Fuel offers a number of different vehicles to compete with, and the terrain in the game varies greatly.

Fuel is the newest off-road racing game to hit the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, and it has just been released in a PC version as well. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, sort of a Mad Max-like race environment.  The game offers over 5,000 miles of terrain that game makers say is created from actual satellite data, and it offers more than 70 different vehicles to compete aboard.

When getting started, your character is placed in the first camp you encounter in the game. Once in camp, you’ll be able to see the available races at that site. If you decide to tackle one of the races, you then can select the race difficulty (presented in the form of medals), and only a first-place finish will be awarded stars, and stars are crucial in the career mode because they allow you to access other camps/territories as you progress through the game.  

There are a number of different ways to play Fuel. Career mode is where most will start, and this is where players will begin career races and challenge events. Within the challenges, there are options such as speed run, where you race to a market with a set time limit, chopper chase, where racers navigate through course terrain to beat a helicopter to the check point, and more. By competing in career races, aside from earning stars players will also compete for Fuel chips, which can then be used to purchase additional vehicles, which is necessary since certain races require certain vehicles.

There are a number of different vehicles to race with in Fuel.

Speaking of vehicles, with over 70 to choose from in Fuel, you can expect a wide variety of different types of machines to compete aboard, and each has its own unique handling characteristics. There’s everything from dirt bikes and ATVs to off-road buggies and monster trucks, and each vehicle has different attributes that make it more appropriate for certain races. Vehicles have ratings in Speed, Acceleration, Grip, Brake, Reliability, Asphalt and Off-Road, and players can select accordingly depending upon the terrain.

The racing in the game for the most part is pretty fun, but we did quickly realize the driving model isn’t very complex. Some of vehicles, such as the Deathwing quad or the Knightmare dune buggy, offer a fun and exciting racing experience, but some vehicles don’t offer the same fun factor and just aren’t as thrilling to drive. This might be due to the racing mechanics of each vehicle, as the suspension and engines noise don’t always feel like they match the vehicle. Certain vehicles, such as the monster truck, don’t feel as though they are traveling as fast as the speedometer reads, despite the engine revving out near 100 mph. In this respect, we don’t quite put Fuel on the same page as off-road race games like Dirt and Baja: Edge of Control, which aim to offer a more realistic race experiences. That’s not to say Fuel isn’t fun, but it definitely has a different feel, one more based in a futuristic, fantasy race world.  

Vehicle damage is something players will need to be aware of in Fuel, as bashing your ride into too many obstacles will result in destroying the vehicle, which equates to receiving a time penalty in the race. One gripe we have about damage, however, is that you don’t actually see the impact crashing has on the vehicle. It’s a bit of a disappointment because the damage meter is the only real indicator that you’re running too ragged, and it just adds to the lack of detail given to the race vehicles themselves.

 

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Crazy weather is to be expected in Fuel, and it can have a big impact on visibility at times.

What did receive a great deal of attention is the massive environment in Fuel. There are a number of different locations to travel to in the world, with most featuring the aforementioned race camps that serves as home base for that location. There are beach areas and thickly wooded terrains, icy worlds and full-blown desert sections, and many of the locations are graphically stunning. What adds to the great look of the environment is one of the coolest features in the game: the extreme weather occurring in different races. There’s the typical sand and dirt action players will come to expect in off-road games, but it also has crazy windstorms that kick up leaves and debris – there’s even a tornado tearing up the land and racetrack we encountered during a race.

Fuel also features a GPS map during races to help keep you on track. It can be turned off or kept on depending on your preference, but keep in mind that short cuts are a big key to the game. On some levels, finding the quickest route is crucial, and it can help you get ahead of other racers in some events. With the wide variety of vehicles, though, it’s important to know what your chosen vehicle’s on- and off-road capabilities are often crucial, as taking an off-road shortcut with more of a street vehicle can do more harm than good.

Though most of the racing takes place off-road, there are both on- and off-road vehicles in Fuel.

Free Ride mode is another main attraction in Fuel. There entire world can be explored either by yourself or with friends in online play. Exploring the world can unlock hidden bonuses such as liveries where you can get new paintjobs and vehicle designs, as well as other unlockable items. Unfortunately, it can be a bit tedious to look for these items, and the reward often doesn’t pay off for the time it takes to find them. Riding through the different environments can be fun, but since the vehicles tend to lack complex handling characteristics, launching off large mountains or big jumps doesn’t have the same thrill as other games with similar free ride modes.

One very useful features to modern games is that Fuel also offers online game play, where players can race careers races against friends, battle on custom-made courses, and even explore the world in free ride mode. For the most part, it’s pretty cool, and this keep the game relevant even after defeating it on career mode because you can always return to race with friends or other online players.

Overall, Fuel is a fun race game that offers plenty of challenge for single players and groups alike. It has a lot to offer race game fans and general off-road enthusiasts, but it’s hard to ignore that some parts of the game feel a little incomplete. Fuel is a good addition to a video gamer’s library, but the lack of detail in the actual race mechanics might scare off the hard-core gamers.