Played on:
Xbox
Criterion Games have scored big with the Burnout games so far - the excellent graphics and solid racing have been the games' meat and potatoes, and the spectacular crashes give it that extra boost of eye candy that really pulls players in. One might have wondered exactly how Criterion would be able to top Burnout 2, but a few minutes with Burnout 3 will convince you that this is exactly how you beat your own benchmark.
Gaming juggernaut EA is on hand this year to publish the game, as they recently acquired Criterion in its entirety. Some of EA's overbearing marketing seeps into this game, but so far it seems that the deal has done more good than bad for Burnout 3.
The controls in Burnout 3 are about as simple as they can get - the right trigger is your gas pedal, the left trigger is your brake, and the A button supplies the boost that you get through doing risky maneuvers. If you crash during the single player mode, you can also hold down the A button to go into "impact time", which basically works as slow motion. It's not just for the eye candy, though!
The real innovation in this game is the ability to actually direct your car in impact time if you do crash. This way, you can send your car flying into the path of an enemy, causing him to crash as well; this is called an "Aftertouch Takedown". It's great fun to do this, and it really sets this game apart from just about every other racing title out right now.
The handling of each car is somewhat different, although this is undoubtedly less of a sim and more of an arcade game. You'll be hard pressed to find the subtle nuances between the variations of each car; weight and speed are the only variables that are even listed as the differences between the vehicles.
Put simply, Burnout 3 is one of the most gorgeous racing games ever made. Criterion are the guys behind the Renderware engine which has powered countless console games (Grand Theft Auto included), but they've really outdone themselves this time. The textures are sharp, the special effects are beautiful, and the frame rate is tip top. The environments are very nicely detailed, as your car can go flying off of a cliff to crash into rocks below. Even down there, the graphics still look pretty damn good.
The first thing you might notice, though, is that the cars all look excellent. You'll see reflections of any object you pass under on your roof, and the sun will glisten off the pavement in probably the most convincing way I've seen in a racing game yet. Combine this with the dizzying sense of speed (thanks to a couple of NFS Underground-style effects), and this game becomes a sight to be seen - even if you're only watching someone else play.
Then, there are the crashes. Burnout 3 models crashes to a very high detail, and are exceeded only by a few select sim games seen on the PC. The difference here, though, is that these crashes are encouraged and happen often - cause someone to crash in a race, and you'll get a slow-motion view of their car flipping, flying, and squashing itself to half of its length on a pillar. This is one of those instances where graphics add to gameplay; sure, Criterion didn't have to put this amount of effort forth, and they'd surely have a great game without the excellent crashes, but it simply makes playing the game that much more satisfying.
Burnout 3 includes a few major gameplay modes that work nicely in both single- and multiplayer action. There's the standard race (which, of course, still has plenty of crashing), a duel mode where you try to make as many opponents crash as you can, and then there's the dedicated Crash mode. Then there are the variants on each mode that you can play with, as well.
Some races will have you going one-on-one, and others do a knockout style of play. You'll be doing this across three continents (North America, Europe, and East Asia), each of which have a whole set of "tracks" for you to race on. Of course, these aren't exactly the traditional track, as you'll be racing on crowded highways and other streets with some innocent traffic in your way. This creates plenty of danger for you and your opponents, as you can easily be sent directly in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Risky moves are rewarded with some extra boost which can send you literally rocketing down the road at silly speeds. Driving into oncoming traffic, nearly missing cars, and sending other racers hurtling to their deaths will all add to your boost - and you'll need the stuff to win after getting a few hours into the game. If you can redeem a crash by doing an Aftertouch Takedown, you'll wind up actually better off when it comes to your boost bar. On top of this, Burnout 3 makes sure that one crash won't completely ruin your chances at winning, so it's ok to keep going even if you do make a mistake.
