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Review: Blur
Blur is a great proof of concept. Bizarre Creations set out to update Mario Kart's tried and true formula with real cars in a "mature" setting -- and for the most part, the developer succeeded. Racing has a great sense of speed, enemy AI isn't nearly as elastic (even in the harder levels) as in Nintendo's kart racer and the power-up mechanics offer a balanced selection of weapons, making gameplay more tactical than dependent on dumb luck. However, between a poorly paced campaign, a small handful of available race modes and an uninspired sense of style (from the announcer to the menu layouts), I found myself wanting much more from the single-player campaign. The best part of the game is its plain-Jane racing but, unfortunately, Blur forces you to complete its two lesser modes (Destruction and Checkpoint) in order to get to all of it. Combine that with an exponentially increasing difficulty level in the game's later competitions and you've got Blur: a fun, interesting racing game with terrible structure. %Gallery-63796%
Motorola Flipout preview
We know you're excited -- the Nokia Twist finally has a legitimate competitor in the square-shaped pseudo-smartphone space! Motorola snuck up on us with its Flipout unveiling yesterday, so today we diligently trudged along to its local offices to get properly acquainted with this new Android handset. Running version 2.1 (Eclair) on a 600MHz processor might seem like a recipe for trouble, but it's the same Cortex A8 (TI OMAP 3410) as used in the Droid, and our time with the little quadrangle revealed it could handle itself with aplomb. The Flipout also boasts a freshened up Motoblur implementation and 512MB of both RAM and ROM, but only 150MB for user storage -- time to bring on Froyo, eh? With interchangeable back covers (two will come in the retail box) and that handbag-friendly form factor, the Flipout is unashamedly flirting with being a phone for style-conscious lady-geeks, but let's see if it doesn't appeal to gruff old types like us as well. Join us after the break for our full hands-on impressions.%Gallery-94308%
Motorola Droid Shadow / Xtreme pictured again, powered by Ninjablur?
Because we can't seem to get enough Motorola Droid Shadow / Xtreme teasers in our lives, here's a few more with which to tide you over. First on the docket is a pair of pics from Droid Life, with the screen-saving film intact (and a still-visible Verizon logo underneath) and a cleaner side shot of its bulbous derriere. If that wasn't enough, the clue-dropper wnrussell of HowardForums -- who gave us the vast majority of the previous leaks -- is back showing off a 1500mAh battery and claiming a name for that monochrome Motoblur-esque skin we saw earlier. In his words, "Ninja Blur is Blur running without the user knowing. For those who don't like Blur." Translation: it's an Android skin that does very little but make aesthetic differentiators and probably slows down the processing speed a bit. Any chance the ninja can go into hiding in lieu of a vanilla robot experience?
Motorola Flipout official: Android 2.1 and enhanced Motoblur coming to Europe in Q2 2010 (video)
Motorola's quirky square-shaped Android 2.1 creation has just become official, courtesy of the company's YouTube channel.The Flipout brings a 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 screen (Kin killer!), a 3 megapixel camera with "one-touch" uploads to Facebook, MySpace and photo-hosting sites, and a refreshed implementation of Motoblur, which now includes resizable widgets, feed filters, and push corporate email. We hear that last feature is a real must-have with the target audience of this device.Video of the Flipout can be found just after the break, and Euro readers can expect it imminently, as the listed Q2 2010 launch date basically means it'll be out by month's end. Wonder how they'll price a curious creature like this. Update: Our pals at Recombu got a quick hands-on with the Flipout, and... it's a square Android phone. Video after the break. Update 2: We've come across a more comprehensive spec sheet on Moto's dev site, which lists AT&T- and Rogers-compatible 3G bands, make of that what you will. [Thanks, Martin]
Red Dead Redemption tops UK charts again; Blur loses out to Split/Second
Rockstar's western opus, Red Dead Redemption, has saddled up and rode for first once again in the GFK Chart-Track derby. Even though it's suffered a 40% drop in sales -- likely a byproduct of those shortages -- it was enough to best UFC Undisputed 2010, which debuted at second place. Also of note is the debut of Blur at the 14th spot -- well below Black Rock Studio's previously released arcade racing rival Split/Second (6th) and United Front Games' ModNation Racers (12th). Source - Top 40 Entertainment Software, Week Ending May 29 2010 Source - Red Dead Redemption Still Riding High at No. 1
Try Blur at Best Buy to Blur your wall at home
Sure, there's a Blur demo on Xbox Live, but if you'd rather try out the Bizarre racer in a more public place -- or if you don't have an Xbox on which to test drive it -- select Best Buy stores will host in-store demos this Saturday and Sunday. You can check here to see if your local store is among the illustrious 200 to play host to these demos. For your trouble, you'll get -- not only the chance to play the arcade-style racing game but also -- a Blur poster. You can tell your non-gamer friends that it's a poster for the band, who just happens to really like cars. %Gallery-63796%
Motorola's Sanjay Jha talks tablets, Android, HTC, and more
It looks like an investors conference hosted by Barclays earlier today was the place to be for anyone looking to get Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha's thoughts on, well, just about anything, as he took advantage of the occasion to address about as wide a range of topics as you could ask for. That even includes the topic-du-jour of tablets, which Jha says makes sense as a "companion device," adding only that Motorola is "engaged in thinking about the right solution there." Jha also addressed the issue of Motorola possibly building or acquiring its own OS by saying that "nearly all of my focus is on Android today," and that any other OS would have to match Android's capabilities. On that Android note, Jha also said that Motorola would be "aggressive" in bringing Android 2.2 to its phones (taking a Flash-related shot at Apple in the process), and he said that he wasn't concerned about the HTC Droid Incredible eating into Motorola's own Droid sales, noting that the company has more Droid phones in the pipeline that he's "excited" about, including some for Verizon -- the Droid Shadow, perhaps? Still with us? Jha also confirmed that Motoblur now has more than a million users, and that Motorola will be introducing a new version of it "later this year." That's all to say nothing about Motorola's feature phone business, its plans to sell smartphones in China, and Jha's own new role when Motorola splits into two companies next year. Dive into the links below for all the details.
Metareview: Blur
Reviews have begun to inch out for Bizarre's new arcadey racer Blur and, at the risk of spoiling the metareview in the first sentence, they're pretty darn good! Maybe not "change your life" good, but at least "put this in your game box and fun will come out" good. What? That's not specific enough for you? OK, fine, here: Telegraph (9/10): "Every inch of Blur feels like it's crafted with the player in mind, offering them a huge, slick and exciting racing package. While it can frustrate, with the balance of powerups occasionally off-kilter, it only serves to push you onto the next race, to undo the injustice, to mete out your revenge." GameInformer (8.5/10): "Blur is a game built on versatility. Power-ups aren't simply offensive or defensive; they are tools you can use in different ways depending on the situation. A Barge blast is always handy to disrupt any cars in your immediate vicinity, but it can also be deployed as a momentary shield. Likewise, most power-ups come with an alternate fire option. For instance, your garden-variety Nitro boost can alternately be used to slow you down – useful for those really tight corners." Eurogamer (8/10): "Handling is rich and dramatic. Acceleration and drifting are sympathetic enough to correct the rear if you're showing your inexperience, but the relationship between gas, brake, traction and apex remains complex. And it's fast."
Blur's French TV spots are far from feminist
Look, we're not experts in the way of marketing things to the French, but we're pretty sure the advertising for Blur is all kinds of wrong. Seemingly tapping the region's most beautiful women to represent in-game power-ups, arguing their superiority over their peers, each spot concludes with the ladies throwing down in a faux race -- which is more an excuse for them to show off skin than to show off the game. Have you ever had to hit so many buttons while playing a racing game before? Yeah, we didn't think so. Head past the break to check out the two commercials. Bonus points if you can spot the exact moment where feminism has been set back 30 years. [Via VG247 and UK:Resistance]
Pre-order Blur on Steam, get Geometry Wars Retro Evolved free
From what we've heard from folks who got in on the game's multiplayer beta, Bizarre Creations' Blur has some surprisingly potent addictive properties. That's why we find this Steam deal so unashamedly sinister: If you pre-order the PC version of the racing title on the popular digital distribution platform, you'll get an equally (if not more) addictive game for free: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Blur goes on sale this Tuesday, so if you're hoping to grab Bizarre's twin-stick time sink at no charge, you should probably pre-order the game ASAP. [Via Big Download]
Trio of Blur tutorials explain the value of fans
We understand the value of a good fan just as much as the next guy, whether said fan is reading our humble video game news site, or keeping us cool in the humid summer months. In Bizarre Creations' arcadey racer Blur, they're even more valuable, serving as the player's main form of character progression. In addition, fans will offer a few bonuses which will pop up in the middle of each race, including Fan Runs, Fan Demands and Fan Targets. Bizarre Creations recently released video tutorials for all three of these bonuses, posted above and after the jump. We'd suggest checking them out if you're planning on picking up the game when it gets released next Tuesday.
Blur trailer and screens highlight Team Race, Team Motor Mash modes
In the latest trailer for Blur, lead designer Gareth Wilson takes us for a lap around the upcoming racer's bevy of team events. First, Wilson breaks down some tactics in Team Race, your run-of-the-mill us-vs-them race mode, in which teams duke it out on the track. Here, players can swap mods and lend assistance in a variety of ways -- all in an effort to finish the race in the best position possible, thus earning more points than the enemy team. The second portion of the trailer focuses on Team Motor Mash, another points-based team mode in which points aren't simply earned through pole position, but rather through the judicious application of power-ups. Players can also earn points by smashing into rival drivers, giving this mode a Destruction Derby-like feel. Aside from the new trailer, we've also got some new screens for you to check out in the gallery below. Blur races to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on May 25. %Gallery-93377%
Motorola Ruth / Flipout leaks again, due in June?
We're still not quite sure to make of this odd little square of a Motorola, but it certainly looks like it's coming our way soon: Italian site Zumo says the Ruth (or Flipout, as we've seen it called) is actually the Moto MB511, and it's due out sometime in June. We're also told that it'll have WiFi, GPS, and a memory card slot, but that's pretty par for the course -- what we're really curious about it how this thing actually works in person. We'll just have to wait and find out.
Blur multiplayer beta slams on the brakes
Ladies and gentlemen ... turn off your engines. Take the keys out of the ignition, and place them calmly on your living room end table. The Blur multiplayer beta has come to a full stop in anticipation of the game's May 25 release. We know you're worried about your sharpened driving skills dulling within the 14-day interim. Might we suggest driving recklessly while shooting devastating power-ups at other cars ... in real life? Sure, that might be physically impossible (not to mention illegal), but that's the price you pay to stay on top of the leaderboard.
Hands-on: Blur (single player)
click to enlarge Bizarre Creations is known for its racing expertise, honed in the great Project Gotham Racing series, and their latest title, Blur, is no exception. The arcade sensibilities of Bizarre's own Geometry Wars and the underrated (I said it!) The Club add a few new colors to the mix, but the driving is as solid as ever -- as you'll know if you've been playing the multiplayer beta. The real key to Blur, though, is the much-discussed social features. Bizarre has more or less perfected console racing over all of its past iterations, and so when we were invited to Activision HQ last week to check out Blur's single-player components, the focus wasn't so much on the how of racing, but the why. %Gallery-92682%
Blur multiplayer beta updated; new trailer races into view
Activision must be in a celebratory mood, as it's just announced over a million drivers have downloaded the Blur multiplayer beta. Remember, you've only got until May 10th at 2am PT to take it for a spin yourself. Before the finished game launches on May 25, the beta will play host to some expanded playlist settings and other changes. Starting now, you'll be able to play with A-Class cars in the standard playlists. The Supercar Racing Playlist also offers two new races, Tokyo and Amboy, and power-up placement has been shuffled to be different in each race. Finally, the amount of fans you can earn for each race has been doubled, placing the illustrious Rank 15 within reach. If you have yet to sample the Blur beta's brand of multiplayer mayhem, check out the brief trailer above or read our impressions.
Blur trailer takes a lap around the world, pulls into the virtual garage
Xbox 360 owners can actually sample Blur's particular brand of chaos right now -- a decision we'd say is "most wise." For the rest of you, the only solace we can offer is via a new trailer, admittedly awesome in its own right due to a high volume of hot whips. From licensed cars to completely fictional autos, it's all covered in the video above. There's even a rundown of the 14 different locations you'll be able to deposit some burnt rubber, if that's what you're after. Check it all out in the video above.
Square Motorola Android slider leaks out, causes consternation
We swear we've seen a Motorola phone that looks like this odd square thing before, but it's also possible we're crazy. Either way, it looks like Moto's working on a new Blur set running Android 2.1, and if you thought screen size and resolution issues differences were a big part of Android fragmentation before, well, you ain't seen nothing yet. Oh, and as for the story that this pic came from a student who borrowed the phone from a friend whose dad works for Moto? We'd be more skeptical, except that's exactly how we've gotten other dead-on Moto leaks. So... yeah. Anyway, a square Moto slider running Blur. Does that do anything for anyone? No? Okay.
Blur multiplayer demo now available on Xbox Live
Are you anxious to take Bizarre's chaotic arcade racer, Blur, out for a spin? The multiplayer demo -- previously exclusive to beta players -- is now accessible to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Pull into the demo section of Marketplace to download the one gigabyte sampler. Blur will launch on May 25 in the U.S. and May 28 in Europe. [Via Major Nelson] Xbox.com: Add Blur Multiplayer Beta demo to your Xbox 360 download queue
Motorola Devour available on Verizon today for $149.99
If the Droid's a little too much phone for you, you like the color silver, or you're just a Blur kind of guy, we've got a fantastic reminder for you: Motorola's Devour for Verizon is available today. Previously a Best Buy exclusive, the phone is hitting the carrier's stores for $149.99 after a $100 rebate on a new two-year contract, but what's interesting is that the rebate is of the mail-in variety if you don't buy it online -- in other words, it's $50 cheaper to buy a Droid online today than it is to buy a Devour in-store. So yeah, basically, you'd better be really sure this is the phone you're looking for -- and don't forget, you're giving up the Droid's glorious 854 x 480 display to get in on this. No pressure!
