This is the first time Blur has had an event like this, so make the most of it. It might not happen till next Halloween given how important Halloween is to Bizarre Creations (take a look at their logo).

You can also battle online with up to 20 live players in one race which is awesome fun. Hope you see you all online this weekend then.

Blur is out now for PlaySation 3 and Xbox 360.

Several hours later we were still playing it, which for a driving game is a very good sign. So why were we still playing it? Well it’s simple, fun and quick to play. You don’t wait around ages looking for a match, the power-up icons are easy to see and use and you’re straight back in the game when you crash or get wrecked (i.e. your car takes too much damage). It makes the racing interesting from start to finish.

Also its easier to play than WipEout HD, so Weefz enjoyed playing it. Given all the races are over either 2 or 3 laps in the beta, you can swap quickly between people, if there is more than one of you. You don’t have to suffer 10 minute races. Also given Blur is essentially Mario Kart crossed with Project Gotham, it’s spectacular to watch all the power-ups causing mayhem.

Blur is also the most accessible game that I have played from Bizarre Creations. They have taken all the game mechanics from their Project Gotham racing games, like Kudos points for driving “with style” and made them, well, just more fun. You now earn fans during races when you use power-ups, inflict damage on other cars and drive with style. But since the focus of this game is arcade action, you don’t lose fans for crashing into walls, or not taking the perfect racing line. As a result Blur is a more enjoyable game.

My only criticism of the beta is that it only contains 6 tracks. These are:

• Barcelona Gracia “Passeig de Gracia”
• Docks “Pacific Reach”
• Amboy “Badlands Traverse”
• Tokyo Shutoko “Wangan-sen”
• Amboy “Devil’s Dip”
• LA Downtown “Downtown Loop”

So after a few hours, I did crave a bit more track variety. Although I did learn these tracks inside out, which meant I made full use of all the short cuts. And also this is just a beta and we are promised more tracks in the finished game. After playing this beta I’m certainly looking forward to playing the full game in May 2010.

And finally, I have a code to give away for the Blur multiplayer beta to the best comment on this post. So make sure you enter a valid email address and then I’ll send you the code to enter on http://www.blurgame.com/beta.

Update 14th March 2010: The code has now gone to the lucky reader – Lcom :-) Enjoy the beta.

Blur is released on the 25th May 2010 on PS3, PC and Xbox 360.

Whilst the demo was fun whilst it lasted, I’m just not enough of a high score Nazi to want to buy it. I appreciate what Bizarre are trying to do and bring the whole style of killing as something else to try and perfect. Whilst this does add quite of bit of extra spice to running down a corridor and shooting people it does get a little dull after a while. When it comes down to it, I like to play and complete games, rather than to just obsess over high scores. Mostly.

Like all the Project Gotham Racing games, The Club will probably keep you happy for a while before you just can’t be arsed any more.

The Club will be released on 8th Feb 08 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360