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Bizarre Creation’s Gareth Wilson has said that the beta for their arcade-kart-racer Blur will be available for anyone with an Xbox LIVE account to download this week.
Wilson has said the open beta is the product of public demand for the title. “We basically ran out of codes, so next week we are going to go live with the whole thing publicly so anyone can download it," he said.
Wilson has also explained that the beta is only available on Xbox 360: “Why didn't it come to the PS3? Really because when we were doing the beta it's hard enough to try and get a beta out that doesn't crash every five minutes while trying to finish a full game.
Telefrag is a new full-length web video show all about games - the first of its kind in New Zealand. Gameplanet has been working hard to bring you this first episode of what will be a regular feature presented every fortnight right here on Gameplanet.
You can stream each part using the player above - or click the download link to get it in full HD 720p.
We hope you enjoy it - and we'd love to hear your feedback, so please post a comment if you like it or have any ideas for improving the show.
Car combat games seem few and far between these days so when Bizarre Creations announced Blur last year at E3 I didn’t know what to think - the angel on my shoulder was confused whilst the devil on the other was rubbing his hands in excitement.
The brains behind the very successful Project Gotham Racing series on Xbox are branching out this time, with their next game being released on multi platform. So when I was offered an opportunity to try out the new multiplayer beta released earlier last week, I jumped at the chance.
The game promises support for up to 20 players at a time, all battling it out over a variety of tracks. There's plenty of jostling, swerving and ramming each other as you try to pick up weapons and shields in order to give you that edge over the other players. The most important feature in these sorts of games is balance, and Bizarre Creations seems to have nailed that - even if some of the ideas do mimic the classic Mario Kart game.
Activision has today confirmed that beta testing for Blur will begin on Tuesday, next week.
Publisher spokesperson Dan Americh writes, “Several websites will be launching contests and giving away beta tokens starting on Tuesday, March 2.”
“The gameplay sessions that those tokens unlock does not begin until Monday, March 8. This March 1 date that some media sites are reporting is not the right date for the public beta.”
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Blur is the ultimate wheel-to-wheel racing experience, dropping players into heart-pumping, electrified action with multiple cars trading paint as they charge towards the finish line. Drivers careen through real-world track locations packed with fast curves, sneaky alternate routes and hair-raising jumps in over 60 licensed cars as they collect intense power-ups, including the ability to blast other cars out of the way with huge bursts of energy, boost their speed, and more. The game’s story unfolds through Bizarre Creations’ unique and innovative community-based interface, enabling players to build a network of allies, rivals, fans and personalized racing experiences with friends both inside and outside the game. Blur delivers a new style of racing experience for all gamers.
Features:
- Power-Ups That Shock Your Socks Off - Drivers will collect and use addictive and intense power-ups throughout each race, including the ability to blast other cars out of the way with huge bursts of energy, boost speed with nitros, drop mines and even generate defensive shields to fend off other racers. Players can use each power-up independently or stack three of the same and combo them strategically to multiply the effect on the competition.
- Racing for All Gamers - Blur moves beyond traditional racers by taking genre staples, including licensed cars, photo-realistic graphics and real-world locations and combining them with gameplay designed completely to focus on ‘fun’, featuring intuitive pick-up-and-play controls, a unique and innovative social network style user interface, intense power-ups, and races where players are always in the pack challenging for the lead from beginning to end. Blur is for all types of gamers, regardless of experience or skill level.
- Social Network Interface - The game’s new, innovative social network user interface is designed to evolve dynamically as players compete in different races, make new friends, rivals and fans, and connect with other racers both in game and in real life. Gamers interact with one another through messaging, trading opinions, challenges and images, and learn what’s going on in the Blur world, including locating where and when the next big races are happening, rallying their fans for support, and taking up challenges designed to suit their specific racing style.
- It Wouldn’t Be Racing Without Multiplayer - Blur offers gamers a new kind of racing experience that allows them to race with friends and as part of a network of players in high intensity competition and fun. The game supports competitive and cooperative gameplay, including team racing and objective based events, and also features 4-player split-screen for playing with friends from the comfort of the couch. Blur introduces Custom Groups - where anyone can create unique multiplayer modes based on their favorite ways to play the game. These new modes are then shared through Blur’s social network, expanding the game in ways only limited by the gaming community’s creativity.
- Real-World Cars and Locations - Blur features over 60 licensed cars from which to choose as players race through visually stunning tracks set in real-world locations ranging from L.A. and San Francisco to the streets of Hackney, UK, to the treacherous roads of Barcelona and all the way to Japan. As players progress through the game’s story, they’ll be able to unlock and purchase multiple versions of the cars, each paying homage to different racing cultures, including Rat, Drift, Smooth and Tuner, and each with their own specific performance pros and cons.
- Cinematic Destruction Meets Photo-Realism - CAUTION - Racers may experience insane collisions featuring loads of damage and destruction, with panels crumpling on photo-realistic cars as they flip and roll down the track.
