"Easily the best racing game yet for the PSP"

INTRODUCTION:
Burnout. I doubt anybody hasn't heard of that game. It was first released in 2001, and though the game was fast, it wasn't anything special. That was until Burnout 2: Point of Impact came out. It was easily the best arcade racer, and was unsurpassed until 2004's Burnout 3: Takedown was released, which basically took racing, tore it inside out and has to be remembered as the most revolutionary game in the series. So now image putting those three games in a blender. Now you have Burnout: Legends. Just to get one thing out of the way: This is NOT a portable version of Burnout 4: Revenge, so don't expect it to be. This is just the best PSP racing game, and probably the best portable racing game ever.

GRAPHICS - 9/10:
Excellent stuff for PSP. It's not quite as sharp as Ridge Racer PSP, but it has an unmatched sense of speed. Although the first few cars don't seem that quick (I thought the game was like Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition PSP and had halved the sense of speed), once you get to ther coupes, you're driving some damn fast vehicles. And just wait until you get the World Circuit Racer (if you're good enough). Now THAT'S fast. The detail is excellent, and all the cars bash up brilliantly and have a nice shiny sheen. Why didn't it get 10? Because of two things: The frame-rate takes a hitch when you crash or the song changes, and sometimes the game is moving too fast for its own good, so you end up driving on nothing as the game can't load up the next part of the course.

SOUND - 7/10:
The engines sound brilliant, and that alone makes you feel like you're going super fast (the game is not quite the same on mute). There are a lot of punk rock tracks, but I don't like punk rock. Remember that annoying **** from Burnout 3, Stryker? His quips and commentary was about as funny as a slab of pavement. Well, he's not here, thank the bleeding Lord. The game sounds good, but nothing spectacular.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10:
This is where Burnout: Legends nails it. It's basically Burnout 3, with some gameplay elements of Burnout 1 & 2 as well, but it all fits in your pocket, making this one hell of a fun game. There are 175 events (I think), ranging from the regular Races, to the incredilby fun Road Rages, to the destruction-based Crashes, to the returning mode of Pursuit (which is cops and robbers, basically). The multiplayer is superb. Racing with 6 players is absolutely wonderful. And if that wasn't enough, this is one of the few PSP games that you can Game Share with your mates, so you can play someone even if they don't have the game!

LIFESPAN - 9/10:
It's long. Very long. If you go through the game without getting every gold medal, it will take about 10 hours. If you get every gold medal, which is obviously harder, expect it to take 12 hours. And if you plan on completing every Crsah event and/or getting a gold in them, expect that number to rise to about 20 hours, or more. The game is perfectly balanced difficulty-wise. And then you have multiplayer. Which will keep you coming back. And back.

OVERALL - 8.8/10 (rounded up to 9/10):
Quite simply, this is the best racing game yet for the PSP. I know many people love Ridge Racer, but if you want fast, long, and extremely fun races, then this is for you.

+ The sense of speed
+ Loads of events
+ 6 player multiplayer ad-hoc wifi Road Rage (rolls of the tongue, doesn't it?)

- Too much punk rock
- Some graphical issues
- A handheld Burnout: Revenge would've been better. It's moved things
further forward.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/12/05