Recently, Netflix surveyed people asking them if Netflix was offered on the Nintendo DS, would they take advantage of the service. In today’s average household, it is estimated that 83% of teens have access to video game consoles such as the Xbox 360, PS3, or the Wii.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sony just wrapped up their GDC 2010 press conference and the news of the night is the PlayStation Move. Finally, the PlayStation motion controller has a name and quite a few games on the way.

Read the rest of this entry »

The cloud computing gaming service has finally set a release date and it’s closer than we all thought. According to MCV, June 17th is the day that OnLive launches for the U.S. while dates for other areas have yet to be released. The service will launch for the PC and Mac first, and the OnLive Micro Console coming sometime after.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I first heard of Blur, I wasn’t up to par with what type of game it was – an arcade racing game. All I was aware about was the fact that Blur codes were part of many Twitter giveaways and I began to feel curious as to what Blur was all about. Fortunately for me and for many others, Blur codes were being given away like candy and were widely available. It was easy: you were given a code to redeem on Blur’s beta site, you entered your registration information and on March 8^th, you received a code.

Although some people did not receive their codes in their email when the beta first went live, luckily, I received mine quickly and downloaded it to my Xbox 360. The demo size itself is about 1.43 GB (if I’m not mistaken) but rightly so. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect. I figured, another arcade racing game, bring it. The last racing game I had played was Burnout Paradise and it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I wasn’t exactly excited to jump into another racing game but I decided I’d give it a shot.

As soon as the demo began, I was shown previews of different tracks in several cities as well as the existence of interactive power-ups that can used to attempt to knock another driver off course. Already this game reminded me of Mario Kart, simply because of the power-ups. In my opinion, power-ups are what continue to make Blur exciting and entertaining for hours as long as someone else doesn’t steal your power-up if you’re right next to each other. As soon as I was taken into the Start menu, I could see “Multiplayer” was the only option available for the Blur beta and so I clicked it to see what other options I might be given. Once past the “Multiplayer” screen, I was welcomed by descriptions of what the final version of Blur will offer as well as the ability to tweet my results on Twitter if I wanted to (Twitter is enabled in the demo).

Next, I was greeted by the Blur power-ups screen which allowed me to understand more about these power-ups I’ll learn to want while in the game. Here is a list of the power-ups offered in the Blur beta to get you accustomed of what to expect:

1. Shock: Shocks the race leader with three EMP fields

2. Shunt: Missile that flips cars in the air

3. Mine: With the ability to throw it in front or behind your car, it’ll spin out opponents

4. Nitro: It’s all about the speed…use it to get ahead

5. Barge: Blasts nearby cars away from you if they’re nearby

6. Shield: Protects you from Power-ups and damage

7. Bolt: Energy rounds that will throw opponents off course

8. Repair: Get your car back on track

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t stop to read what the power-ups would do for me or how they would benefit me, I just wanted to play the game. While I was surprised as to what some of the power-ups did for me, it was enlightening to learn their effects while on the road. While the Blur beta demo is only available to play on Xbox Live with other people, I wouldn’t miss out on the chance to try it out. As soon as you click on the “Xbox Live” option to join others, you’ll be taken to a screen with several more options such as “Blur Events,” “Private Race (disabled in the beta),” “Mod Shop,” “Showroom,” “Challenges,” “Leaderboards,” and the ability to invite others to join your party before deciding to join the rest of the world.

When I finally joined a game, I was joined by 19 other people in the lobby. While in the lobby, I was told to vote for one out of two places to race in. Once inside the match, the controls were easy to navigate (even though I always fail at turning at curves) and I quickly saw the power-ups and the effects they have on other cars. While I spun out several times and was even flipped over plenty of times, I managed to inflict damage on others as well. Although arcade racing games aren’t my forte and I simply do not enjoy them because I can’t really ever finish on top, I managed to finish in 3^rd place for once. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize when you start aiming for certain power-ups another opponent will try to spin you off course and steal your power-up at times. While it gets irritating to continuously miss power-ups, once you find yourself in possession of several power-ups, it’s always fun to take revenge on those same opponents who previously took advantage of your car the round before.

While I’m not sure I’d want to pay $60 for Blur when it’s released this Spring 2010, the demo is quite easily one of the most entertaining arcade racing games I’ve encountered. I’ll admit the tracks aren’t exactly original, but what tracks really are? The Blur beta demo will only allow you to rank up to Rank 10, and while I’m still on Rank 5, I can see myself quickly reaching that rank quite soon. It’ll provide you with an interesting view of arcade racing with an interesting angle that is sure to have you addicted for several hours. I recommend playing the Blur beta demo if you haven’t so yet, it’s worth at least trying it for a while.

Look for Blur on its release for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC this Spring 2010.

Watch the trailer here.