Burnout 3: Takedown

"The most fun you can have with your clothes on"

Wow. I haven't had this much of a thrill playing a racing game since... well, now that I think about it, this is by far THE most fun I've ever had! I'm a HUGE racing game fan, Especially the NFS and GT series. Gran Turismo lets you get into the actual cars and toy with every aspect, Need for Speed lets you jump into the seat of exotic cars and run from the police. But the heart pounding "holy-crap-did-you-see-that!" moments found in Burnout 3 can ONLY be found in B3.

I have always made fun of people that duck and dodge while playing games. My sister used to do it playing Super Mario Brothers on the 8-bit Nintendo... flipping the controller around like Mario was going to jump higher or farther if she tossed that controller just a *little* bit more. Well now I have become one. The sheer sense of speed you get from ripping down a straight on the wrong side of the road at 170+ MPH will make even the most seasoned racer duck once or twice.

You can see that gap that's about to close. Can you make it? There's only one way to find out- hit the boost button! Everything blurs, the car jumps, and you squeeze right through... barely. Just as you start to relax- the whole world comes crashing down as an 18-wheeler hauling speedboats nails you from the side. This is when the true beauty of B3 comes in. Hold down the "Aftertouch" button to slow the action to a crawl. Use your analog stick to guide the wreckage of your former street-eating monster into the other racers, but don't forget to take a look at the incredible detail of all of the levels. Criterion has made sure that every part of this game is gorgeous.

And that's just for the racing.

Crash mode will have you carefully guiding you car into heavy traffic in an attempt to orchestrate the world's most beautiful crash sequence. Cars piling into one another over and over again. Hoods, doors, tires, and all sorts of other miscellaneous car parts flying in every direction. And just as things are slowing down, you can hit the "Crashbreaker" button to detonate what is left of your car, effectively causing even MORE damage by sending the cars around you flying all over again.

Then there is Road Rage, which brings back fond memories of Death Race mode from F-Zero X on the N-64. How many other cars can you destroy while still maintaining the structural integrity of your own ride? No matter how far you drive, there is always a steady flow of opponents to smash into walls, flip over guardrails, slam into pillars, and just flat out destroy as you rack up as many takedowns as you can before time runs out, or your car just can't roll anymore because you have crashed too many times yourself.

I can't possibly put into words the excitement that comes from playing this game. The only way to find out for yourself is to get the game and play it. Just once... it's like crack for gamers. One run through and you'll get the basics. Then you'll just have to figure out that whole "takedown" thing, so you'll make another run. Now you have to get the gold medal on that last Crash Junction. Just 2,500 more points until you get a new car. The next thing you know, it's 3 A.M., you've been playing for about 9 1/2 hours, your eyes are as dry as a desert because you haven't been able to blink since you started racing for fear of hitting something and losing your 5 second lead, there is a permanent circle on your right thumb with an 'X' in the middle from smashing the accelerator for so long, and you just can't figure out why you can't feel your legs... Now you have to get up, take the game back to Blockbuster (because you rented it first like a smart gamer, right?) and make a stop at the game store on the way home so that you can brew up a pot of coffee and start playing all over again.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/04