So apparently this game is coming out on the 30th and a quick search didn't turn up anything, so let's discuss!
First off, what is Fuel? That's a good question. Let's ask wikerpedia.
Fuel is a racing game currently in development by Asobo Studio, published by Codemasters, due for release in 2009 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360[1]
It is planned to be an open world racing game, set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by global warming, with players experiencing varying weather effects such as tornadoes and sandstorms and a full day-night cycle. The game world is said to be over 5,000 square miles (14,000 km²) in size and be completely free to roam. Developers have said the game will feature no loading times while racing from one point to another. The players get to choose from 70 different vehicles across 6 different classes, Bikes, ATVs, Muscle cars, SUVs, Buggies and Trucks as well as a hovercraft.
Fuel evolved from a game Asobo Studio announced in 2005, called Grand Raid Offroad.
I really dig the premise. We've fucked up our environment so badly that huge storms have destroyed most of civilization. In typical human fashion, instead of changing our ways we use the opportunity to roar around in our souped up monster trucks and dune buggies. When life gives you lemons...
Videos and screens? Sure!
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/49047.htmlhttp://www.gametrailers.com/player/47507.html
From what I've seen so far I am very cautiously optimistic about the game. The ability to place your own checkpoints anywhere should make for some awesome races and the variety of vehicles looks insane. I am digging the style as well.
A few things are bothering me though. Graphically the game doesn't look too polished. The weather effects look very good, but the vehicles themselves don't seem that detailed. It's hard to tell from the trailers but they don't seem to have too much damage modeling either. Again it's tough to say judging by the trailers but the framerate seems less than stellar in places. The music is also pretty terrible but then again so was Burnout paradise's aside from the title track.
I am predicting it will be mediocre at worst and very good at best. I'm probably going to buy it regardless and play the shit out of it as I did with Flatout 2.
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Looks like its races/ speed trials- maybe like their structure for DIRT?
Been waiting for it since it was first announced.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
As you might have noticed, it's more of a codemasters thing. Dirt, grid, fuel, etc. :P
I see this being like Flatout in that it will probably be dismissed by a lot of people as a poor man's Motorstorm knockoff, which may be partially true but it's also pretty unique and might be a lot of fun. Any game where you can race a monster truck against a hovercraft deserves a chance in my book.
A new video went up yesterday with some behind the scenes interviews as well as a lot of landscape footage. Looking pretty awesome so far.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/49597.html
Still looks neat, I'll prob rent but maybe buy, I do need a new racer
I'm there.
I'm curious to see how the online will be set up. I hope it's something like burnout paradise, though it will probably be limited to certain zones. It would suck to have everyone driving around aimlessly trying to get to each other in such a big game world.
I recall hearing that in an MP race you all have to pick the same class of vehicle, which sucks so I hope it isn't true.
Yeah, good on you guys, you store the entire game as a greyscale heightmap which you generated from publicly available sources. No one's ever done that before!
I'm kinda wary on the game, but I'll buy it if the reviews are good.
Edit: I like the theme song, cause of the contrast between it and the wasteland.
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I laughed at that part. "If we'd created it conventionally it would have taken 5 up Blu-Rays!" I can't help but think the 5 years they spent "developing" this new technology might have been better spent polishing the game in other ways.
e: Jesus I just saw that this game is coming out on the 26th in the US, 3rd in AU and 4th in UK... How did I not see this game for so long!? I barely have to wait at all to get it woooo
They were smart and kept it under wraps till just a few months ago.
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Here's an IGN Preview that I found to be pretty good reading.
I also read that races and such are limited to one class of vehicle, as opposed to Motorstorm which has stacks. But I actually think this is a good choice, with Motorstorm just about every vehicle, given enough player skill, can win any race because different routes favour different vehicles. But in a game where you can start and end a race anywhere for up to 150km in length, that just wouldn't be possible and the balance would be thrown out the window.
If this game feels and looks similar to MPR, its just shot to the top of my Most Wanted list in a HUGE way.
Just excited that you're able to upload your unique races (I'm thinking checkpoint style) with significantly more depth than what Paradise managed.
I think I need to bring out my keyboard dust-protector to stop all the drool from damaging it.
Not that I put too much stock in the numbers anyway. Most of what IGN disliked about it I was already aware of. A huge world without much incentive to explore, some annoying AI and the sound isn't great. I'm still going to buy it since I am so hard up for an arcadey off-road racer at the moment. Shame that it didn't live up to it's potential though.
My concern is it doesn't seem to have much of a damage model. I was under the impression that was required behavior these days, but none of the trailers are showing much smashing going on.
Why even bother having different vehicles in the same class then? I've also read that the surrounding environment is notoriously indestructable (shrubs stopping monster trucks, for example).
Think I'll hire it first but I'm not holding my breath anymore...
I tried driving to the top of Rainier peak just to barrel down it. In the 30-odd minutes it took me to drive up I imagined getting to the top and slowly edging over the other side and desperately slamming the brakes as my buggy accelerated down the mountain at 200+mph, slowly disintegrating the whole way down. I was sorely disappointed when I found that my buggy can still only go 94mph even when it's careening down the side of a several-thousand-foot-high peak on a 45% slope.
I would honestly have a lot more fun with this game if it just had realistic physics, one truck and zero race modes. I would just drive around and explore (and hopefully achieve my goal of breaking the sound barrier on the decent from Rainier summit).