If you’re a fan of racing games and you were playing them back in the Xbox 360 days around 2010, you’ll probably remember the so-called battle between Blur and Split/Second. Both of these fantastic racers were released around the same time, and both of them ultimately never got as much appreciation as they deserved following their launches.’Blur’ Is An Xbox 360 Classic That Deserves Backwards Compatibility
Split/Second was always my game – I got hooked on it following its Xbox 360 online multiplayer demo, and I’m really grateful that it’s still playable on modern consoles today thanks to backwards compatibility. Blur suffered a worse fate however, as the 360 remains the only Xbox console on which it’s playable, and that’s a real shame.
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I’m about 14 years too late, but I picked up a copy of Blur the other week – and although it’s still early days, I can absolutely see why this is considered a cult classic. The game looks like a more realistic version of Mario Kart in many ways, with power-ups scattered all over the track that can be used to give you a boost or attack other racers. It doesn’t feel that realistic though… above all else, this is just a game that prioritises high-speed thrills and carnage.
The campaign is split into various sections that each come with their own boss-style encounters, with the race types mixed between things like standard races, time trials and destruction stages where attacking the AI is your goal. The latter can be a lot of fun, but ultimately all of the stages are great, and there are plenty of them to keep you busy.
What really makes Blur an Xbox 360 classic is that it handles so well. It comes as no surprise considering the developer was Bizarre Creations, known for the Project Gotham Racing series amongst other things. This is a company that ended up closing in February of 2011, with Blur (and James Bond 007: Blood Stone) being their swansong.
And again, that’s another reason why it’s such a shame that modern Xbox fans are missing out on what Blur has to offer. The problem is, of course, that Xbox hasn’t added anything to the backwards compatibility program in years now, and Blur was always an unlikely candidate due to its licensed soundtrack and array of licensed vehicles. We’ve seen games like Forza Horizon and Motorsport getting delisted due to licensing issues, so it’s no surprise here.
If you’ve still got an Xbox 360 lying around though and you haven’t played it this yet, it’s worth keeping an eye out for a physical copy. Admittedly it’s still early days for me, but I’m definitely not regretting my purchase so far, and who knows – maybe a few of us could join up for an online game at some point! After all, the servers are still live…
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