Fuel assumes a future in which Al Gore is allowed by Federal law to laugh and point at everybody who can’t produce a receipt for a copy of An Inconvenient Truth.  Seriously, though–it’s an “alternate present” in which the weather has only very recently gone completely insane, turning large areas of the United States into “no-go” zones, or areas where no human being can safely live.  Thus, humans pack themselves into huge megacities, a la Judge Dredd, except these human hives are apparently warm and comforting places powered by wind and solar and biodiesel, and thus everyone lives in Al Gore’s fantasyland.

There are, however, a few mavericks who realize that, the sudden cessation of gasoline usage has left a whole LOT of spare capacity just sort of lying around, and thus, this gives them the opportunity to take it for their own use.  Hey, why not?  Not like anyone ELSE is using the stuff anyway!  So they appropriate large quantities of fuel and use it to stage quasi-legal offroad joyride races.

To that end, you’re dropped into a scale area of roughly five thousand square miles and set to race.  You’ll be able to select various races against other competitors, as well as having an opportunity to engage in “free riding” but more on that in a minute.  First, we have to deal with the races themselves.  In this way, Fuel is a lot like literally every other racing game on the market.  You drive around trying desperately to pass other people and reach the finish line.  In this way, Fuel is just as good as any other.  The graphics are solid enough, the controls are a little twitchy and take a little getting used to but still do fairly well, and the background music is appropriately rock.

Fuel would be a game much like any other if it weren’t for one critical difference–the free ride mode.  Free ride does just what it sounds like it does; free ride allows you to tear around the map in literally any direction you please, pulling tire-squealing turns on roads, donuts on the beach, whatever you like,  There’s even some structure here as your free ride mode allows you to drive to places where challenges are being held.  Completing these challenges nets you extra fuel, which in turn allows you to buy other vehicles.  Plus, you’ll be able to obtain new parts for your livery, find fantastic views at so-called vista points, and just generally run riot all over the map.

Fuel is, therefore, a game of surprising depth and substance, as well as plenty of fun.  For those of you who already like racing games, you may well have found the ultimate in racers right there.  But for those of you who haven’t been very fond of the racing game subgenre, then you may well want to give Fuel a try.  This is the game that just might change your mind about racers.

Despite securing the title of having the worlds largest playable game environment, FUEL may find its way onto store shelves a week later than originally anticipated.

We are going to have to hold judgement on this one until Codemasters comes out and confirms this one as VG247 (the site that first reported this) is based in the UK. Does this mean that US gamers wont be getting their FUEL fix until early June instead of May 26th as well?

Again, there is no telling until Codemasters actually tells us but then again, it is just a week. As for the PC version of FUEL, Codemasters originally said it will be released shortly after its console counterpart so if the delay stands true expect the PC version to also be delayed.

As you can see above, Asobo Studio’s has recently secured themelves a spot in the Guiness World Book of Records for the “largest playable videogame environment”.

The game Asobo will recieve the award for is FUEL, a racing title set in a world annihilated by global warming. Players will be able to take to the enormous open world on both two and four wheeled vehicles. How enormous you say?

Well, Destructoid says that the side of FUEL’s environment is 5,560 square miles, roughly the size of Trinidad & Tobago. So Rockstart, it looks like you will really have to go over the top for Grand Theft Auto V.

Codemasters has released a brand new trailer for their racing game, FUEL. Players can race on both four and two-wheeled vehicles on the no-boundaries playfield of over five thousand square miles.

The game is due for a release this year for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

While the premise may sound paradoxical, Codemasters promises the game to be better than others in that it will offer “the largest environment ever created in race gaming” – a seamless playfield covering over 5,000 square miles.

A variety of two and four-wheeled vehicles will be available in the game which is in development as Asobo Studios. It will come with various single and multiplayer modes.