This generation, game developers love the idea of turning everything into an open-world adventure. But while the days of linear action games are quickly slipping away, racing games tend to follow a predetermined path. Even when venturing into open-world territory, a racer must have some kind of environmental barrier, directional arrows, or an easy-to-read GPS to keep players from getting lost.

That’s the situation of FUEL, a new racing game from Asobo (the developer) and Codemasters (the publisher of the unforgettable GRID and DiRT). It takes the open-world route with a slight veer in the direction of MX vs. ATV Untamed. Players are dropped into FUEL’s gigantic universe via helicopter. Each vehicle is attached to a helicopter with long cables, and though this part is only a video, it’s hard not to imagine what it’d feel like to actually be sitting in a vehicle as it’s carried – and then dropped down – to a rugged and highly remote location.

With more than a few thousand square feet of land enveloping each race, FUEL keeps players grounded with a clear arrow system. You can turn it off if you’re too proud to ask for directions, but believe me: this is not a game where you’ll want to carry around any pride. You may, however, want to look into your previous driving experiences, virtual or otherwise, as there are trucks, bikes, buggies, ATVs and bonus vehicles to control in this game. Hence the similarities between FUEL and MX vs. ATV – with so many rugged vehicles and several large-scale environments, the comparisons were inevitable.

Once the race begins, you’ll instantly take notice of the organic backdrops and Hollywood-inspired lighting. Nighttime, for example, is more than a darkened version of the same stage: when the sun goes down, the game is tinted with hues of black and dark blue, giving FUEL a unique appearance that’s reminiscent of the artificial light seen in movies. On the other side, daytime lighting comes in two forms: typical gaming (if you’ve played other racing games, you already know this look) and a more stylized sundown where orange and yellow hues are used to drench the screen in a unique bit of color artistry. Plus, the frame rate stays consistent when the action intensifies – even if the sun is blinding your eyes.

Such beauty, while impressive to be certain, might seem irrelevant after making your first driving mistake. Mistakes are inevitable; you’re going to crash into trees, skid off cliffs and slide into water that’s much too deep to drive through. That’s the whole point of an off-road racer.

Mid-race load screens, however, should never be part of the experience. But that’s exactly what you get, as FUEL doesn’t like the idea of crashing. Rather than give the player a display of polygon goodness with every accident, the game cuts to a black screen and a FUEL logo, pauses for a few seconds to re-load a game that should already be fully loaded (pre-race load times aren’t quick), and comes right back to the game. Your vehicle, with its paint untouched and the body un-crumpled, returns to the track as if nothing happened. It’s pointed in the right direction, at least, and you’ll notice that a few (possibly all) of your opponents have left you in the dust. But visually there are no signs of the crash. Visually, it’s like the game didn’t register its occurrence at all.

Crashing aside, there isn’t anything particularly wrong with any of the vehicles. Bigger automobiles (such as trucks) offer a bigger, heavier feel, while the smaller vehicles (such as ATVs) are lighter and looser as expected. Slippery terrain is occasionally problematic but it’s nothing gamers haven’t faced before, and is hardly something to complain about in an off-road racer. If your tires could hug grass, dirt and water with ease, you might as well be playing an on-road racer.

But while the vehicles are perfectly acceptable in their controls and their design, the gameplay speed is an unexpected drawback. With a steady frame rate, impressive outdoor backgrounds and other visual treats, you wouldn’t think that speed would become an issue. Isn’t every game, even the bad ones, achieving a better sensation of speed?

Apparently not because, at top speed, FUEL barely moves. The simplest way to describe its speedy sensations are to compare them to the 50cc competitions in Mario Kart (a race type most people avoid because it is the slowest, most mundane speed limit offered). You could reason that a truck in FUEL, no matter how quick, should be slower than a motorcycle. FUEL makes no such distinction, choosing instead to spread its molasses pacing across every vehicle.

Which is not only disappointing, it’s truthfully a shame. What we have here isn’t a game that’s filled with bugs or serious, unfixable mechanical problems that make it unplayable. Nope – it’s just slow; too slow to be fun. And that’s a shame because, if it had been a faster and more aggressive racing game, players would have walked away excited and eager for more. Now, they’ll probably just walk away.

Gameplay: 5.9
An open-world racing game with lots of vehicles and TONS of wide-open space. But that’s all there is – vehicles and space.

Graphics: 8.0
Aside from the abrupt load screen that appears every time you crash, FUEL is one good-looking game. The high-end textures, deep draw-distance and unique lighting are just a few of the standout elements. Even tornados are featured! But since the effects are pure arcade, if you're going for sheer graphical realism, FUEL isn't at the head of the class.

Sound: 5.0
Music and sound effects that are so unmemorable I can barely remember what they were like.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Cheap AI (opponents who magically lead the pack of a race) is about the only thing you'll have to worry about.

Concept: 5.0
An open-world off-road racer with a multitude of vehicles and miles of driving space. Yeah, we've seen this before.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Up to 16 can race online, but Fuel is much too slow to be a racing game you'll want to play with others.

Overall: 5.9
A cool-looking racing game that ultimately crumbles under the weight of its own slow pace.