ambitious open-world game that could have been a masterpiece, but ...
- release delayed several times for all platforms; PC version released a month later than other platforms (consoles) -- in the end it seems the developer needed 6 or so more months to polish this game
- AI unrestrained by the physics rules applied to the player (vehicles *glued* to the road at any speed and sharp cornering at the full speed is no problem for them; the AI will often pass you with speeds far exceeding the top speed you can achieve in the same vehicle; some races *rigged* - takes luck and many tries to win them, or on the other hand and especially on lower difficulty settings, the AI suddenly slows down while ahead and lets you win). I guess, the developer should heed its own credo when programming the AI and its vehicles catch-up logic: *Try harder ... or fail forever*.
- in general, speeds between 50 and 80 mph look a bit too slow as represented in the game. A slightly floating feel, too. Personally, I'm missing the post-race replay/recording (like in GRID or DiRT) where you can see the race you just finished from different angles.
- only the first place counts for something -- if you don't win, that perfect driving or the 2nd place doesn't count for anything. It would be more interesting to have rewards for the first 3 plus maybe something like the fastest lap, the least damage, etc.
- one funny ... well, to be more precise ... one obscenely absurd move by the developer is to offer a beautiful open-world setting and then indirectly pressure the player into its built-in arcade modality if one wants to make any meaningful progress in the game. While simply driving around in the beautiful environment is pleasant enough, to get new vehicles and open new maps you need to engage in the classic arcade races. Populating the vast *open-world* with some ad-hoc racing events and unlocking all the maps from the start could be the way to go in order to unleash the player from the arcade-feel restrictions.
Other than the above, the game is a great joy to play once you get into it. While the racing events seem somewhat repetitive, the beautiful environment will distract you from that feeling. The game itself runs smooth and Asobo Studio's (the developer) proprietary game engine is no slouch in rendering beautifully its open-world (some people complained about graphics, but I personally found them to be well above average, maybe even going toward excellent). In short:
- GAMEPLAY: 7.5-8/10 -- ... and it could have been a *10* if that vast open world has been put to a better use. Problematic AI that can be observed *cheating* in some instances.
- GRAPHICS/VID: 8.5-9/10 -- this will definitively depend on your graphics card ability to display the highest settings. Initial shaders loading could be excessively long.
- SOUND: 8/10 -- engines' sounds are somewhat overbearing only to be contrasted by the high-quality background music scores. The music themes seem appropriate for the subject matter.
- MULTIPLAYER: Yes (could get laggy easily)
- GAME MECHANICS/INPUT: 6.5-7/10 -- problems with supporting some devices that should be support in a driving game. Other than that the game controls are easily setup/configured to one's liking. Bikes' physics need some additional work.
- VALUE/REPLAYABILITY: 9/10 -- the vast open world, the built-in editor, and the multiplayer should provide a good return on your investment.
In conclusion, FUEL (PC) is a game that is quite playable and enjoyable. By looking at the deployed driving and damage physics, logic, and AI, FUEL is not a SIM by any stretch of imagination. In the *unrealistic but fun* department, the game is closer to Burnout Paradise than to, say, GRID or even DiRT for that matter. Funny, the developer (Asobo Studio) should be rewarded for creating a great open world environment, but at the same time penalized for not making a much better use of it. In the end, this is a fun and enjoyable game that could have been even better if the developer dedicated some additional time and effort to fully deploy its open-world base and re-balance the AI. Overall score: 7.6/10.