FUEL demo in Store today

A demo of Asobo Studio's Fuel is on the menu today for PS3, 360 and PC gamers who fancy giving its open-world antics a blast. And the console versions feature online play, too.

On all three versions, players can "take on the Ocean Rush career event, where 7 racers pick their own paths through treacherous landscapes," explains publisher Codemasters.

"Gamers can also take on Blitz - a wild, high-pressure challenge where players must race against the clock to reach the next checkpoint before time runs out."

On the console versions, however, you'll be able to play online for a limited period of two weeks from today, allowing you to do 16-player free rides "in a limited area of the Tsunami Reef zone". Which is apparently recognised by Guinness World Records as "The Largest Playable Area in a Console Game" with 5,560 virtual square miles to race in.

You can also "challenge up to 6 other players in the Ocean Rush career race". If you're interested, you might also fancy reading this review of the PS3 version

/// They need to do something about the online side of things though, you will hardly ever find anyone 'freeroaming' online in the full version, even on the n00b friendly begining part of the map, and if you do they won't have a headset. The races usually consist of 2 or 3 guys at best thrashing it out (unless, as usual, they quit out because they're losing, wankers), and are set up as custom sessions you create or, the better option is, just jump to quick race, that way at least you'll actually get to race instead of twiddling your thumbs staring blankly at an empty lobby... apart from that though i like the game, the map is just probably too big and open to really support any sort of online community and if you do spot a lone rider in the distance they'll be long gone before you can find them. I do my best to play as much as i can in online mode as you still get the same experience as offline, but with the sales numbers what they are and the odds that anyone else is playing it too at the same time, in the same map zone and on the same server pretty small it can be a lonely experience as a post climactic event sidecar pilot.
I'll have a drop in if SCEE actually put the demo up, Mikey K we're looking at you mate! and take a ride over to the Tsunami reef hub to say hi to the nubs, TBH that's a pretty bland bit of the map, lots of sand and dunes. Anyway, anything to get the numbers up hey?

[mobiletone]