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Blur fades into 2010

Activision and Bizarre Creations' Mario Kart-meets-PGR racer bumped to next year due to online multiplayer concerns.

Publishers have offered a slew of reasons for why their games have been bumped from the back half of 2009 to an indeterminate 2010. Today, Activision announced the most straightforward of those reasons, saying that Bizarre Creations would not be making its anticipated November 3 release date, as it simply isn't quite done yet. Instead, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC editions of the game are now expected in 2010.

Imagine that: a blurry release date.

Imagine that: a blurry release date.

Specifically, Activision noted that the additional development time will be channeled into Blur's online multiplayer component. As noted in GameSpot's first look at the racer, Blur's multiplayer will allow up to 20 cars to compete online in the game's Mario Kart-meets-Project Gotham Racing-style driving. Online racers will be offered a variety of ways to customize their matches, and the game will also accommodate four-player local split-screen racing.

Blur is Bizarre Creations' first racer since being purchased by Activision in 2007. The game features more than 50 licensed cars, as well as a variety of real-world locales, such as Barcelona, Spain, and San Francisco, California.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Blur.

83 Comments

  • DennisMenace

    Posted Dec 21, 2009 3:36 pm GMT

    And no. i dont believe in santa

  • DennisMenace

    Posted Dec 21, 2009 3:31 pm GMT

    crap. thats another thing off of my christmas list

  • DEATH775

    Posted Oct 30, 2009 9:50 am GMT

    I hope this is going to be great game.

  • gnrlstuart

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 3:39 pm GMT

    hmm, pgr 5 would have been better, blur seems like a step back if anything, looks more like a 1600msp game rather than a $60 one.

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:15 pm GMT

    No surprise for this one. Already got some great racers this Fall and with Forza 3 coming out late October, there is no hope for any other racer.

  • cf_Kage

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:07 pm GMT

    Maybe its called Blur, due to the fact that it throws together quite a few concepts?

    I'll give it a go anyway, as I love arcade style racers. Simulation has its merits, but you do tend to get rather bored of simulation games a lot quicker than a good arcade varient.

    I don't mind the release date change though. For one thing, it gives them more time to fix any problems/add new things, and 2) it allows them better sales, since a lot of racing games are coming this year that may have hampered them gaining good ground

  • Qirexian

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 11:16 am GMT

    This game has unfortunately been stuck in the middle of too many wrong concepts.

    First of all, it has been described as "Mario Kart meets Racing Games", a characterization that has probably filled everyone's minds with thrown banana peels and turtle shells. Sure, the main concept is practically the same: you race and you can blast your opponents. Then, would any one of us really describe Wipeout as a "futuristic Mario Kart"...?

    The way I see it Bizarre has gone the right way with this. There's not much place there for pure racers today and even excellent racing games, both arcade and sims are bound to look pale in front of the "big boys" known as Forza and Gran Turismo. Their concept isn't original at all, but I know better than to think this is reason enough to condemn a game well before it comes out.

    And as far as the choice to postpone this, these are my thoughts: We live in an era that downloadable patches are available for consoles and gamers are more worried than ever that developers are likely to "lightheartedly" throw out unfinished games, just by knowing that they can fix them later.. This is definitely a move that shows the decency behind Bizarre.

  • great_rulo

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 10:57 am GMT

    I thought that idea was fun in Wipeout, but actual real cars with power-ups make it look like a pathetic attempt of "Half naked pretty women with big weapons!", i was expecting more blur, too.

  • chrisser665

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 10:53 am GMT

    Heh. I like the picture caption. I hate it, but I like it too.

  • skbatti

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 9:55 am GMT

    dirt 2.

  • Bufta

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 9:41 am GMT

    Did no one tell Bizarre creations that car/gun games are rubbish, im thinking Full auto and twisted metal here.

  • DFen

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 9:11 am GMT

    heh who cares, what are we missing from this game anyway lol

  • q64silver

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:50 am GMT

    good decision. just look at NFS Shift - it's unfinished thanks to EA politics

  • Kengonin

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:45 am GMT

    The developer said "Being first place is boring, I want to be in the middle of the pack all the way through the race"

    Yeah, cuz there is nothing better than leading the whole race, then at the final stretch someone shoots you in the ass, or nitroes past you.

    Seriously Mario Kart meeting anything sounds like a bad idea to me. Nothing against Mario Kart, but let's leave it at Mario Kart.

    Also this whole concept of a racing game with powerups, this is nothing new or original, it's done a couple of times every year. It just makes Blur look more generic, and unoriginal, hell the game looks just plain boring to me.

  • datniccah187

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:06 am GMT

    I was kind of lookings forward to Blur, but then again who am i really kidding. Once i get my hands on forza 3 i'm going to be all set on racing games lol

  • duffmanth

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 7:46 am GMT

    Another $20 bargain bin game.

  • gandalf_storm

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 7:45 am GMT

    i dont think anyone really cares to be honest, we have enough amazing racing games this year, forza 3 and hopefully GT 5 (if it comes out this year) to name a few. (lol @ duff)

  • gnrlstuart

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 6:52 am GMT

    and the fact it has been completely unadvertised, so much that nobody exept hardcore racing fans know, or even care, im looking forward to this, but its no wonder the game is being overshadowed by forza 3 and nfs shift.

  • StSk8ter29

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 6:21 am GMT

    I like the artistic style with all the neon lights, the only problem is I can see the concept becoming extremely annoying online. In my opinion they are going to have to add more variants in their environments and not be afraid to get a little crazy. Think Crusin' Exotica style tracks. Otherwise I think the powerup concept wont sustain the game on its own.

  • Deftone21

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 6:05 am GMT

    Why don't we give this Blur racing game a shot and stop creating shattering prophecies about how the gameplay, graphics and whatnot is going to suck because of..well, Kotick ? Damn..IT IS going to suck.

  • beel-kun

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:43 am GMT

    I have no Hopes on this one.
    Rubbish!!!

  • bigcrusha

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:40 am GMT

    I wont lie, this game looks outrageously awesome, looks very promising!

  • 19Gam3NErD91

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:38 am GMT

    the graphics didn't look good enough so they better fix that too if they ever fix anything

  • UnreaLuigi

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 3:20 am GMT

    nothin real interestin about this game anywayz

  • jgartland

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:13 am GMT

    Because its Bizarre Creations I have confidence in this game. Looking at the competition, its probably a good idea that they chose to do a fun mario kart esque racing game as all the other racing games at the moment are catering to the realistic/simulation genre (forza, shift, GT5), this could very well fit nicely into that gap in the market and the gap in my games collection!

  • zzzonked

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 12:54 am GMT

    Looks pretty slick and also reminds me of Fatal Racing!

  • lilan

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 12:49 am GMT

    exactly too many games so little time to play them...

  • ALTAIR360

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 12:22 am GMT

    ofcourse its delayed because of forza 3, nfs shift and all the other racing games coming out lately

  • sj_nehama

    Posted Sep 22, 2009 12:18 am GMT

    Now all these games bumped to 2010 will go to 2011 as 2010 is already crowded with loads of heavyweights...thats why this hasnt got a date

  • amkalfus

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:36 pm GMT

    hope this game is sick and doesn't become lost in the many many games of early 2010... what, like people are gonna have a bunch of money to blow after the holiday season??? stupid game companies...

  • jimy1475

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:30 pm GMT

    hope it wont be a fail when people will hawe to wait long

  • Bufta

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:18 pm GMT

    Activision game Blur, has been put out out of the way to let Cod mw2 shine in all its overpriced glory. Which i still wont buy, if they want to rip off the consumer theyll have to find some other chump to do it to.

  • Tunza

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:11 pm GMT

    Damn ! 2010 ?
    I hope this delayed will make the game better in both single and multi player.
    And some how. is it just me or anyone else ?
    I kind of like them to make more "Power Up" item.
    5 is kind of too less ?
    may be 8 will better ?

  • oneofthefall

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 10:28 pm GMT

    I coudnt care less about multiplayer, as long as the single player is good and long and theres a cockpit view, lots of explosions, nice graphics.. id be happy to buy this. everything sounds good heres hoping for early two10 release!

  • Atari_7200 posted Sep 21, 2009 9:56 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Atari_7200

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 9:56 pm GMT (hide)

    What is this "racing genre" you speak of? Is it like Halo 3!?

  • sonictank

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 9:39 pm GMT

    thats not such a bad thing multiplayer is a big concern to those who like achivements or what not

  • Darkon_X

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 9:37 pm GMT

    Meh not too excited about blur, it could've come out yesterday and I wouldn't have cared.

    Come back when they make something more like PGR, not "Mario Kart meets CoD".

  • Frame_Dragger

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 9:21 pm GMT

    Wow, a delay in a driving game I care nothing about. I'm all a'tingle. Way to scoop that story.

  • shadoxnova

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 9:10 pm GMT

    Dang. Well the good thing is that is one thing no longer on the list to realse in November...

  • SDBusDriver1979

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 8:32 pm GMT

    running out of headline titles huh?

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 6:38 pm GMT

    running out of game ideas huh?

  • lostro98

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 5:16 pm GMT

    here is my race playing Chronology
    ps2- GT series 1-4 - 1998-mid2005

    xbox- Rallisport Challenge 2 - 2004, Forza Motorsport 1 - 2005

    xbox360- Forza 1, PGR3 - 2005, Test Drive Unlimited - 2006, Forza 2- 2007, Dirt 1 - 2007, Midnight Club LA- 2008, Racepro 2009

    also i would even consider GTA4 racing lol

    next Forza 3 will be on the list

  • NuKkU

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 4:51 pm GMT

    smart move considering stiff competation with Forza and new NFS and even Dirt

  • enragedrenegade

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 4:24 pm GMT

    At least they're trying to improve the online features before they release it so that it doesn't cause a crisis when people start playing online

  • WTFitsPauL

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:44 pm GMT

    Quote:Activision and Bizarre Creations' Mario Kart-meets-PGR

    PGR? uhh.. Parental Guidance Relied? LOL

  • D3A7HJ0K3R posted Sep 21, 2009 3:43 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    D3A7HJ0K3R

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:43 pm GMT (hide)

    probably did it since Modern Warfare 2 is coming out the same month. MW2 got the rest of the year on LOCKDOWN. Nothing will be able to even compete with it.

  • D3A7HJ0K3R posted Sep 21, 2009 3:41 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    D3A7HJ0K3R

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:41 pm GMT (hide)

    Game doesn't look all too great, but I can't play any game anyways. (football practice till 6:00 frickin suks!!!!)

  • robfield

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:36 pm GMT

    Blur needed this. There is no way GT5 and the other racing games would make way for a new IP

  • Zloth2

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:36 pm GMT

    Yeah - and due to concerns that not enough of you will have the money to buy it.

  • red-ray

    Posted Sep 21, 2009 3:30 pm GMT

    disappointed, sounds like I have to stick to Burn out for now

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