Studio Update 33

You wanted details on Blur? Heh, how much can you read?

Tuesday, March 02 2010

The moment is now - we're finally able to prise open the box of secrecy which Blur has been hidden in the last few months. As you all know, Bizarre were given a little extra time to make Blur the absolute best game it could be. Today is the day we're ready to talk about exactly what we've changed, and how we're really proud of what the game has turned into. Yay!

First things first - we're running a worldwide beta test of Blur throughout the month of March. You, yes you, can get involved and play the game way before it's official release date. Oh, and this is a proper beta test - we are actually going to be listening to you guys and gals and improving the game based on your feedback. In fact we've been playing a few games with our Activision friends across the pond already, and we've learnt quite a bit as a result...

Getting on the Beta

There are quite a few ways of getting on the Beta test for Blur. We've got loadsa keys to give out, so wanted to provide lots of different opportunities for you to get one. One way is to tap your details into the official Activision Blur page at www.blurthegame.com (look for the "Blur Beta" signup box in the bottom right of the page).

We've also distributed keys to the gaming press. The first few outlets have already started posting their keys or announcing their competitions to obtain keys... here are a few links for you:

There are loads more of these coming online all the time. I'll try and post them to the Bizarre Creations Twitter feed as and when I hear about them... so follow us on Twitter for the fastest news and best chance of getting a key.

Note: these keys allow you to enter your details into the official Activision sign-up page. The Beta is taking place on Xbox 360, so obviously you'll need an Xbox and a Live-enabled account to take part. You'll be sent a proper Xbox Redeem code when the public phase of the Beta kicks off on March 8th.

What's in the Beta?

14 cars in four different car classes (A through D). Some are nippy (Koenigsegg CCX-R), some are beautiful (Volkswagen Scirocco), some are tough (Land Rover Defender SVX), and some are just plain cool (Chevrolet Camaro 1969).
4 different race tracks: Barcelona Gracia, Tokyo Shutoko, Amboy, and Long Beach Docks. Each provides a totally different racing experience, from wide-open off-road races to tight, technical inner-city tracks. My personal favourite is the Docks - it's got alternate routes through shipping containers, and one particular crossover which is going to ruin a few bumpers...
Twitter support. You can enter your Twitter credentials and share a Tweet or two DIRECTLY from the game. And it won't spam your account either - nothing is posted without your say-so. Just hit the left-bumper from anywhere in the menus to bring up the "Share" menu.
...And of course, 8 meaty power-ups. These really are what make Blur different to every other racer out there. They're so important that we've built a brand new section of our website to tell you about them. More details at the end of this post.

Remember the Beta is multiplayer only! You'll need an active Internet connection and an Xbox Live account to play. Obviously there will be a full and complete single player game when Blur hits the shelves, but this Beta is really for us to make sure all the cool network code we've written works as we hope it will when hundreds of thousands of people try to play simultaneously. It's kind of tough to test that from our studio. :-)

Power-up Survival Guide

As if all of that wasn't enough, we've also put together a brief guide on each of the Power-ups, and how they'll affect your race in Blur. The Power-ups really are one of the most important factors which make Blur's gameplay so unique - hopefully you guys will see that during the Beta.

Anyway, you can read the guide by clicking on this giant image:

Hands-on coverage

This past week we invited a few press to Liverpool to get a bit of early access to the MP Beta. They all got some decent time with the game, and we're happy to announce that the initial feedback has been really positive! Don't take my word for it though - check out the write-ups yourself:

Total Video Games - "Bring on the end of May, racing games just got enjoyable again"
ScrewAttack - Video Interview
IGN UK - "...prepare to be surprised by one of the most exciting racing games in many a year."
Eurogamer - "...I'm desperately weaving through EMP strikes, dropping mines by respawn points and shaking homing missiles off my tail with reverse fire. Quite unlike any other Bizarre game, sure, but enormous fun."

Again, I'll post more of these to Twitter as they come online.

So when's it out?

Blur will be released in Europe on 28th May 2010. It'll hit the USA slightly earlier, on the 25th. You can play the Beta from the 8th March onwards... but for now you'll have to make do with these screenshots: