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Driving simulators such as Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) and Need for Speed: SHIFT (NFS) are set to be released soon, and while much of the focus will remain on these two realism-focused games, a dark horse in the form of Codemasters’ new FUEL title may upset the two heavyweights. This is because of some unique features - including the advantage of holding the Guinness World Record for the most virtual space in a game.

While GT5 and NFS will focus on recreating famous tracks such as the Nurburgring and Silverstone in intricate detail, the team at Codemasters are taking a more arcade approach with their FUEL game. They have created a world with over 5,500 square miles of drivable area. This area will feature different terrains, ranging from country roads to urban settings. There will also be long desert highways, coastal roads, and even mountain passes with snow.

With the focus on having arcade-style fun rather than creating a totally realistic driving experience, the new FUEL title bypasses the need to bring real world vehicles into the game, and will instead focus on different types of vehicles, including cars, trucks and even motorcycles. Being able to take a motorbike down a coastal road and then switch to a truck for a desert stage is something that the NFS and GT5 titles will struggle to match, especially considering the vast area that the player will be able to explore in FUEL.

Codemasters is the same team that brought us arcade hits such as Grid and DiRT, which were lauded for being fun to play and easy to get into compared to full-on racing sims. Its latest title, FUEL, is just hitting shelves and is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PCs running Microsoft Windows .





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