Crash 'N Burn

"Just another futuristic racing game..."

Crash N Burn was one of the several pack in games that people got when the purchased a 3DO. The disc included several previews for up coming as well as the game its self (which is the important one). While it may not be the best pack in game ever, it certainly isn't terrible.

Game play
Crash n Burn is a futuristic racing game. It may be a genre that has been done one thousand times over today, you have to remember that this is 1993, and it the genre had only just begun to be explored. The game is set in 2044 AD after a war and now street rules are in affect and anyone who doesn't race to survive, dies (yes, it seems cliche now). There are only a total of six racers and only six tracks. That is rather disappointing considering what CD media can do now. The six characters all have their own individual personalities that really aren't that different. When choosing your racer you can view a small clip of each racer explaining his or her method with some rather poor acting ability.

While there may only be 6 tracks, they are pretty long, with 4 laps each, and are different enough from one another that they will keep you entertained for a while. There are two modes, Tournament and Rally. In tournament, you race and gather points and money to buy upgrades to your car. You can even get some "secret" upgrades like a polarity inverter that repels all projectiles away from your car. You can save your game in this mode and pick it up at any time. Rally mode is the down and dirty version. You don't get to upgrade your car or win money, but it will bring you to the same goal: The death dome Tournament. I dislike this set up because you can't play the Death dome Tournament until you win all 6 races over and over again.

One aspect that I haven't seen in a game like this very much is the pit stop. You can choose whether or not to pit at the end of each lap. You can also decide how long you want to pit. Stopping refuels you ammunition as well as repairs your car. The longer you stay, more ammo and repairs you get. It does suffer from some load time though, although not much and you won't get screwed out of position because of the load time.

As for the racers, they are all pretty balanced. Some have faster acceleration but poor armor, and vice versa. There are five men and only one woman. She is some crazy Asian girl who can't act (neither can anyone else for that matter). There really isn't any difference in character. They all play for money and glory and to survive. There isn't much character development at all.

Score 7

Graphics
This is probably one of the nicest 3DO games out there and I guarantee it is one of the best looking games of 1993. The full motion video clips look great, no graininess, no pixulation, no color washing. The graphics of the game its self is pretty sweet as well. Brightly colored cars and tracks leave nothing to the imagination. The guy who sells you illegal car upgrades looks half real and half animated. It looks odd, but doesn't look bad. The cars seem similar, which is one down side. One odd thing is when you collide with another car, you get a weird palate swap and everything looks very weird for a few moments. It would be cool if it weren't for the fact that you get caught up with another car and it happens over and over and over again.

There are two views while racing, behind the car and in the car. Both are pretty nice, unlike most games that offer this mode. In car isn't too far down so you can actually see more than a few feet in front of you. It almost gives you the feeling that you are actually in the car, which is something most games lack. Behind the car is a little better because you can see the land mines that are all over the track a little earlier. The only issue is that sometimes, when switching views from in car to behind car, you will hit a load snag and things will freeze for up to two seconds. Other than that, there are no issues with the views.

Score 9

Controls
While the graphics may be the strong point of the game, the controls are the weak point. They feel clunky and tough. Menu navigation takes a couple of button presses sometimes to move to the next selection and there seems to be no button to cancel and go back to the previous screen. Racing controls are pretty bad. I found my self rail riding more often than not. Selecting weapons seems to be too touchy and you pass what you want most of the time. Firing weapons works pretty well. Overall, it isn't terrible, but it is something that takes getting use to. The learning curve is steeper than most games so don't put the controller down out of frustration too soon.

Score 5

Sounds and Music
Finally, a game where the music isn't annoying at all. I am not one for video game music, but this game I actually plug the headphones into the controller to listen to it. What I dislike about it is the fact that the music is only during the races. There isn't any kind of noise when in the menus. The sound effects are typical but not obnoxious. I really wish there were more songs in the game, because the music leaves something to be desired.

Score 8

Overall, Crash N Burn is another racer. While it boasts some of the best graphics for the system, the controls hold it down. I think the game is much better than Need For Speed on the 3DO but it could have been better. It isn't a must own, but is worth a try if you find it for less than five bucks. Don't expect something amazing though.

Pros:
1. Graphically beautiful
2. Acting is laughable

Cons:
1. Difficult controls
2. No character development

Final Score 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/07