Burnout 3: Takedown

"Takedown... and buy."

I consider myself a safe driver, but I am only a safe driver, because I have the ability to suppress those urges to do something reckless. There is that sporadic inclination to slam into another car or mow through a mailbox-- but I resist. Thankfully, the world of video games has given us a chance to do what we've always wanted to do but knew we couldn't get away with. Burnout 3 is just that.

Graphics:
A big plus for Burnout is its great sense of speed. This game actually looks like it's driving by at 200 mph. Even though there's no time to stop and admire the scenery, it's apparent all locations were constructed with care, because they blend and blur believably. This blurring may be a clever way to mask rendering problems, but the Xbox version doesn't feel that way (the PS2 version, on the other hand, blurs way too much). Oh, and crashing is very rewarding to watch. The load times are fairly unobtrusive, but they do get a bit thick in the Impact mode. Because Impact runs are so short, you end up spending more time loading than you do playing.

Sound:
Does EA have original music anymore? Once again, their soundtrack consists of licensed songs. This covers a wide variety of rock, from Fall Out Boy to New Found Glory. None of it is notably great, but it seems to fit the atmosphere of the game. As you drive and listen to music, a DJ will periodically intervene to give you "live" updates, etc. It's not very relevant being in the game, but it isn't that annoying, either. The best touches, though, are when you look at your crash in slow-motion. Here, the game throws in random screams and eerie music that totally change the atmosphere. Very nice.

Gameplay:
Burnout 3's World Tour covers several events across the US, Europe, and the Far East. These events are split into two main types: racing and crashing. The latter, called Impact, puts you en route to a busy intersection and lets you cause as much damage as possible in a single wreck. It's highly entertaining but suffers from some rigid load times. The other half of the World Tour plays out much better, thankfully. Racing is even cut into other sub-categories, including Road Rage, Elimination, and Time Trials. Races take place on typically busy roadways, so you'll have to maneuver around civilian cars as well as fight with the competition. The ability to brawl with the other racers is an awesome addition. While the game is incredibly fast (bordering on almost impossible to keep up with), it's still easy to battle. Road Rage is even focused on taking down other racers. You can smash opponents into the railing or push them in front of a bus, among other things, causing them to crash with pleasing results. These "takedowns" in return add to your boost meter, but crashing yourself subtracts from it. Boost also comes from taking risks like driving on the wrong side of the road or narrowly escaping an imminent wreck. These are all elements I've always wanted in a racing game, and now they're here-- and they're perfect!

Controls:
I'm a little angry I missed the "Racing Games Convention" where everybody decided to make the gas the trigger from then on. Having to keep a trigger button pulled hurts my finger and keeps me from playing a game as long as I want. Wait-- maybe that's good. Regardless, developers should at least put in an option to allow you to change this. The PS2 version even uses the face buttons, so there's no excuse. The trigger setup works, though, aside from the fact that it's physically uncomfortable. Drifting isn't as wild as it is in games like Ridge Racer, but it's effective and feels great. As you blaze down the road and narrowly miss three or four collisions in a row, you can't help but notice how well everything plays out.

Frustration:
Anyone who has been in an automobile accident knows that crashing causes problems. Likewise, despite the fun of crashing in Burnout, there are repercussions in the design. First, it is way too easy to wreck. You can bump and grind with the direct competition all you want, but you cannot touch civilian cars without crashing. It seems really ridiculous to spin out simply by side-swiping another vehicle. There really should have been some leeway. Crashing itself (or more likely, crashing and going into slow-motion) sometimes jars the game. Several times, I've been eight seconds behind the car in first place, wrecked, then wound up 15 seconds ahead. While I shouldn't complain about something which helps me, it can also happen to my disadvantage, and it's an irritating glitch.

Lasting Appeal:
There is a lot of content to Burnout 3 (i.e. more cars and levels). Earning these is relatively easy as most events only require a bronze medal to continue. If you want "it all," however, you'll have to fight for all golds, which is a much more difficult task. It's well worth it, though, not because the rewards are all that fancy but because the game is so great. Every time I play Burnout, I experience a near miss or insane crash unlike any I'd seen before. The quality of this game is outstanding, making it something that is always fun to play. Burnout also takes advantage of Xbox Live with a slew of multiplayer features, but I have not been able to try these myself. My experience has been restricted to the two-player splitscreen. This is still enjoyable, though, particularly when playing Road Rage. It would have been nice to see four-player splitscreen for those of us who don't want to invest in Xbox Live, but seeing as how the game is already pushing technical limits, four-player splitscreen would probably kill the framerate.

Overall:
When I play Burnout 3, I feel like a little kid again experiencing racing games for the first time. I typically don't like realistic racing, preferring something more surreal like Mario Kart. Burnout, on the other hand, is sheer fun. Intense speeds and satisfying wrecks are a sweet combination. It's a shame the joy of Impact mode is ruined by some tedious load times. These don't mar the rest of the game, fortunately, which is why I'm still putting this at the top of my recommended list.

Points:
+ Fast and intense
+ Plenty of content
+ Crashing rules!
-- But it's too easy to wreck
-- Tedious Impact load times

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/05