Showdown: Split/Second vs. Blur - Who will win?

[temo]

After spending a decent amount of time with each game, I believe that I can reasonably gauge the quality of both.

Graphically, it's no contest. Split/Second: Velocity is simply a better looking game than Blur. The explosions, lighting and environmental details are far more impressive while playing S/S.

The audio options available are definitely more advanced in Blur. I didn't really notice much difference while actually racing, but I'm sure some will appreciate the obvious time and effort put into this aspect from the Blur developers.

S/S is a frenetic, balls to the wall arcade racing explosion fest. Blur feels more like than an adult version of Mario Kart. It's arcadey too, but it doesn't have the same sensation of speed, the vehicles feel lighter and the power-ups are not nearly as dramatic. It's one thing having a fireball shot at you, it's another thing entirely having a nuclear cooling tower collapse on your vehicle. That said, constantly fending of mortal danger and the unavoidable accidents in S/S can sometimes get frustrating.

I would say overall S/S came out the better game. The difference is mostly due to personal taste rather than a huge gap in quality. Blur is still a great game, but it lacks the cutting edge found in S/S. However, I could see many people preferring the more balanced and traditional power-up approach of Blur.

I'm curious to see which game develops the better community. Given the crap online system of S/S, and its wild gameplay mechanics, it wouldn't surprise me if Blur came out ahead in the end.