Burnout 3 isn’t just the typical update. Yes, it features new cars, new tracks and new modes, but it is so much has changed that it feels like an entirely new game. Not even being published by EA can take away from the brilliance of Burnout 3.
As mentioned above, Burnout 3 comes with new cars, tracks and game modes. The cars vary from Mustang look-a-likes, to even zany firetrucks. New modes include a road rage mode (take down a set number of cars as quickly as possible) and a hot lap challenge. The biggest addition to the game is the whole new “Takedown” move. Takedown involves eliminating your opponent from competition, which will gain the player more boost and will add to their Takedown meter. Every time a player performs a “Takedown” move, the camera will slow and spin around the car which has been eliminated - similar to the Matrix effect.
The addictive crash mode from Burnout 2 has been retained, but given a thorough working over. There are now loads more crash venues which are much more creative than before, and power ups which have been added to the crash venues. The power ups will give boost, multiply scores, cash bonuses and minus points. It adds a bit more variety to the crash mode, and allows for some seriously incredible combos. When a required number of cars have been damaged in crash mode, the game will activate crash breaker mode. Crash breaker mode allows the player to make their car explode in a fiery wreck, causing immense damage and creating severe carnage.
Xbox Live support is fully supported this time around, so players can go head to head online with many modes including double crash, party crash and single race. A comprehensive rankings system also ranks players according to their win / loss record. The online aspect is sensational and allows for some extremely intense races. One thing to note though is that it is impossible to play players which use 50HZ as Burnout 3 features full 60HZ support.
A single event option is also included for quick racing action, but the real single player mode lies in the Burnout 3 World Tour Mode. Burnout 3 World Tour Mode will take players through three continents. Playing through the World Tour Mode will unlock cars, in a way similar to Need For Speed: Underground. Obtaining the required number of points will unlock many things, but is primarily used to unlock cars. There are a tonne of options and unlockables in Burnout 3, which help to extend the game play time significantly. Before each race a teaser menu will come up with a hidden vehicle shown and the requirement to unlock the vehicle stated. This is a great way to entice gamers to keep playing. Aside from that there are a lot of objectives which players must fulfil to unlock the best vehicles. These are ridiculously hard to unlock, but the reward is well worth it.
The general feel of Burnout 3 hasn’t really changed. It is amazing that with all the upgrades, Burnout 3 still feels like a Burnout title. The game runs at a constant 60FPS and, as mentioned above, supports 60HZ mode for added speed. Unfortunately though, there is still no “save replay” option. There are times when accidents are so brilliant that all you want to do is show them to your friends later. Unfortunately, this is not an option.
The graphics are the biggest improvement in Burnout 3. Burnout 2 looked great, but the environments were a lot smaller. Burnout 3 has bigger environments (with much more detail), better looking cars and a very slick interface. The menu system is very similar to Need For Speed: Underground, and simple to navigate. EA have included a lot of statistics for players to obsess over, which is always good.
One of the poorer aspects of Burnout 3 is the music. The EA Games Trax feature Franz Ferninand and Jimmy Eat World, but aside from those two musicians, the soundtrack is extremely sub-par (...Sure it isn't sub-par BECAUSE of those bands? - Ed). The DJ becomes extremely monotonous, very fast. Fortunately though, the Xbox version of Burnout 3 supports custom soundtracks, so you can stop listening to the EA Games Trax all together.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, Burnout 3 is a sensational title - it is highly addictive, and features a lot of unlockables for those who are trying to get every inch out of their dollar. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though the Need For Speed: Underground 2 demo made it into the Xbox PAL version though. We searched the game high and low and couldn’t find it - the price you pay for having the game earlier than Americans.
Burnout 3 takes Burnout 2, completely reworks it, adds a stack of variety, speeds up the game play, introduces more modes to take full advantage of the crashes and never stops sending out the challenges. It is the arcade racer to own, bar none. For those of you who are thinking that Burnout is too similar to Need For Speed to warrant a purchase we urge you to reconsider. Both of these games are worth owning on their own merit, and are completely different. We have severe trouble faulting Burnout 3. The two main issues are the poor music selection and being unable to save a reply. Aside from that, Burnout 3 is a ridiculously fast racer than will have you coming back for more.
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