Blur Review

Fan damands are temporary chanllenges such as overtake an opponent using a nitro or hold a slide for five seconds.

When layered with the inventive range of mods, your options take on another level of depth. Do you fire that shunt into the prone opponent just ahead of you or do they perhaps have a shield with the adaptive shielding mod that absorbs your shunt, ready to turn it against you? The gradual delivery of mods ensures that you aren’t overwhelmed with options early on (if anything a couple more earlier on in the game would be welcome) but as you play, your options and play-style evolve, and experimentation is rewarded.

In keeping with Blur's hazy neon imagery, most races take place on the cusp of twilight amid moody purple and grey hues.

A diverse mix of multiplayer modes cater for both sadist and pacifist extremities of the combat/race spectrum, with Motor Mash casting aside finish lines in favour of wanton destruction and Hardcore mode omitting power-ups for a more PGR like experience. Unfortunately Blur’s course design doesn’t exactly shine in this mode, with racing lines too overly simplistic – a compromise struck to contain the combat within the core weapon-led game. When Mario Kart Wii broadened its course widths to house 16 players, many felt it track design suffered and in accommodating 20 players, there is evidence of that in Blur too.

Team mode fares markedly better, offering yet more strategies, such as the organising a weapon drop for a team mate over the headset, and of course no discussion of Blur’s multiplayer would be complete without applauding Bizarre Creations’ decision to include four player split screen. It illustrates the game’s commitment to appealing to the widest range of player choices possible, and succeeds without hitch.

Later mods allow you to drop fake power-up blocks that will be familiar to Mario Kart veterans.

There’s no doubting the scope of Blur’s multiplayer is where it makes its mark, but that not to say the single player isn’t similarly leaden with modes. Career mode sees you challenge nine rivals to a mix of race events from obligatory “finish in the top three” races to the bolt-powered Destruction mode where you fight for kills. Checkpoint mode has you collecting stop watches for vital seconds and you will spend an unnerving amount of time pinned to the back of your seat from the nitro-assisted g-force, pushing forward at an unrelenting pace. Earning lights through victories in these modes grants access to rival races for exclusive cars, eventually opening your next rival.