Demo available today

[spaceboy]

From: http://www.gamershell.com/news_79838.html

Open world racer FUEL demo available today for PC and online enabled versions from PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE Marketplace
Codemasters today released a playable demo of FUEL, the latest game developed by Asobo Studios and now available for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The FUEL demo enables players to take on the Ocean Rush career event, where 7 racers pick their own paths through treacherous landscapes and short-cuts are key to taking the chequered flag. Gamers can also take on Blitz – a wild, high-pressure challenge where players must race against the clock to reach the next checkpoint before time runs out. Gamers who download the console versions can also play online for a limited period of 2 weeks from release, experiencing up to 16 player free ride in a limited area of the Tsunami Reef zone or challenging up to 6 other players in the Ocean Rush career race.

[JRD]

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[spaceboy]

hahaha, glad to make you happy JRD.  I hope the demo shows off some quality parts of the game.  I think it said you have some online free roam to get a taste of that along with the races you can participate in.

[Art Blade]

:)

have fun, JRD :)

[JRD]

At home, FUEL demo installed and roaming  8)

Tsunami Reef is the place. Did some free roaming to feel controls and it all went ok. Even playing with the keyboard the vehicles responds fine, had to re-map some controls to be more confortable though. Its an all-or-nothing command, but somehow a keystroke is capable of producing a smooth driving.

Went north via the long route I created on the fly with my dirt bike ;) . Night was falling and I had the chance to see the amazing colors in FUEL... great view  :-X

Reached a destination and did a blitz race (fom what I remember, that is)... thanks to the smart GPS I managed to find my way through the landscape, but didn't finished yet... found out the tracks are the best way to keep up with speed  :-[

Thanks spaceboy for the link... more later  :-X

=====Edit=====

Just finished Ocean View (think that's the name) checkpoint race on expert... took me 3 attempts, but after memorizing a couple of tricky parts and shortcuts I got 1st place 15 secs ahead 2nd place...... pretty easy.  ;D.
No weather FX so far... just lights...   :(
Racing seems pretty much funny, nothing to wory about but the other guys.
No manual shifting (I don't care) and no damage... which can be good as you don't loose efficiency / performance it damage isn't just the looks, or bad if you want crashes to look somewhat realistic. I don't care... only when I hit a tree and nothing happens but slow me down, but that's ok  ;)

[Fiach]

Thanks for the heads up, will d/l tomorrow, Fuel is getting pretty bad reviews here 5-6/10 on the 360, so I have been quite hesitant to buy.

Thanks again.

[JRD]

I read some bad reviews as well
gamespot.com gave it a 6/10... just to compare racing titles, Dirt got 8,3/10 and Burnout Paradise 9/10  :D

Never played any of those... actually, I don't play a racing game since GT1 on PS2  ::) , but what I think that makes FUEL so special is the truly open-worldness.... there are not enclosed roads or tracks, you can find your own route... the shortest one isn't necessarily the fastest though, but you are really free to explore and try new ways...
Maybe bad reviews are due to lack of vehicle damage or different racing modes like stunt mode or marked man or whatever... I don't care... it's a huge world to explore and boy, does it look good or what?  ;)

[spaceboy]

Fiach, hopefully the demo gives you a good feeling.  If you want the best racing sim, this isn't it.  If you want a great driving/racing/exploring game that's got 5,000 sq. miles to do it in....this is it.

I've spent as much time just driving and checking stuff out as racing.  It's hard to explain but honestly the reviews have only told half of the story in my opinion.

I think it's hard to categorize this game which is what has lead to some bad reviews. 

[RedRaven]

more trees to crash into..... hunting it down now ;D

[Art Blade]

I'm somewhere beyond 30+ hours playing (maybe 40 now?) the retail version. I drove some 1,700 miles most of which were races. I really love it :)

Oh, there is damage... the small round thing left of the speedometer. If it goes all read you'll crash for good next time, get a new vehicle, but lose time as a penalty.

There are a few things that make me swear a lot - during a few races the AI and environment plays "dirty".

That means, those few races with tornados in it that make trailers and cars and other stuff come hurling at the track from the skies can take you out - once I was a carlength away from the finish line going to win the race when I got struck by a trailer and the other cars bombed down the road and past the line... me still struggling to get back on track. Or the AI mysteriously manages to rush away when out of sight, gaining some 1,500m distance... insane. Or, the AI using cars that don't show up in my selection, not even grayed out, and I have 67 or 68 vehicles unlocked out of 70. So the AI sometimes has better vehicles that you cannot access... don't worry, takes many attempts and time and you can beat them, but still... (I have won 51 out of 52 races on legend, there are 75 races in total. the one race I can't even win on rookie LOL). And I hate  solid trees, even bushes can be hard as a rock, which makes cross-country a hazardous game if you're about to pass trees. And some vehicles that are good for offroad are really bad on road and vice versa. That means, go at 100mph, change surface, and drop to some measly 25mph. That's the bad things.

On the other side, those make me want to prove and try even harder to beat the odds and win. That keeps me going back to races not yet won on legend until I win on legend.

The time I've spent off races were great. Great landscapes, great colours, great, great, great. :)

[Fiach]

That kind of rubberband AI was very prevelant in Need For Speed, it used to really get on my nerves, you are miles in front, turn a corner and they are suddenly in your rearview mirror, on saying that, it did make the game a little more challenging, as it was quite easy.

[DKM2]

Ran through the Demo today, nice, but can't say that it knocks my socks off thou.
Not being a real big racing game fan doesn't help I guess,
maybe it'll warm up to me.

[JRD]

What is most appealing to me is that this a racing game where you don't have to race all the time.
If you just want to drive around... then go  ;)

[spaceboy]

What is most appealing to me is that this a racing game where you don't have to race all the time.
If you just want to drive around... then go  ;)

That's how I feel.  The races are fun but I'd say I've spent just as much time in free roam.  Some member at the codemasters forum has a great video of him on a bike "riding the walls" at Red Rock Bluff.  Using two mountain sides with a road between like it's a half pipe.

[Fiach]

I eventually got to try the demo, I just couldnt get into it, I really dislike the shadowing on the four screen corners, I could understand it in a FPS type of view, looks weird in TPS view.

I also preferred TestDrive Unlimited, lots of shiney  sparkley marque cars in that game and I prefererred the gfx in that game too.

I guess the whole apocalyptic thing just isnt my bag, I played a MMO with a similar theme (Auto Assault or something), I couldnt get into that either :(

Thanks for putting it on my radar though :)

[spaceboy]

no prob Fiach.  I'm glad you had a chance to try the demo.