Muti-terrain racing
Codemasters latest racing franchise that hopes to satisfy speed junkies and thrill seekers everywhere, comes in the form of FUEL, an open-world experience in which players will compete on a variety of different terrains.
Developed by Asobo Studios, FUEL will be developed for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and will use a new cutting-edge proprietary engine, which has enabled the studio to create some powerful weather effects and impressive looking landscapes.
From deep snow to open wilderness, the multi-terrain racing experience covers over 5,000 square miles (14,000+ km²) in size and will feature death-defying stunts, across tough environments inspired by real-life American landscapes.
Featuring on and off-road, two and four-wheeled vehicles, we'll need to race against the elements and adapt our driving skills to cope with the likes of blizzards, sandstorms and tornadoes.
Codemasters has promised some spectacular scenery and say that the draw distance will allow us to see 40KM ahead giving us a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape, which will include recognisable landmarks, including Death Valley and Mount Rushmore
Furthermore, we're promised a diverse range of vehicles, approximately 70 in total, including monster trucks, dirt bikes and SUV's and they'll also be customisation options to allow us to get the best out of our vehicles.
FUEL is set in an alternate present in which whole swathes of the globe have been ravaged by the effects of climate change brought on by decades of environmental abuse. Here oil prices have rocketed and yet a new breed of racing junkie takes to the wastelands, pitting their grungy home-tuned vehicles against each other in an all-new extreme sport as they compete to win fuel supplies. To triumph means travelling the wastelands to challenge the best; from the tsunami-wrecked pacific coast through the Nevada wastelands, including the Grand Canyon, up treacherous snow-capped mountains, thick forests, arid deserts, abandoned lakeside resorts and much more.
As well as an offline mode boasting tons of objectives and the scope for unprecedented exploration, we can also expect a comprehensive online mode where players will be able to meet up to race against up to 16 players or join forces and explore the world together.
If FUEL plays as good as it looks we'll be in for a real treat on its release in 2009. We'll have a full review nearer the time.
More screenshots overleaf...