Burnout

"Burnout + Logitech's Driving Force = Excitement!!"

I recently bought the PS2 at the $199 price. I am a racing nut so I did some research online and decided to pick up the Logitech Driving Force wheel and some racing titles. Burnout was one of the games listed as compatible with the force feedback wheel. I have read many reviews on burnout and noticed alot of different opinions.
My opinion of Burnout for the PS2 is biased in the fact that racing is my favorite video game genre. In other words if you like racing like I do than this game is a must buy, NOT rental. The game is VERY FAST, simulating racing through cites, tunnels and highways with speeds in excess of 150mph+. The sense of the high rate of speed while whizzing in and out of trafic is stimulating to say the least.
With the setup I have, the controls are dead on accurate. I use the Logitech Driving Force steering wheel mounted inside a (retired)sitdown arcade unit. It used to be a M.A.C.H. 3 but is now stripped down with the PS2 inside, 150 watt amplifier and a 19'' color tv mounted inside. The TV picture is projected through the original projection lens that was used in this cabinet from the 80's giving me a 35'' picture. It is in your face action and definately lets me experience any racing game on the PS2 system in it full potential possible. I have not played the game with the regular PS2 controller but with Logitech's Force Feedback wheel it is extremely accurate and very comfortable.
The force Feedback in Burnout is subtle unless you hit something or go off the road. It feels good. You feel small amounts of vibration driving over a brick road and none over asphalt. Lots of force on bumps, dips and of course the wrecks make the wheel go crazy from side to side and really add to the experience. Without the force feedback in the game I would have given it a lesser rating as it is so nicely done.

WITH THE LOGITECH I GIVE THE CONTROLS A 10!

Graphics:
Graphics are well done and look nice with the small exception of the part near the end of the road in your vision. It's somewhat hard to tell at times what way to plan on turning till you get closer. Buildings and such are easy to see in the distance but the transparent arrows that show up to tell you what street, ramp or road to turn on should have been easier to see far away. Cars can be somewhat hard to see way off in the distance but that would be in real life if you drove this fast. They (traffic)don't present a problem to me as you have time to manuever and I use a large tv image.
The buildings, scenery and such are nicely detailed in my opinion. The cars look good and there are buses, semis, pickups and all sorts of vehicles to weave in and out of.
For an added bonus when you hit the burn (NOS) button when your meter is full it changes the music and the graphics and looks really cool making your adrenaline pump higher!

I WOULD RATE THE GRAPHICS A SCORE OF 8!

The sound is good. The tracts are ok but the sound is implemented well. I like the way it changes tunes and tempo when you are getting low on time. The heartbeat pounding when you hit the burn button is very well executed. The tunes are average but are nice how they change depending on what is happening. The screeching of the tires, the sounds of wrecks and the engine sounds are nicely done.

I GIVE THE SOUND A 7.

The game starts off easy enough and does get harder. It can get frustrating unlocking things. For example when a car goes through an intersection near the last stretch on the last lap and there's no time to react and you slam into it you may lose the race! In another way it is cool in that you never know what is going to happen which excells the replay value. That is what a game is for. The CHALLENGE and not knowing!

I would give the replay value an 8!

My biggest gripe is that with such a cool game they didn't incorporate ilink support. This would have been one heck of a game to play on two different tvs at the same time. oh well.

I reccomend this game with the Logitech Driving Force steering wheel to hardcore racers. You wont be disappointed. Others should probably rent first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/20/02, Updated 05/20/02