Burnout Revenge

"Going all out!"

Something that I have been waiting a long time for has finally come true. I've always been critical of EA for their constant rehash and predatory business tactics to drive out competitors with a better product. EA has relied on licenses to propel them to success, but with that success they forgot about the ingredients that make a great game. I've never experienced a Burnout game before. I now regret that decision. Burnout Revenge is a title that redeems EA and its many atrocities. Okay, maybe not to that extent, but it goes a long way for them to rectify their brand equity in my eyes. Burnout Revenge is a slick racer that combines tight mechanics and chaos. Chaos is filled throughout the course, as you smash your way through it and laugh maniacally as multiple cars are sent flying to its doom.

Insurance companies' worst nightmare…

For once, you don't have to worry about driving recklessly. Don't worry about the 5-o pulling you over, or causing a massive accident that will increase your insurance rate drastically. In fact, driving like a drunken maniac is promoted. Burnout Revenge mishmash driving elements with a care free peddle to the metal mentality that in the end produces a type of racer that can only be described as insane. Burnout Revenge was first release on the Xbox and PS2. I never got a chance to try it out on the system, but luckily for me, Revenge went through a graphical overhaul and was reintroduced as a full fledge next generation title. Surprisingly, the game still looks very good. For someone who hasn't played the last generation counterparts, playing through the Xbox 360 version has been a pleasure.

There are different types of events that one can go through. For example, some will include nasty take downs where you have to slam your opponent into oblivion or others like a simple grand prix where you accumulate points for winning a race. Another interesting mode is slamming into traffic and trying to cause as much damage as possible. So if you cause over a certain amount of monetary damage. In some courses, you can witness some massive pile ups as you start ramming into cars to earn that money. The physics does seem a bit exaggerated, but it does add flair to the game by introducing some nasty crashes that would otherwise make you squeal like a little girl if you saw it in real life.

There is also one particular mode that is similar, but instead of gaining monetary value over a course, you try to cause as much damage as possible by going head on to heavy traffic. Once you hit that first car, it starts a train reaction, which follows with your car blowing up and causing massive damage. While an interesting concept, I thought it was sort of pointless to have this mode.

One issue that arises is the game's hit and miss controls. To be fair, the game's control are more on the side of a hit than it is on a miss, but there are times when the controls felt a bit clunky. For the most part however, the game control with grace and fluidity. Making the sharp turns should be relatively difficult because of how fast you're going, but Criterion was able to make the transition easy. The ability to swerve from left to right lets you pass up a fellow racer or to block them off from passing. The fluidity of the controls in this situation makes that possible. However, there were times where the control didn't control as well. This happened whenever you were trying to make quick movements. But overall, the controls felt good.

Rivals, Rivals, Rivals

Perhaps the best part of the game is the ability to perform take downs and build up a rivalry. In a lot of these competitions, the action was hectic. While trying to focus on winning the race, you have fellow racers trying to drive you into a concrete wall. This was extreme. Going through this type of event is simply intense. Not only are you focusing on the road ahead, but also potential assassins. Luckily for you though, you can slam them right back and causing a nice looking accident (in this case, it's more intentional than accidental). As you are going through the courses, there will be times where you're just trying to ram the other guy straight to oblivion. It's nerve racking and produces a lot of intense moments.

The graphics for the most part was solid. You can tell that the game was released on the PS2 and Xbox because there are moments where the graphics didn't seem up to par with a lot of the game released. One thing that I felt was a strong point from a technical aspect was its frame rate. With all the high speed moments and numerous crashes, the game still runs exceptionally well. The car models of course looked nice and made you want to go behind the wheel of that beast. Now the musical soundtrack was definitely a big plus. There were a lot of songs and tunes that were quite fitting of the environment in Burnout Revenge.

Just missed first place

Had it not been for some of the control issues, the game would have simply been a great. Now don't get me wrong, the game is still a fabulous experience, but it just came up short from being magnificent. Burnout Revenge is packing with tracks, cars, and mayhem. If you're not looking for an overly serious racer, but at the same time want a racer that utilizes cars that you're interested in, then Burnout Revenge is that perfect racer. It's far more arcade like than realistic, but it definitely offers something unique – at least to me, a person who has never played a Burnout game before. Now if you have an Xbox 360, then by all means pick up this title. It's that simple – it's just a good title to have fun and play. With that said, EA and Criterion should still be applauded because there is much to love about this game.

Fast - I like my cars fast...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/07