Burnout Revenge

"Act of Revenge? Maybe more like sweet way of Road Rage"

Ah, Burnout Revenge, one of the racing games where the subtitle may bean a lot while playing it but there are some things that Criterion had decided to put in to make the game either more challenging or maybe less fun and addicting. After trying out Burnout 2 that I think was an all right game and having featured that I never seen in any other racing game but was it addicting not really in my eyes. Burnout 3: Takedown though to me was the turnaround game for the series introducing all new game engine making it look like a next gen game to most of us along with the ability to now bash your rivals into walls, oncoming traffic known as “Takedowns”. Now we got Burnout Revenge which is suppose to be a sequel to Takedown which Criterion tried to take Burnout 3 and improve on them but in reality I think that while trying to take that next step forward it felt like they took a step back.

Graphics: 8.5 out of 10
First off the graphics seem to have some improvement over Burnout 3 while having some amazement to the people that played the previous Burnout games. There are some new cars featured in this game that are nicely detailed even with the unlocked “Madden Challenge” van with having a save file of Madden NFL 2006 on your memory card. Each of the courses in Burnout Revenge look similar to the last game while they're fresh new tracks even with the crash events that you do.

Sound: 8.2 out of 10
What about the sound of this new addition in the Burnout series is it better or worse than the previous titles? While playing this game there are some concerns that I have about with the sound of the game. First off the soundtrack still seems to be off from the adrenaline rush that the series seems to have when you play these Burnout games and games like this needs a soundtrack with adrenaline to get your heart racing. Now some of the other areas such as the engines, which have improved since the release of Takedown but still, need to be improved. Each of the classes of cars need to sound different from the other, they all can't sound the same at least from my point of view of racing games unless it's something like NASCAR or IHRA.

Gameplay: 7.4 out of 10
Now the gameplay of Burnout Revenge on the other hand while they have added a new gameplay feature to the game called “Traffic Checking”. While there are people out there that like this feature of the game then you have the people like me that feel that this new feature in the Burnout games takes away the feel that the Burnout games should be. While traffic checking can make the game feel a little easier for some of us but you have to think about those that have a different view on it making the game seem less challenging for the veterans of the series.

If there's anything that I seem to dislike about Burnout Revenge is the lack of the Single Event in previous games like Takedown, and with the signature takedowns has been reworked to a degree that makes me wonder why they changed that portion from Takedown. The crash events on the other hand is another thing that I didn't like how they reworked that due to how the wind can change the course of vehicle but that's not what I'm worked up about with the crash events. It's the fact that it starts off like you're getting ready for a drag race in a game like Need for Speed Underground or Most Wanted, which I didn't like how that was done in this game.

Replay Value: 7.5 out of 10
After trying to get through Burnout Revenge just the first time might be just enough for some of us cause of making this game feel either less challenging or easier as some may state the game as it is. There are probably some people out there that probably gave up on the game after getting through so much of the game and to be honest there should be something that Criterion should've done to make this game where most of the players go through it more. I have more fun going through Burnout 3 than compared to this game while some will disagree with me on that but that's just how I feel with this game compared to Takedown.

Overall: 7.5 out of 10
Burnout Revenge overall I believe is a good game but with better tweaks and providing a real challenge for some of us gamers who have played any of the previous Burnout games. When I picked up this game I was hoping that it would be just as addicting as Burnout 3 was and after I started playing the game I found out that it wasn't as addicting as the game before it. If I were to suggest to purchase this game I would suggest to rent it first to see if it's a game worth playing to you instead of buying it and finding out that it didn't meet your requirements.

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