FUEL has rolled on to the weigh bridge this week and it’s interesting to see a variety of different opinions and scores from games industry critics. The game lets you explore a massive open world (said to be the biggest ever produced) and compete in a variety of dirt racing events in many different types of off-road vehicle.

Gamespot (60%) – “Fuel is an ambitious game that tries to do a lot, but it doesn’t deliver where it counts. Perhaps if the driving were more exciting, checking out the world would be a bit more interesting. Fuel’s driving model isn’t bad–it’s just unspectacular. Some players will embrace Fuel’s overall ambition. But if you’re interested in racing–and there’s a good chance you are–then you’ll likely be disappointed by the game’s shortcomings.”

Eurogamer (50%) – “Of FUEL’s many promises, too many are either broken or undermined by its handling, layouts, logic or interface shortcuts. There’s no denying Asobo’s achievement in building such a daring, beautiful landscape on such a vast scale, but the core of any good racing game is falling in love with its vehicles, the things you can do with them, and the places you can take them, and by that measure FUEL is distinctly average.”

EDGE Magazine (80%) – “Packed with diversions, Asobo understands what makes its off-road wonderland a thrill to tour , and even if some of the fundamental stuff has been sacrificed to the creation of this huge world , Fuel still makes it across the finish line on a far-from-empty tank.”

Codemasters confirmed yesterday that FUEL will miss its intended release date by a week, with the game now hitting store shelves on June 5th. The open-world game will be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and its environment won developer Asobo a Guiness World Record for its sheer magnitude. EDGE described the map as being “as big as Northern Ireland”.

FUEL delayed to June 5 [VG247]

Xbox360Achievements.org and PS3Trophies.org managed to snag the complete list of FUEL achievements and trophies from Codemasters. There’s the usual mix of time consumers, such as rewards for acquiring all the vehicles in the game and collecting various items and there are a good variety of online rewards too.

FUEL Achievements
FUEL Trophies

Three new screenshots of FUEL have been released today and it’s one of the first chances to see what the game looks like without the gloss or crazy camera angles you won’t be able to achieve in the game itself. The HUD is looking nice and crisp, although the same can’t really be said for the environments. Judge for yourself:

In slightly unexpected news today, Codemasters announced that it’s expanding its footprint in the dirt racing genre by publishing FUEL, a new title from French studio Asobo. The game is set to feature all manner of unlicenced vehicles and slams them into a barren world full of realistic weather effects and with the option of going anywhere you like.

In the developer preview video, it’s revealed that the game has a story based on an “alternate present” where global warming has gripped the world. Apparently this parallel universe didn’t include GTA IV or Burnout Paradise, as one developer claims it’s “the very first time in a car racing game where you can really go where you want”.

Fuel announced! [Codemasters]