Burnout 2: Point of Impact

"Yes...yes this is a great game."

I have never been much of a fan of racers. I played Need for Speed at my friend's house, and suddenly had a craving for racers, so I went to EBgames and bought Burnout 2, based on some of the reviews I saw and other recommendations. And I love it.

Graphics---9.7
The cars are awesome. They aren't as detailed as some racers out there, but the reflections, lighting, and other effects are awesome. The cars look pretty and every single NPC (non-playable car) looks just as good. The tracks are large and surrounding are well designed. Crashing has great physics and the car parts splattering everywhere is nice.

Gameplay---10
There are a lot of courses. The multiplayer races are fun, but the crashing is what shines through. It can be very addicting (I once played from 12am to 6am with a friend and only thought about an hour passed). The boosts are awesome and traveling at 150mph into oncoming traffic is a delight. And when you boost, you really feel a sense of speed.

Story---0
None, but who cares.

Control---9.5
Even though I am not a fan, I have played many racers...many of the Gran Turismos, Need for Speeds, and even Virtua Racer for the Sega 32X. And this game is by far the best. It isn't too painfully hard to control like some racers (where one overturn can spin you out) but isn't too loose where you can turn 90 degress going 100mph. The original control scheme is fine, but if it doesn't suit you, there are others. The only reason I took off some points is because, when accleration is mapped to ''R'', it isn't touch sensitive.

Sound---10
The music is great. It gets louder as you boost which adds an intense feel to the game. The sound effects while crashing are awesome. And I noticed that they got the doppler effect down really well with the horns as you pass them.

Difficulty---Normal
The races are easy. You are never too likely to get less than second. The only reason you do bad is because you will probably crash a lot at first. But the crash mode is different. Some of the courses are very hard to get gold on. They can get frustrating, but you'll find yourself trying again and again, addicted to this game.

Overall---9.6

While not perfect(no touch sensitivity & easy difficulty), this game game is near flawless. I have never played such an addictive game since Perfect Dark or Super Smash Bros. Rarely do I get so addicted to a game that I lose track of time and play for hour upon hour. If you have a few friends over, the multiplayer will keep you busy for a long time. If you absolutely hate racers, give it a rent and you may end up liking it. If you like racers, buy this game. It is the best realistic racer on the cube.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/13/03, Updated 07/13/03