Burnout 3: Takedown

"Makes me wonder why I didn't get this game sooner..."

This game is simply amazing. You don't even have to like racing games to enjoy this, because you will be too busy smashing other cars into walls to pay attention to what place you are in. I owned the first Burnout for the Gamecube, but it doesn't even come close to how good this one is.

Story: NA/10

Yeah, there's no story.. It's a racing game... Kind of. I guess you COULD make one up.. Like, you are an elite terrorist hunter, and you are chasing down suspected terrorists in their high powered cars, and the only way to defeat them, is to destroy them.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is where the real fun is! There are many modes to play, so first we will start out with Burnout: World tour. Basically you start out in the USA, with the "Compact car" class. As you do more events, and win gold medals, you will earn better cars. After a while you will open up events in Asia, and Europe.

Road rage mode is a race without laps to see how many "takedowns" you can get. (Takedowns are when you crash the enemy cars by slamming them into walls or other cars). You have to watch out though, because your opponents will be just as evil, and will try to take you out too. The more takedowns you do, the more points you get. The more points you get, the more cars you can unlock.

Crash mode is another fun mode with a set-up of cars in the road. The goal is to do as much destruction as you can before your time runs out. You can drive over pick-ups to gain more points. There is also something called a "Crashbreaker". When a certain number of cars have crashed, you will be able to make your car explode on command, causing even more damage. When time runs out, the game will count up the damage total, and give you money. The money is used to unlock more cars.

There are also regular races, and time attack modes too.

Another fun thing to do is, if you have broadband, and an Internet adaptor for the PS2 is to play online. There, you can play games against people from around the world.

If you don't have broadband, there is still regular multiplayer for 2 people.

One thing that can get frustrating about this game is how the AI "cheats". It seems no matter how much boost you have, you can only get ahead by a max of 5 seconds in front of the computer controlled cars. They can get very far ahead if you crash a lot.

A new feature that was added to this game is called "Aftertouch". If you crash your car, you can press a button to slow the game down and control your car a little bit to hopefully steer it into an opponent, which will give you bonus points for an "aftertouch takedown"!

Sound and Music 9/10

I personally think the music is very good in this game. It's mainly pop-rock or punk music, but that may not appeal to everyone. Some of the bands in the game are, Franz Ferdinand, The Explosion, Rise Against, Chronic Future, Ash, Jimmy Eat World, The Ramones, Yellowcard, Sugarcult, and so on.

The sounds are very good too, especially if you have surround sound. They are your regular racing sounds, explosions, glass breaking, car horns, engines roaring, and more.

One thing that bothers me a bit in this game is DJ Crash. It's like you're in the middle of enjoying a song, and all of a sudden, he breaks through and says something about where he is right now, and what he's doing. There is a feature to turn him off though if you get annoyed with him. He is mainly there though to give you tips on where to do takedowns.

Graphics 10/10

Very nice! Everything is very detailed, from glass shattering when you crash, to the damage on the cars. In Road Rage mode, your car doesn't recover, so you will have your doors open, all your windows broken, your bumper falling off, your hood gone, and so on. They did a very good job, as usual.

Replay value: 9/10

With the online feature, you will never have the same experience twice. There are also worldwide stats you can try to beat if you think you are good enough online. There are also hundreds of things to unlock in this game, including new cars, tracks, and more!

Buy or Rent? BUY!

For $20, this game can't be beat! Like I said before, even if you don't like racing games, you will still enjoy this one a lot. Go on and give it a try! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/05