010
Genre(s) Racing, vehicular combat
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Blur (stylized as blur) is a 2010 vehicular combat arcade-style racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was developed by Bizarre Creations, published by Activision in North America and Europe, and published in Japan by Square Enix. The game features a racing style that incorporates real world cars and locales with arcade style handling and vehicular combat. Blur was the penultimate game developed by Bizarre Creations before they were shut down by Activision on February 18, 2011.

Contents

Gameplay

The gameplay in Blur is centered on vehicular combat. The game tracks present eight different powerups that the cars can pick up. Each car can carry a maximum of three powerups at any given time, that they can then switch and activate at will, or discard. Out of the eight powerups, five of them are weapons, with the remaining ones being a defensive shield, a repair wrench that restores any damage that the car may have sustained, and a nitrous boost. Several of the weapons' behavior can be modified to select whether the player wants them to fire forwards or backwards, and most of them can also be used defensively against attacks from other cars.

In Blur's career mode, the player will be consulted by professional racing driver Danica Patrick to encounter numerous characters and many licensed cars such as the Dodge Viper and the Lotus Exige, as well as tuned cars such as the Ford Supervan fitted with an F1 engine. Each car presents its own unique traits such as Acceleration, Speed, Drift, Grip and Stability. Some special car models have been designed by Bizarre Creations themselves. Albeit simplified, the tracks are also based on real-world environments, such as the Los Angeles river canals and several parts of London. Depending on the character(s) the player races against or tags along with in team races, they will have their own racing styles, power-up setups, match types, locales and cars. As the player reaches the podium in races, performs stunts and uses power-ups in certain ways, they will gain 'fan points'. These points help the player progress through the career, purchase more cars and parts and earn more fans for the user base. Also, during the career, players will encounter fan icons along the tracks. Driving through these will trigger short challenges (e.g. shooting another car with a certain weapon, or performing a long drift), which will reward the player with a fan points boost.

During the career mode, each challenge features a final boss, which, once defeated will yield access to their specific mods (mods being upgrades that provide enhanced functionality to a standard powerup e.g. Khan's titanium shield), and customized cars. At the final boss challenge, all the bosses meet together for a final race.

Multiplayer

The game can be played with up to four players in split screen, and can be taken online for a maximum of 20 players over the internet, or over LAN in the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions. In a custom game, options can be set before each match that determine the layout of power-ups, car classes, number of laps, and the car to race. A match type called "World Tour" is essentially a quick play option for players who want to jump into a match. Here, every player is given a random car and thrown into a random series of courses with a standard ruleset. Multiplayer also offers "Team Racing" mode. Two teams (Alpha & Omega) can put themselves head to head either publicly or private. During races, each player accumulates points for their finishing position. While in team racing, powerups will not affect the player's own team members with the exception of Shock. Players can send a racing challenge to an online friend. If the second player beats the time, they can send the updated challenge back. These challenges go back and forth until one person concedes. Players can also use the Share button, and post their achievements to Twitter and Facebook.

Development

A trailer and tips video for the game on Xbox Live mentioned a feature that never made it to the final game. The feature, called "double tap", was meant to allow a player to combine several powerups of the same type for a more powerful effect, by double tapping the special power use button. The video was removed near the release of the game and little, if any, mention of the feature, seems to have been made again. The "double tap" feature was not present in the free multiplayer demo of the game offered on Xbox Live. [2]

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [3] [4] [5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40, while Famitsu X360 gave the Xbox 360 version a score of three eights and one seven for a total of 31 out of 40. [7] [8]

Edge gave the Xbox 360 version a score of eight out of ten, saying that it "Provides too little in the way of engaging structure behind its exemplary racing to make it more than a series of thrilling rides." [27] However, GameZone gave the game 7.5 out of 10, saying, "On single-player, Blur is an average racing game with a powered-up twist. Repeating races and receiving beautiful cars that remain untouched due to the lack of customization gets old fast. The outdated rave-vibe, including the music and menus, don't do the presentation any favors either. As a multiplayer title, Blur is absolutely exhilarating." [28]

Sales

In the US, Blur sold 31,000 units in its first five days of release according to the NPD. [29] The game ultimately sold 500,000 units. [30]

Despite disappointing sales, Nick Davies of Bizarre Creations had announced in July 2010 that the studio intended to create more games in the series, and wanted to make it the biggest racing franchise. He attributed the sales performance of Blur, to the fact that the game was released at "a very busy time for racing games", and that it "came out at the same time as ModNation Racers and Split/Second." However, he believed "that the strong multiplayer component would give the game staying power", and "it's going to be a slow-burner". [31]

On February 18, 2011, Activision announced that it was closing Bizarre Creations, stating:

Over the past three years since our purchase of Bizarre Creations, the fundamentals of the racing genre have changed significantly. Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience. Bizarre is a very talented team of developers, however, because of the broader economic factors impacting the market, we are exploring our options regarding the future of the studio, including a potential sale of the business. [32]

Sequels

A sequel was planned for Blur, and work had started on it using an all-new engine, but it was cancelled when Bizarre Creations was shut down by Activision. Work-in-progress videos of the intended sequel were released post-mortem, one of which show a race in Blur's Brighton track, adding a rainstorm, another that shows an Audi R8 racing in a track set in Dubai, showcasing the ability to temporarily run sideways on the side of a curved building, and another of an Ultima GTR racing down a snow-capped mountain during an avalanche. [33]

On October 25, 2013 a free-to-play spin-off mobile game called Blur Overdrive was released on Android, developed by Nottingham based App Crowd, and distributed by Marmalade, who licensed the Blur brand from Activision. An iOS version was released on November 1, 2013. [34] [35] Blur: Overdrive uses a top-down perspective and features eight different power-ups and six cars, which can be upgraded individually in ten steps. Touchscreen controls allow to choose from a floating steering wheel, a slide bar or a virtual pad. Player mods and Power Up mods are not connected to the car upgrading system and change how power-ups influence the combat. [36]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work by China West Coast Tech Co., Ltd., XPEC Entertainment, Blade Games World, Activision Central Studios, Agora Games and Demonware [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Virtua Tennis 3</i> 2006 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 3, known in Japan as Sega Professional Tennis: Power Smash 3, is the second arcade game sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. The arcade version of Virtua Tennis 3 is powered by the PC-based Sega Lindbergh arcade system board. Ports for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 consoles are also available with a traditional collection of tennis minigames that the home versions of Virtua Tennis are known for. In 2009, Sega updated and re-created Virtua Tennis 3 in Virtua Tennis 2009.

<i>The Club</i> (video game) 2008 video game

The Club is a third-person shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Sega. The story of the game centers on The Club, an underground blood sport controlled by a wealthy elite who place their bets on who will survive the gladiatorial-style combat.

<i>NBA Street Homecourt</i> 2007 video game

NBA Street Homecourt is a basketball video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. It is the final installment in the NBA Street series. The game was released for the Xbox 360 on February 20, 2007, and for the PlayStation 3 on March 6, 2007.

Project Gotham Racing (PGR) is a series of racing video games developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Studios and Sega (Dreamcast). The series appeared on the Dreamcast, Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, and consists of Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast), Project Gotham Racing (Xbox), Project Gotham Racing 2 (Xbox), Project Gotham Racing 3, and Project Gotham Racing 4.

<i>Colin McRae: Dirt</i> 2007 racing video game by Codemasters

Colin McRae: Dirt is a simcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the last of the series to be published before Colin McRae's death. It features new graphics, audio, physics engine, new vehicles and a new game engine called Neon which was co-developed between Codemasters and Sony Computer Entertainment. The game features a variety of off-road racing categories as well as World Rally Championship style events. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 in Europe on 14 September 2007, a day prior to Colin McRae's death. The sequel, Colin McRae: Dirt 2, was released in September 2009. A simplified version of the game was developed by Glu Mobile and released for Java ME devices in 2008.

<i>Baja: Edge of Control</i> 2008 video game

Baja: Edge of Control is an off road racing video game developed by American studio 2XL Games and published by THQ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game gets its name from the real life Baja 1000 off-road race in Baja California, Mexico, on which it is based. The game is set on over 95 different tracks, including 3 different Baja 250 courses, 2 Baja 500 courses, 1 Baja 1000 course, and has 9 open world environments.

<i>Singularity</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Singularity is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision and released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is built on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.

<i>Army of Two: The 40th Day</i> 2010 video game

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter video game developed by EA Montreal and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was also released for PlayStation Portable, which was developed by Buzz Monkey. It is the sequel to Army of Two. Army of Two: The 40th Day was released in 2010 worldwide.

<i>MySims SkyHeroes</i> 2010 video game

MySims SkyHeroes is a video game developed by Behaviour Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sixth and final game in the MySims series. The game was released in 2010 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.

<i>WRC FIA World Rally Championship</i> 2010 video game

WRC FIA World Rally Championship is a car racing video game based on the 2010 season of the World Rally Championship (WRC). It is the first game to be officially licensed by the WRC since 2005's WRC: Rally Evolved, and is the seventh game to bear the WRC licence. The game was developed by Milestone srl and published by Black Bean Games. The developer had also created Superstars V8 Racing and Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano.

<i>Hard Corps: Uprising</i> 2011 video game

Hard Corps: Uprising is a run and gun video game developed by Arc System Works and published by Konami for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The game was released digitally on Xbox Live Arcade on February 16, 2011 and on the PlayStation Network in March 2011. In Hard Corps: Uprising, the player assumes the role of an elite soldier simply called Bahamut, along with other main characters. Konami has added three additional player characters via downloadable content.

<i>Virtua Tennis 4</i> 2011 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 4, known in Japan as Power Smash 4, is the third sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. It was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii and PlayStation Vita. This is the first main series Virtua Tennis game to not have an arcade release before the console releases. An arcade version was also released, which is powered by the PC-based Sega RingEdge arcade system. There are two versions of the cabinet: an upright 4-player cabinet, and a deluxe 4-player cabinet.

<i>Apache: Air Assault</i> 2010 video game

Apache: Air Assault is a combat flight simulator video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was developed by then-Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment, which is most famous for its World War II MMO-game War Thunder and published by Activision.

<i>Moon Diver</i> 2011 video game

Moon Diver, formerly known as Necromachina, is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed by feelplus and published by Square Enix. It was released for the PlayStation Network in March 2011, and for the Xbox Live Arcade on May 4, 2011.

<i>Prototype 2</i> 2012 video game

Prototype 2 is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision, and the sequel to 2009's Prototype. First announced at the 2010 Spike VGA Awards, it was released in April 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in July 2012 for Microsoft Windows. In July 2015, the game was re-released alongside its predecessor as the Prototype Biohazard Bundle for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Separate versions of the two games became available in August 2015. Prototype 2 shifts the focus towards a new protagonist, former U.S. Marine Sergeant James Heller, who seeks revenge on Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the original Prototype, after the death of his family during a new outbreak of the Blacklight virus in Manhattan, which was started by Mercer. Heller is infected with a strain of the virus that allows him to keep his humanity while granting him powers similar to Mercer's, including shapeshifting and consuming people, which he uses in his mission to stop Mercer and the Blacklight outbreak.

<i>Rock of Ages</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Rock of Ages is a tower defense racing video game developed by ACE Team and published by Atlus USA. It uses the Unreal Engine 3. The game was released for Xbox 360 in August 2011, for Microsoft Windows in September 2011, and for PlayStation 3 in 2012.

<i>Burnout Crash!</i> 2011 video game

Burnout Crash! is a downloadable action racing video game in the Burnout series. It is developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and iTunes App Store.

<i>Dead Block</i> 2011 video game

Dead Block is a third-person action-strategy video game by German developer Candygun Games and publisher Digital Reality, in which three survivors of a zombie outbreak attempt to keep zombies out of a safehouse. It was released on the Xbox 360 on July 6, 2011 via Xbox Live Arcade, and on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network on July 20, 2011 in North America and July 27, 2011 in the PAL region. A Microsoft Windows release followed on January 26, 2012.

<i>SkyDrift</i> 2011 video game

SkyDrift is a 2011 airplane racing video game developed by Digital Reality. It was self-published by the developer on the Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3 platforms. The Xbox 360 version was published by Bandai Namco Partners.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team</i> 2011 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team is a top-down shooter game with twin-stick control, set in the Warhammer 40,000 future fantasy universe. Players play as Space Marines attempting to halt an Ork invasion spaceship, facing orks and, later, Tyranids. Four Space Marine classes are playable Sternguard Veteran, Techmarine, Vanguard Veteran and Librarian. The first two focusing on Shooting the later two on melee. The game supports single player and same screen multiplayer modes.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.igdb.com/games/blur/credits
  2. ↑ Ekberg, Brian (September 3, 2009). "Blur Updated Hands-On". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Blur for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Blur for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Blur for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (May 25, 2010). "Blur (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "ブラーレーサーズ [PS3]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain . Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "ブラーレーサーズ [Xbox 360]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Kato, Matthew (July 2010). "Blur Review". Game Informer . No. 207. GameStop. p. 92. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ Rigney, Ryan (May 25, 2010). "Blur (X360)". GamePro . GamePro Media. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Costantino, Jesse (June 11, 2010). "Blur Review". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ McShea, Tom (May 27, 2010). "Blur Review (PC)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. 1 2 McShea, Tom (May 25, 2010). "Blur Review (PS3, X360)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Blur (PS3, X360)". GameTrailers . Viacom. May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Davis, Ryan (May 25, 2010). "Blur Review (PS3, X360)". Giant Bomb . Fandom. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Gallegos, Anthony (June 2, 2010). "Blur Review (PC)". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  17. ↑ Gallegos, Anthony (June 1, 2010). "Blur Review (PS3)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  18. ↑ Robinson, Martin (June 3, 2010). "Blur UK Review (Xbox 360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  19. ↑ Gallegos, Anthony (May 25, 2010). "Blur Review (Xbox 360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  20. ↑ Gilbert, Ben (June 4, 2010). "Review: Blur (X360)". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Blur". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. August 2010. p. 82.
  22. ↑ Mahood, Andy (August 2010). "Blur review". PC Gamer UK . Future plc. p. 94. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Review: Blur". PlayStation: The Official Magazine . No. 35. Future plc. August 2010. p. 81.
  24. ↑ Hoggins, Tom (May 25, 2010). "Blur video game review (X360)". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2023.(subscription required)
  25. ↑ Larck, Adam (June 14, 2010). "Blur (Xbox 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  26. ↑ Mr. Pinkerton (May 2010). "Blur (360)". Teletext GameCentral. Teletext Ltd. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  27. ↑ Edge staff (July 2010). "Blur (X360)". Edge . No. 216. Future plc. p. 96.
  28. ↑ Rowe, Brian (May 31, 2010). "Blur Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  29. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 8, 2010). "Activision: Blur was not a failure". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  30. ↑ Clark, Nick (January 21, 2011). "Activision closure adds fear for British games industry". The Independent . p. 40. Retrieved October 30, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Hussain, Tamoor (July 19, 2010). "Bizarre planning Blur sequels". Computer and Video Games . Future plc. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  32. ↑ de Matos, Xav (November 16, 2010). "Activision Reportedly Closes Bizarre and Budcat Studios [Update 2]". Shacknews . Archived from the original on November 18, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  33. ↑ Narcisse, Evan (January 17, 2013). "This Is Probably What Blur 2 Would Have Looked Like. Too Bad You'll Never Play It". Kotaku . G/O Media. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  34. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 25, 2013). "There's a new Blur game! And it's out today! But..." Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  35. ↑ Rose, Mike (October 25, 2013). "Activision's Blur comes to mobile through Marmalade partnership". Game Developer . Informa. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  36. ↑ Rogalski, Jakob (November 1, 2013). "Blur: Overdrive bringt Top Down-Arcade Rennspiel mit Waffen auf iPad und iPhone". iTouchandPLAY.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.