Blur issues Twitter challenges between friends, across platforms

Not only are the cats and dogs living together, but they're using Twitter. According to MTV Multiplayer, upcoming racer Blur will allow some social interaction not only between players, but between different platforms. Whether you're on Xbox Live -- silver or gold -- or PlayStation 3, you'll be able to issue competitive challenges to friends, with Twitter acting as a neutral intermediary. Think of it as that time you had to pass messages between your feuding parents, only you're telling Dad that Mom just utterly destroyed his pathetic lap record.

Speaking at a Blur presentation, lead designer Gareth Wilson offered an interesting anecdote as explanation: "I've got a friend from university who lives in Australia, and I can't play with him, because he's available at night time when I'm sleeping. So the Friends Challenge thing was really, 'How do we get people together to play who might not be able to.'" And while PS3 and Xbox 360 racers might not be able to play together in real time once the game launches on May 25, Bizarre Creations thinks of the Twitter connection as an innovative way to foster some healthy, cross-platform rivalry.

Wilson also notes that the social integration won't be a "horrible, spammy thing." So no Facebook support, then.