Blur Beta Invite Codes from PLAY READ WRITE

I've gotten three (3) Blur Beta Invite codes to share, and of course I'm going to use them in order to up my readership here at PLAY READ WRITE!

If you'd like an invite to the Blur Multiplayer Beta on Xbox Live, all you have to do is a) send me a friend request and b) send me a message asking for a beta invite. If you're already my friend on Live, just send me a message asking me for the beta invite. I'll send you a beta code, which also comes with a free 48 hour Live code, so Silver members can message me as well.

Pretty easy right? I've got three, and they'll go to the three people I receive FRs and messages from first, so long as you aren't the scum that usually plagues my Live account with offers of 10th prestige lobbies and the like.

Remember, my gamertag is coolyfooly88. Comment on this post if you'd like to discuss the Blur Beta or to say thanks to PLAY READ WRITE, or to just brag to others that you've already gotten a code from me. Hopefully, we can play a little bit of the beta together.

Blur Multiplayer Beta Impressions

I tried a little bit of Blur last night and had a good time racing around and firing off Mario Kart style attacks at opponents.

The Blur Beta is multiplayer only and is only available on the Xbox 360, but a host of unlockables, cars, tracks, and modes is available. The trick, obviously borrowed from that other Activision-published-multiplayer-focused title, is that nearly all of the modes, cars, and bonus powers need to be unlocked. When I first booted up the game, only multiplayer was available. Two different modes were unlocked, with more modes available after leveling up. I jumped into the first mode and completed a handful of races, leveling up to Level 4, unlocking 3 different cars across four different classes. Cars are rated across 3 different attributes, including grip and speed.

Obviously, the "thing" Blur does to differentiate itself from other racers, and maintain a level of balance in multiplayer races, is an item system a la Mario Kart. There are three shot pick ups that fire straight, one shot seekers, mines to drop behind you, boosters, essentially everything you might find in the form of shells, bananas and mushrooms. These work rather well, and everyone gets three pick up spots they can switch through to use strategically throughout the race. I was kind of hoping for some slightly different power ups, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Blur's weapon system is one big pat on the back to Mario's kart racer.

Obviously, Blur is not a Forza or Gran Turismo, and it controls that way to match. There's some light drifting to do, and that'll score you more "fans" as well as winning the race, stringing together weapon combos, and overall achievements throughout the race. "Fans" act as Blur's XP and the more you earn the more you'll level.

I guess I kind of feel like Blur is a study in the kind of carrot on a stick gamers are being treated to a lot these days. Take a racing game, add a neat visual design and aesthetic, a leveling system, some perks, and weapons to balance against more experienced racers and you have the kind of cookie cutter gameplay that has gamers on a leash anymore. I don't mean to imply that I didn't have any fun.

I won my first three races and placed second in my fourth, got an easy grip on the genealogy racing controls and switched weapons on the fly to create some deveststing combos. Blur is fun, don't get me wrong, but I hate that this is the kind of gameplay Activision really wants to shove down our throats in every title they publish. I've been playing a lot of XBLA games and you don't need this teasing, leveling, multiplayer focused gameplay to really sell a game. You might need the corporate money and marketing, but Darwinia+ and Greed Corp are great games that don't go down this path of turning gamers into suckling pigs.

I guess this has turned into a slightly uglier post than it originally started as, but playing Blur really pits my gaming heart against what I consider corporate pyschological greed. There's this burgeoning aspect of games that are specifically tailored to keep gamers hooked in and Blur seems like a study in that design. Forgive the Activison hate, it's so cliche anymore....

I've Got This Blur Beta Invite

Blur Beta invites went out yesterday, and I received mine in my inbox. Yes, somewhere in that picture is a code for redemption of the Blur Beta download on Xbox Live.

I went ahead and entered the code, but I've yet to spend any time in the beta. Call me wary, but the last beta I went into I had extremely high hopes for, and ended up very disappointed. Of course, Blur happens to be the opposite. I have no expectations, I have no interest in the game, but I never really let go of an opportunity to write impressions of a game early, specifically for PLAY READ WRITE.

Is there anyone out there reading PLAY READ WRITE who has specific questions about Blur and the overall multiplayer experience the racing game presents? I'd love to come back with specific answers.

If not, I'll still post some general impressions about the gameplay and let readers know what I think about the game. At E3 last year, there was a lot of talk about Blur, but I never got any hands on time with the game. Instead, I managed to play a little bit of Split/Second which I'm still fairly interested in.

Anyways, I'll report back with details as soon as I have some to write up.