Fuel is basically an open world racer that lets you explore the vast landscapes as you race. These areas vary greatly in terrain types, therefore you will find yourself racing through Desert, Snow and Dense Forests. While you play in the Free Ride mode you will discover collectables such as new livery’s which are gained by bashing wrecked vehicles, Vistas, which gives you access to some great views and you will also unlock new challenges. Unfortunately the freeplay mode doesn’t really offer enough to keep you going back as although the lands are vast, they can also be quite bland and empty feeling at times.

 

 

The game also includes a Career Mode, this offers different races for you to take part in and when you win races you will gain stars which accumulate and then unlock new maps. The game includes around 20 maps for you to unlock so there is certainly plenty of replay value here. Within the Career Mode you will take part in various races using a mixture of bikes, buggies, ATV’s, trucks and cars, the type of vehicle you use will depend on the race you are taking part in.

 

The Career Mode is a real fun mode to play as it offers a great challenge to people of all skill levels and the races all have a real feel of variety to them. Once of my personal favourite races involved driving a speeding motorbike through a forest thick with trees, the reason I really enjoyed this race and feel it sums up the enjoyment you will have in the game is that it really gives you a sense of speed and provides plenty of tension due to all the near misses you will have with the woodland. Another reason the races are great is due to the open nature of the maps, it’s so much fun trying to find shortcuts and hope that you will beat your opponents to the finish line and another bonus is that if you get lost you always have your GPS to bail you out.

 

All of the races in the game are quite challenging, this is because it’s not only you taking the shortcuts and going off track but your opponents are too, although there are some occasions where the AI has a bit of a moment. It’s worth mentioning that finishing anything other than first in Career Mode will reward you with nothing, therefore if it’s stars your after to unlock more maps then you better make sure you are in front on the pack.

 

The challenges in Fuel range from tasks such as Speed Run’s and Knock Out’s to the Demolition style Seek N Destroy and my personal favourite, Chopper Chase, where you have to race a helicopter to the finish line, which is as difficult as it sounds. While the challenges do vary and are fun to play, they are only really a distraction from the main action.

 

Graphically the game is pretty solid, the locations all look fantastic and the vehicles are all well detailed, although unfortunately there are a few occasions during the action when the game is prone to some pop-up. The sound though is disappointing, the high pitched drone of the engines just doesn’t give you the same sense of speed that you would experience in other racers, therefore this part of the game certainly does it no justice.

 

Fuel is definitely a racer that will appeal to some, especially fans of Motorstorm and to some extent Test Drive Unlimited. It is a fun game to play, although not quite up to the standard of Codemasters other racers.