FUEL Review (X360)

There are a significant number of flaws in the game, however, that have to be considered. When everything clicks, the racing is a heck of a lot of fun, but there are a few significant roadblocks that get in the way. First off, the game can be ridiculously difficult. The A.I. (at least the top two or three) never seem to make a mistake and if you crash or take a wrong path or something you are screwed. This is compounded by the fact that the races are generally quite long, and making a mistake and blowing a race after the 4-5 minute mark is insanely frustrating. You have to be pretty much perfect to win races on anything but the lowest difficulty level. That fact creates a new problem because to unlock new regions of the map to race in, you have to win at least a few races on the medium difficulty or higher. You do eventually reach a point where you have fast enough vehicles you can return to earlier races and win them easily, but the first third or so (about 10 hours) of the game will really try your patience.

I think another issue with the game is that it is just too darn big. If it were even half the size it would probably still be too big. There is just too much empty blandness between everything to justify having a map this large. Thankfully, you can start races directly from the menu as well as warp to helipads around each region, which make finding all of the collectibles a lot easier.

With all of that said, there are definitely points in the game where everything will click for you and you can have a ton of fun with it. Some races are just really well designed and a lot of fun. Likewise, when you earn better vehicles and can go back and tackle a difficult race with ease is pretty satisfying as well. There are some set pieces and specific races that really stand out as well and provide some of the absolute coolest stuff I have ever seen in a racing game. The “Tornado Warning” race is seriously the most amazing race I have ever played.

FUEL also has a smartly designed list of achievements that do a good job to keep you motivated even if the difficult races are beating you down. The achievements reward you for exploration and finding the collectibles, and along the way you’ll probably find a few dozen fuel barrels which will then allow you to buy better vehicles which make the rest of the game easier.

The game is also quite beautiful to look at. The weather effects are awesome and FUEL has some of the best looking thunderstorms in any game yet. The lighting is also very nice and makes the day/night cycle actually matter. You look forward to sunrise and sunset because they look so good. Other little details like the fact you can sit on the valley floor below a mountain at night and watch the headlights of other vehicles slowly come down the switch backed mountain roads is just plain cool. The game world isn’t spectacular looking, but it is beautiful in its own way. There is a huge variety to the landscapes you’ll race in, and open green meadows, plain sandy deserts, thick forests, and even the ashy gray and black (and occasionally still smoldering) remnants of a forest fire have a certain appeal to them. FUEL simply looks good all around. Not the best the 360 has to offer, but still quite good.

The sound, on the other hand, is pretty disappointing. The engine sounds are pretty much one note and on long runs you’ll get very tired of the monotone sound. Some vehicles sound better than others, but when the closest description for most of the sounds is “lawnmower” you have issues. The music is also incredibly bland and forgettable and only has a handful of themes. Luckily, we’re playing on the Xbox 360, which means we are free to use our own music.

Ultimately, FUEL is a fun-but-flawed game that will be a love it or hate it affair with gamers. For some, the open world will be a bit too open and too boring and the high difficulty level for the first several hours of the game will turn them off of FUEL forever. If you can get over the difficulty hump and survive long enough to open up a decent chunk of the game, you’ll learn to appreciate all of the little things that FUEL offers such as great lighting and weather effects, some gorgeous wilderness to explore, and some surprising depth to races where choosing the right vehicle makes all of the difference. I’m not going to sugar coat it. It takes some effort on your part to really get the most out of FUEL. But it is worth it. My recommendation is to give FUEL a rental and play it for a few hours and see if it clicks and then make a purchase decision from there. It won’t be for everyone, but for those that can get into it FUEL is a heck of a fun ride.