Burnout 3: Takedown

"More than INTENSE"

What I like about this game is the SPEED. It is intense, sort of like old school F-Zero. Speeds becoming almost blinding, a lot of streaks along the edges show incredible speed. But, nevertheless, here's the breakdown.

GAMEPLAY - 10

The controls are almost perfect... I couldn't imagine any improvements in this area. The actual button pressing is kept super easy, only 4 buttons can get you through this game. This means it delivers an intense arcade-style racing game. I love Gran Turismo, but this is far from it. This game reminds me of a kid at the arcade playing all those crazy racing games.

SOUND - 10

The car sounds are superb, crashes, throttle, blah blah. The only thing holding it back is the narrator. He's kinda cheesy and is extremely repetitive. But after a while you tend to ignore him. If he gets to you, then just simply turn down his commentary. Most tracks are emo-punk so if you like that, then HURRAY! I do like a lot of punk, but not the poppy crap where the singer whines about ex-girlfriends and crap. Thank God there is a bit of diversity (Pennywise and others.)

CARS - 8

Given that this a arcade style racing game, the cars are a bit bland. How many versions of a "coupe" are there? This gets kinda annoying, but there are really cool unlockables like UPS trucks and Fire Trucks! This brings the value back up. Also, there are only two stats for cars, speed and weight. I laughed when I saw it, but after playing the game, these are probably only the two stats cars really need.

GRAPHICS - 9

Graphics are really cool. The "speed" aspect is great with streaks at high speeds. It really makes this game INTENSE. Also, there are no hiccups in the frame-rate department. After a week of solid playing, I haven't noticed any slow downs at all. Awesome coding, congrats to EA. Lighting effects are so-so, but who really cares, or notices when you're driving at incredible speeds? One thing for sure is good is the VANISHING POINT. On an open road, you can see well enough in the distance to swerve your car into another lane if traffic is coming. This aspect is extremely important.

RUBBERBAND EFFECT - 9

Everybody seems to hate this concept, but this racing game would suck otherwise. Use the rubberband effect to your advantage. Don't waste precious boost on the open road, wait til they catch up and ram the crap out of them. It's really not bad and adds intensity to the game.

Anybody who loves racing games should buy this. Hardcore Gran Turismo people should rent this first before throwing down $50. I can't speak for everyone, but this game, I believe, will be top 10 this year in many gamer magazines. As far as I'm concerned, it's a must-buy. Hope this review helps.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/04