Blur

Preview - Bizarre sing to a different tune

Blur is a big deal for Bizarre Creations. A very big deal. Purchased two years ago by Activision, the specialist racing game developer cut their teeth on the bestselling Project Gotham series, and while this legacy gives them more clout than most, the developer are quick to point out that Blur is not a continuation of this series.

As we're told during our presentation on the game, Blur is to be regarded as something of a retrospective on the racing genre; Bizarre casting a critical eye over what does and doesn't work in this most long-running of game types. The British developer have also come to the conclusion that the genre requires something new, something ambitious. As our host tells us, racing has become staid and stagnant, and something altogether fresher is needed.

Through Blur, Bizarre hope to "break down the barriers". A simulation is off the cards then, the developer dispensing with elements of hyper-realism in favour of accessibility. You won't need to understand how to use apexes to get ahead in Blur, while the game will be forgiving whilst also challenging.

"Inclusive, but not dumbed down" is Bizarre's motif, our representative explaining that the title will focus on emotion and fun ahead of technicality. Still, the game will also play to some of the strengths of the Project Gotham series, and as such we're promised licensed vehicles, believable physics and real world environments - such bullet points combining with the frenetic gameplay to create a game the developer clearly hope will offer genuine depth.

Blur's focus is still that of many a racing title: competitive racing be the main dish of the day, Bizarre looking to engender intense, action-packed races, in which the field stay close together and in which the outcome of any tussle is far from apparent at the outset. Titles like Mario Kart have clearly proved influential from a gameplay perspective, even if the lavish visuals are a far cry from the Wii or DS.

The racer will include twenty different kinds of vehicle, coupled with attributes that vary dramatically, making car selection crucial to success on the track in-hand. This will add a degree of strategy to Blur, while different driving styles will work better with different vehicles. Controversially, Blur will also include in-game power-ups - the use of which will have a major effect on the outcome of races. Bizarre state that measure like this should ensure tightly packed fields, the action itself taking precedence over dull course-memorisation.

Power-ups will add another layer of fun-filled strategy to the experience, then, and these varying attacks will be accrued over the race, and will interact with dynamic aspects of the course such as parked cars, buildings and other incidental obstacles.

New kinds of backdrops should also help freshen up the racing, London's City/Hackney area forming the location for one such race - this gritty and unusual setting further enhanced by a storyline that will pit your racer against a local gangster; who's bodyguard cars will cause you all kinds of problems thanks to some appropriately aggressive driver AI. Visually, this east London setting really shows off the detail of the courses Bizarre are crafting, while the cars themselves are highly crisp; the damage models also impressing.

As part of the rudimentary plot I alluded to earlier, the game will include a 'social network', which will tell the game's story in a simple and non-intrusive manner; drivers arranging events and revealing story details through this messaging system that should dodge the annoyance driving game storylines can often suffer from. You'll also be able to choose cars through the social network, with different vehicles better for different levels of player.

This social network will also be used for the organisation of multiplayer action, helping players create multiplayer events, playlists, rules and generally helping muster create an experience based on user preferences. Details on this remain scant, although we are told to expect a four player split-screen mode, beyond online fun.

Another locale we were shown took us into the dry and dusty deserts of California; the stage in question literally dripping with style, during which we also noticed the Night Rider-esque HUD. The interior of the car is also modeled in more detail, enhancing the feel of hands-on action, alongside Bizarre's 'fresh' credentials.

Some of the steps taken in Blur are certainly dramatic, while purists who enjoyed Project Gotham may or may not be taken with some of the game's bolder ideas; the social network, the power ups, the focus on up-close action over authenticity. Blur does look unashamedly fun though, and we're eager for some more hands-on time than the few minutes afforded at E3.

Activision and Bizarre Creations will release Blur this autumn on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.