Burnout 2: Point of Impact

"Crashing & Racing, Do Not Mix"

Having a sequel to “Burnout” is rather surprising to me. The surprise hit originals claim to fame was the true to life crashes. This was an unusual aspect to focus a racing game on due to the fact that the only object is to finish first; so why would you bother to crash just to catch a glimpse of these physics? It did partially establish itself from the other line of driving games due to this feature, but its one that gets milked dry before you even know it. The sequel is more of the same. “Burnout 2” is a rather tired attempt at an already crowded line of games. I stand by my belief that the racing genre is the most uninspired and lackluster line of games on any console and “Burnout 2” happens to be a prime example of it.

The problem comes from combining two elements that simply cannot be mixed into one: crashing and racing. It may not be that big of a deal if the crashes are a mere side feature to a driving game, but “Burnout 2” unfortunately focuses much of its gameplay on this so much in fact, that the racing portion seems dull and almost out of place. With that being said however, the crashes are astonishing at times, it’s no longer a mere fender bender that just nudges the car you rammed off to the side. It’s hard not to be moved when you see your replay in which you caused an eight car pile-up after soaring over twenty feet through the intersection upside down.

However, the majority of the game is all about placing first, which doesn’t constitute any reason for you to be crashing. While “Burnout 2” does encourage “dangerous” driving in which you accumulate a turbo meter for the time you spend going in the wrong direction of traffic. To win you must avoid crashing at all times. However when you do happen to finally bite the bullet and wipeout the competitors leave you in the dust while you are stuck watching your car crash in slow motion. The two elements simply don’t balance out in a game such as this. I do believe that “Acclaim” is on the right track in its design, and hopefully these amazing crash elements will be implemented in a game suited much better for it such as “Wreckless”. However, asides from those stunning crashes, there’s really nothing in “Burnout 2” that hasn’t been in every other racing game in history.

Graphics- 8
Gameplay- 7
Sound- 7
Overall- 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/04/03, Updated 07/04/03