News Activision looks to sell Bizarre Creations

Metropolis Street Racer > PGR

 

I loved the first two PGR games... it kind of went downhill from there though.

 

I got The Club in a SEGA bundle in a STEAM sale during the summer, still not bothered to install it, looks a bit consoley for my liking.

 

You are not alone

 

Wait, Flatout was also made by these guys? Our LAN group equally plays it to death each time we sit down together. Flatmobiles vs Schoolbusses cracks up the room every time!

I also played Blur and S/S at our last LAN. Blur was really discared fast, because you just don't get the destruction tht either Flatout or S/S gives you

I hope they get bought by somebody that lets them develop something good again. It really makes a lot of sense that Blur was made under the watchful eye of Activision execs: it's all so safe. Nothing about the game is a gamble or difficult or complicated or punishing, the artstyle is slick but forgettable, gameplay is of the "jump right in"-variant and doesn't really gain any depth after 4 races.

 

Blur and S/S went on sale at the same time, and S/S was the better game.

But in an astonishingly stupid 'marketing' move, Disney made it *only* available on Direct2Drive, AND priced it at 39.95 (and still is available today, at this price!), more or less bury it.

I think heads will (should) roll at Disney for that one!

 

Being owned by Activison is not exactly something to shout about. With any luck, being rid of that awful company will allow them to grow.

 

+1

 

Rushing the developers is exactly what happened. Multiplayer Networking on Blur (all platforms) suffered from connectivity problems for months after it's release.

BLUR:
- 60 fps
- Licensed real automobile models
- Each car's handling characteristics are similar to real car.
- Vibrant colors
- Sound F/X are excellent!
- Multiplay allows up to 20 people (best played with 10, so you can enjoy racing aspect too)
- Cars require good skills to gain lap time.
- Weaponry: "Power-ups" offer temporary protection, Nitrous boosts in speed, offensive and defensive weapons. "Power-ups" are placed in stationary positions throughout the track and can be re-used, similar to Mario kart. "Power-ups" add strategy to the game play. If you used properly, they can give you advantage over better drivers or protect your position.


Split / Second
- 30 fps
- Fictional automobile models
- Cool cinematic effects like road disintegrating before your car, silos collapsing and dodging 747 as it's land on Runway!
- Multi-play is limited to 8 people
- Cars are easier than blur to drive, very stable at high speeds.
- Weaponry: You trigger "Power-plays" which are traps and explosives on the track. Don't require much strategy.

Neither game is like a Forza, NFS or GT series, it's a mute point to even try comparing them. The biggest difference I noticed is that Split/Second is much easier for controlling the car than blur. Split/Second's graphics are more realistic while blur looks like a Pixar animated movie. Each has little nuances that the other doesn't which will make the two games be debated forever.

btw, Check out my BLUR ZR1 Corvette PC project

 

as post above stated, Split/Second is only 30fps, biggest drawback of that game considering we're on PC platform

 

NFS Hot Pursuit is quite similar to Blur, with the exotic cars and weapons. Therefore, the fundamentals of the racing genre haven't changed that significantly.