Review: Blur
- Thread starter Steve Butts
- Start date
Finally, an Escapist review I can easily and fully disagree with.
I don't think the game is forgettable and I sure as hell don't see any flaws in the multiplayer integration.
I don't think the game is forgettable and I sure as hell don't see any flaws in the multiplayer integration.
Ya probably but seeing as none of them are on the wii it wasn't really the intention.addeB said:
Split/second, blur, and even modnation. Man it used to be fairly easy to choose which non mario kart racing crashing game you wanted to get. Speaking of which. Where's twisted metal? Offroad thunder? Burnout? You'd think they'd be in on this little craze.
Also, the power-ups are laid out on the track so the guy in last place doesn't get preferential treatment in terms of power-ups.Kermi said:
You're contradicting yourself. First you say that you should take reviews as advice and try the game yourself, then you say that reviewers gave Red Dead Redemption 9s and 10s, but you won't touch it because it's boring and dull, but you haven't tried it, so how could you know?Hileict said:
I've played it, only for a short time and it felt...fun!
Isn't that the most important part of games?
It's certainly no driving sim, and it's no Burnout, in terms of car combat, but the weapons are fun without being unfair, and if you play cleverly, you can hold some powerups back for defence, for instance the 'Barge' which sends a small shockwave out in all directions, pushing other cars away, can be used when you see the 'red shell' equivalent looming large in your rear view to knock it away. Mines can be shot away from in front of you, etc.
I agree the drifting element is rather weak however, but I felt I had some good battles to get 1st place at times, with my main problem being once you get first it seems very easy to keep it, and not very interesting as there's no-one to blow up with stuff! This in turn means you're not earning points or the checkmarks needed to unlock later things.
For all you achievement whores out there tho, it's an almost constant flow of 'ding - 5 shunts, grats' 'ding - you shielded yourself against 10 mines' 'ding - you've healed 500 damage' etc, and they actually mean something, as the leader of each league won't even challenge you until you've proved yourself by meeting his/her bullet points of showing off.
Also, if you liked PGR, it's got a similar kudos system, which is a nice addition.
Isn't that the most important part of games?
It's certainly no driving sim, and it's no Burnout, in terms of car combat, but the weapons are fun without being unfair, and if you play cleverly, you can hold some powerups back for defence, for instance the 'Barge' which sends a small shockwave out in all directions, pushing other cars away, can be used when you see the 'red shell' equivalent looming large in your rear view to knock it away. Mines can be shot away from in front of you, etc.
I agree the drifting element is rather weak however, but I felt I had some good battles to get 1st place at times, with my main problem being once you get first it seems very easy to keep it, and not very interesting as there's no-one to blow up with stuff! This in turn means you're not earning points or the checkmarks needed to unlock later things.
For all you achievement whores out there tho, it's an almost constant flow of 'ding - 5 shunts, grats' 'ding - you shielded yourself against 10 mines' 'ding - you've healed 500 damage' etc, and they actually mean something, as the leader of each league won't even challenge you until you've proved yourself by meeting his/her bullet points of showing off.
Also, if you liked PGR, it's got a similar kudos system, which is a nice addition.
Ya blur is far superior then that action cinematic game called Split/Second. It's like your the producer and just take the same shots over and over again, once the satisfaction of blowing shit up passes and it will pass fast, it's over.VulakAerr said:
Thanks for the comments. This is my first review for The Escapist, but I've been reviewing games professionally for nearly twelve years now. I've always felt that the purpose of a review is not to tell you what you should think of a game, but merely to tell you what I think of it. If I do that job well enough, my opinion can help to tell you whether you'll like a game more or less than I did. As always, disagreement is a crucial part of the process.
My interpretation of the difference between a 2-star and 3-star game is simply this: A 3-star game is fun but has some bad qualities. A 2-star game isn't fun but has some good qualities. Sadly, the video game market has adopted a hit-driven mentality that sees moderate successes as failures. This cynical belief that "good" isn't "good enough" keeps us from honestly appreciating the variety of games that exist between the extremes of perfection and disaster.
My interpretation of the difference between a 2-star and 3-star game is simply this: A 3-star game is fun but has some bad qualities. A 2-star game isn't fun but has some good qualities. Sadly, the video game market has adopted a hit-driven mentality that sees moderate successes as failures. This cynical belief that "good" isn't "good enough" keeps us from honestly appreciating the variety of games that exist between the extremes of perfection and disaster.
Steve, I don't think anybody has a problem with the review itself. It was fair (though I do wonder if the lower-than-expected rating could just be down to a case of "not your cup of tea") and well-written. The view in it, though different from my own and some others, were well-structured and explained. I don't think right-minded people have a problem with that as I'm sure your years of experience should be able to tell you.
You also raise a good point with regards to the star-rating system. For all its flaws, I do rather like a percentage system. It's more granular. I, personally, would probably give Blur somewhere between 80% and 85%. You're right in that it doesn't set the world alight, but it does what it aims to do, very well.
Anyway, I hope to see more reviews from you in future. Thanks for sharing it with us.
You also raise a good point with regards to the star-rating system. For all its flaws, I do rather like a percentage system. It's more granular. I, personally, would probably give Blur somewhere between 80% and 85%. You're right in that it doesn't set the world alight, but it does what it aims to do, very well.
Anyway, I hope to see more reviews from you in future. Thanks for sharing it with us.
No, you obviously misunderstood. I said that I often take no interest in what a reviewer rates the game. If I personally look at it and don't like what I see, then I'm not going to let a review decide what is and isn't a good game. I also saw enough of RDR to know that missions involving hideously long distance on a horse, checking out a fucking barn as the first mission, and not even doing anything remotely fun.. Why should a review change my mind at all?Elec0 said:
First five hours of Red Dead Redemption;
-Sat on a train listening to people talk about shit I don't care about.
-Looked at a barn, as part of a mission.
-Shot some rabbits and coyotes. Again, a mission.
-Got incredibly bored and went off to explore the world.
-Found out I could do shit-all out there, so I came back.
-Got on a horse and ran around in a giant circle, as the Mission God commanded me to do so.
-Went to the local store to get some medicine. Mission.
-Walked really motherfucking slow behind some cows. Mission..
-Threw some rope at random objects and a horse. Mission.
-To really spice things up, I had to throw rope at cows next.
-Ditched the missions, ran out into the world and found absolutely nothing to do.
-Nothing to do that was exciting anyway.
But anyway, this is about Blur. I don't quite see the point in the single-player other than "training" for multiplayer. The multiplayer is damn fun. You gain fans even when you DON'T win. The races are always insanely hectic. Split/Second, however.. It's purdy and has a load of things blowing up, but.. It's mainly drifting.. It's a shinier Burnout 3: Takedown..
Wow. Thanks! I joined last week as managing editor.SimuLord said:
It's nice to finally meet my fan!