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| Drift Speed! |
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| Grinding Power! |
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| Deep Impact! |
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| Sparks fly! |
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| | Burnout 3: Takedown |
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| Number Of Players: | 2 |
| I-link/Internet: | Online Play |
| Publisher: | Electronic Arts |
| Developer: | Criterion Games |
| Genre: | Insane Racing |
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| | Full Review: |
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Blinking, a natural action that we take for granted. Rarely do we even notice its happening, but things will change with the arrival of the third installment in the Burnout series. This game is so fast that in order to play with any degree of success, you will have to sacrifice blinking for long periods of time during races, and its only then that you realise just how important it is.
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| | Gameplay |
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Since Electronic Arts took up the Burnout series after Acclaim went under, things are a little more accessible and easy to understand. Its far easier to simply pick up and play, and also comes with all the EA extras, and presentation gimmicks. On the plus side, this means a demo of the Fast and the Furious styled game, Need for Speed Underground 2, due Christmas 2004. Its Criterion that have really done the work though as they take Burnout to an all new level with eye crushing speeds, and a massive set of cars to race, and of course destroy.
The major step this time is the use of Takedowns. The way to win races has always been to use boost, acquired by taking risks such as skimming the paint on nearby cars, or driving like a lunatic down the wrong side of the road. These tactics still work, but with less effect. The insane idea this time, carrying the most reward, is the takedown, which basically involves you making an opponent crash. You can push them into other cars, or into walls, or even over walls into harbours, buildings, lamposts, and basically any obstacle you see.
Where some new ideas can be seen as simple gimmicks, the takedowns truly aren't. They develop the gameplay significantly, adding a whole new level of fun. A takedown becomes a natural thing, and always carries a great sense of satisfaction. Its not all good news though as you can also be on the receiving end of a takedown, ending up in a wall you never expected to be anywhere near, left to cry in a pile of shattered metal and flaming rubber. This feature though is carried into new game modes, expanding on the usual "race or crash". There are now takedown events designed specifically for you to demolish as many opponents as possible.
This brings the game nicely to crash mode, nicely expanded from Burnout 2. With hundreds of crash junctions and specific crash vehicles such as fire engines and lorries, this mode feels like its almost a game in itself this time, rather than a simple tag-on. In addition to this there are other targets such as special events, signature takedowns (usually involving a special location or third party vehicle), and other time trials, each adding to the depth of the game.
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| | Graphics |
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Without going into another blinking speech, I have to say again how brain achingly fast this game is. To truly master the super cars (there are entire classes of cars including coupes, sports, muscle and specials this time), the concentration required is draining. There is literally no slowdown, no matter hom complicated things get on screen. Despite the upgrade to five opponents from three in previous games, Burnout simply does not relent in its awesome speed. Detail is also maintained with crashes that actually look beautiful as tiny shards of metal scatter from your car, and small puffs of smoke emerge as sparks fly in all directions.
Graphically its only criticism could be that the cars in each class often look a little too similar, but there is a rich diversity amongst the general traffic on the streets, and also the special cars unlocked later on. With speed like this, Burnout is going to be hard to beat for looks.
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| | Sound |
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Sound effects in the game are a solid mixture of screeching tyres, powerful engines, and tearing metal, bringing together all the racing elements. The satisfying takedown noises, and ear smashing crash effects are however brought down by the Electronic Arts DJ system. Whilst it may have worked with EA Bigs SSX 3, the mixture of songs and DJ comments in Burnout 3 just doesn't seem to quite gel with the gameplay. The music in Burnout 2 had been a major asset, as it adapted to the boosting and speed of your car, adding in extra riffs to suit the frantic speeds, but this is dropped in favour of today's more popular songs, and an inferior DJ.
Its not the end of the world though, since the songs aren't all terrible, and it may suit the younger generation more, but this was a missed trick, possibly thanks to the EA influence.
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| | Overall |
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Despite the DJ though, this is one of the finest racing games around, and will surely stay this way at least until Gran Turismo 4 arrives. The speed is simply second to none, and the takedowns make this the most impressive of the Burnout games yet.
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| Score |
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| | Gameplay
Some annoying moments, but perfect speed racing.
| 9.3 | |
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Graphics
Damn its fast. Really, really, really fast.
| 9.7 |
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Lastability
Tonnes of stuff to do, and a proper crash mode.
| 9.6 |
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Sound
The radio system is a poor choice. EA's fault?
| 8.8 |
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Overall
Play now, blink later. Its the only way.
| 9.5 |
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| | Alternatively: |
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You could also check out Gran Turismo 3, for a more serious look at racing.
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