Fuel

Fuel - (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Developer: Codemasters
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Driving


A game that's almost too big for its boots



Out on the cliff edges, the broken bridges and tangled forest lie a dazzling amount of tracks on a dazzling amount of surfaces and conditions. Altogether, we're told, there are 5,000 miles of driveable land. If that wasn't enough players jump in the hot seat of a huge variety of customisable four and two-wheel vehicles from dirt bikes to high end roadsters, buggies and stripped down saloons.

The trouble is, such a blank canvas actually turns out to be a little bit of a pain. You have to master the short cuts, seek out the sneaky bypass through the trees or over bridges but frequently you'll find yourself lost out front, in the lead, with no other vehicle in sight. At other times bizarre and problematic gaming engine glitches will present puzzling moves from your AI opponents. This racer is nowhere near as polished as it should be.

Add to this that you have to finish first to progress through the career mode and you're going to need a whole lot of patience to get the full effect of Fuel. The difficulty level is also too tricky to work out with AI vehicles seeming to have no consistently in terms of their handling and power - it just adds a frustrating element to the core of the driving.

When it works, which is frequently, the game plays to its free roaming strengths. There are some outstanding courses, great weather effects and challenging scenarios, it's just that at times it feels like it's not quite enough. There's a buzz missing from the heart of the game, and a feeling that the free roaming element has been focused on at the expense of a good driving engine.

There's a great game in here somewhere but it's just below the surface.