Blur

This fast and exciting racer continually finds a way to keep you circling around for another lap.

Blur reveals itself as a skillful hybrid between street racer and fun racer, which accordingly fills quite a special niche. Whether as a successful alternative to the cartoonish representatives or as a 'bait' to lure street racer fans into the party. The combination works and also makes a lot of fun.

Of course, there are still similar experiences being put out today, with probably the most notable high-profile one being the Forza Horizon series — though the feel of open-world racers like that will always be notably different from the more structured gameplay of classics like Blur. Likewise, the indie sphere has also been exploring the arcade racer genre for a while now — though most tend to focus a little more on its “vanishing point” heyday in the 16-bit era rather than provide experiences similar to Blur. In other words, there really is nothing quite like Blur out there in 2022.

Blur is certainly an expansive title, and the more you play it, the more you get lost in it. I expected a lot from Bizarre Creations, considering the Project Gotham Racing series is considered to be one of the best automotive franchises of the past. However, in many ways Blur surpasses its predecessor, both in terms of scope and in accessibility. Blur's mix of strategy-based power-ups, load-out menus, and largely varied challenges really make this game a must for all automotive fans. In a genre this oversaturated, it is good to know that there is still some innovation left. Though Blur borrows some of its biggest ideas from pre-existing games, it blends them together in a way that feels completely natural. It may sound clichéd, but Blur is a title that is easy to pick up but hard to put down, and it is a must-buy for all automotive fans.