Blur
This one is going to invite some controversy, we get that. Blur was, however, a massive flop in gaming’s seventh generation and it really should not have been. The game was fundamentally sound, offering a take on Mario Kart-style gameplay with more realistic visuals than those found in “kart” racers.
In a rare move at the time, cars were given detailed damage models which allowed licensed vehicles like the Dodge Viper and Lotus Exige to be warped by damage taken during racing. That might just sound normal right now, but when you took into account that all sorts of nigh-on-ridiculous attacks like missile shots were coming from all angles it kind of raises a smile just thinking about the possibility.
Blur was even made by long-time racing veterans Bizarre Creations who you may know better as the team who brought Project Gotham Racing into the world before it was summarily stamped out by Forza Motorsport. Tracks were based upon real-life locales and the amount of stunts that could be pulled actually made Blur into a game which could stretch a smile across anyone’s face. It’s a shame that this game became one of the flops, and even more of a shame in that we can’t really see why.
Blur came from a good development team, with Activision Blizzard backing the title as publisher, and was met with a fair amount of critical praise among reviewers. Maybe it was just too soon or too late for the world of arcade racing to take in a new franchise. We may never know. After selling only 30,000 units, no one will ever know.
