14 DAY TRIAL // Codemasters is playing good cop, bad cop with gamers. On the one hand, it has announced that its FUEL racing game would be released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on June 5, which is later than initially announced. On the other hand, it has revealed that the title, even before release, has been recognized as being the biggest console videogame ever.
The Guinness World Records organization has presented the people at Asobo Studio, which developed FUEL, with a certificate stating “Largest playable area in a console game: The largest playable environment in a console game is 5,560 square miles (14,400 km²), and is featured in FUEL (Codemasters, 2009). The area features rivers, deserts, forests and mountains and was demonstrated at the offices of Guinness World Records, London, UK, on 20 May 2009.”
Codemasters is saying that its racing game covers more area than Hong Kong, Singapore, St. Lucia and the Isle of Man added up together.
Phil Wright, who is a producer on the title for Codemasters, revealed that “We knew FUEL was going to be big but to have this confirmed officially by Guinness World Records justifies our faith in this ground-breaking title. No other game comes close to offering the variety of environments, the range of vehicles or the sheer size of FUEL. It’s one of the most innovative racers ever, and we’re thrilled it’s been recognised as the biggest console game of all time.”
In addition to size, FUEL is set to offer quick cars, impressive weather effects, complex Artificial Intelligence and some tough challenges.
FUEL, with its impressive size and apocalyptic theme, should first arrive on the Xbox 360 and on the PlayStation 3 but Codemasters is also planning to release a version of the game for the PC, using the Games for Windows live service from Microsoft.