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Infuriating, to say the least!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: June 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Good news first-- yes, it's fast (well, that's a mixed blessing, as I'll explain later) and the graphics and audio are both very nice. Oh, and the Road Rage mode (driving around a circuit and ramming into other cars) is a sadistically entertaining time killer.

The bad news-- I never before used so many expletives when playing a video game. My neighbors must think I've lost my mind since I cannot play this game for more than five minutes without swearing loudly at my television. While the sense of speed is well done, it just makes gameplay FAR too difficult. There are plenty of times you won't even notice an oncoming car until you've rammed into it. This is made even more frustrating by the game's entirely unforgiving nature-- in fastest lap competitions, you need to drive almost flawlessly to get even the minimum qualifying time. Crash once, and you're pretty much out of it. On the other hand, if you don't drive at top speed, with almost constant boost, you're also out of it. In regular racing modes, you can be ahead of the competition by 20-30 seconds, but crash once, and the competitors will suddenly be far ahead of YOU.

This frustration could have been allievated if the designers had the good sense to include a difficulty level option. But, no such luck.

The Crash Mode is entertaining at first. Sure, it's completely brainless (drive into an intersection and cause as much havoc as possible), but there's something fun about it. But the designers managed to screw this up as well. The are "power-ups" on the crash courses that can either multiply your score, add cash to your total winnings, or cut your score in half. Sorry, but driving around and trying to aim for (or avoid) certain icons just detracts from the experience of ramming into an intersection. And, of course, the designers thought it would be amusing to place the detrimental icons in the places you're most likely to drive, so even if you have a spectacular collision, your score will be miniscule. Thanks, guys. This IS supposed to be fun, isn't it?

While on the subject of Crash mode-- the loading can get annoying when you need to keep replaying an particular event. It first loads the track and shows you a preview of where those wonderful icons are. Then it reloads the track for some unknown reason so you can actually play it. Then it has a completely pointless 3-2-1 countdown before you can start racing. This is no problem if you only play a particular Crash event once or twice, but if you get stuck replaying it multiple times, it can piss you off because it will go through this whole procedure each time.

One other complaint-- almost EVERYTHING in the game is locked until you start winning events. So, when you first play the game, you're limited to three cars (with no discernable differences other than color), and one (yes, ONE) track. That's just stupid game design.

I wish I could have rated this game higher. I was excited to get it, loved the concept, and expected much, much more. As it is, I think I'll be returning this. I play games to have fun, not to get pissed off.

Wow - what a disappointment...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I loved Burnout 2. Loved it. Whenever a few friends would come round for drinks B2 would be slapped in. Sure the racing was nice and opening cars and tracks added to the games' longevity but for the most fun you had to have a 'crash' party. When Burnout 3 was announced I was stoked - new cars, better graphics, extra modes and of course - more crashes!

Unfortunately, this game is ruined for me for two reasons - firstly, during racing Burnout 3 has the single most cheating AI ever. Full stop. You can be *20+ seconds* ahead and crash and be at the back. Now I may not be a Phd here but unless the crash took 20+ seconds to happen there is no physical way they could have caught up. Crashes take a couple of seconds. So how did the AI cars manage to catch up? Simply put, they cheat. The game uses rubber-banding to ensure the cars are only ever a certain distance away. Want to check that - try going slow... meander along at 30 mph and the opponents will too. This took ANY skill away from the racing aspect of the game.

Okay but there's still crash mode right? Well amazingly enough the developers took the pure simplicity of B2's crash mode and turned it into a fiasco. Point one - crashing was all about chance. You chose a vehicle, raced like mad and picked the most opportune time to crash. After that it was in the hands of the panel-beating gods. In B3 however you have 'aftertouch'; you can now control your car's direction to some degree in mid-air. This takes away chance and replaces it with skill and this is a step backward. The final nail in B3 crash modes coffin is the multilpliers. Dotted around the crash levels are little childish bonus icons that give you extras and, as such, render the crash levels to be nothing more than collecting tasks. There's NO point attempting to not go for the 4x multiplier. None. So once you have scored it, you're pretty much done with that crash level. No more choosing the right time to crash or experimenting with various methods. In Burnout 3 crashing is ALL about hitting that 4x. Nothing more. The replay is also awful - it's EXACTLY what you saw during the game - just behind the vehicle. No cameras cuts to enhance the fun.

You also HAVE to play the other modes to unlock crash modes first. Again this is a departure from B2 - WHY?

So that leaves Road Rage Takedown - the only part of B3 that added from B2 but that didn't hold my interest for long.

Graphically it's all candy for the eyes as to be expected, but if you're a massive fan of Burnout 2 then expect some major changes in B3 that, in my opinion, ruin the game.

fun at first but...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: March 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After reading all the rave reviews i decided to plunk down on this game. i should have rented it first. the graphics are good except for when you are going so fast you can't see the traffic in front of you untill you are smashing into it from behind whihc is fun at first but quicly becomes purely frustrating . i found myself squinting at a 37" tv set trying to pick out tail lights a mile ahead of me. in career mode you face a variety of challenges from racing to biggest crashes. racing is okay but the PLACE WHERE THIS GAME SHINES IS in the "Road Rage" challenges where have to run your fellow competitors of the road and into obstacles. this is tremendous fun and never gets old. however, road rage cometition makes up only a small fraction of the challenges and you are left with the lame stuff (crash party, fastest lap, etc)and long loading times in between. this game should have been all about Road Rage instead you waste your time on the tedious junk trying to get to the next RR challenge. ANOTHER PROBLEM is that even when you unlock larger vehicles you can't seem to access them. most of the challenges issue you a car to use where all you can choose is the color. collecting points and money is meaningless because you never unlock firetrucks or busses to play Road Rage events with. I DO NOT PLAY ONLINE but this would be a great game to have if you can play in road rage mode on line. other wise it's a GREAT RENTAL but a let down to own. this game can not touch my FAVORITE GAME "WIPEOUT" (PSX). none ever has. wish i could play Fusion.

Very disappointed

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 11
Date: January 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After seeing all the reviews and playing another driving game (Project Gotham Racing 2 - PGR2), I was expecting a great game, basically PGR2 with more intense crashing. I returned the game after one night of playing.

The driving physics feels very poor after playing PGR2. PGR2 slid more accurately in turns and vibration was used more effectivly in sliding and crashing. Takedown barely used controller vibration. I was hoping that the game was buggy and an XBOX live update would have fixed it, but to no avail.

not very fun.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 15
Date: July 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this game has great graphics but something is just wrong with it. not real cars. on this game you win nice sports cars sometimes but whats the use of screwing it up by crashing all the time in this game. the whole game is based on crashing. pretty much only one thing is cool about this. the sounds of sports cars. i would by something else.

Hot fun title has many glaring faults!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: July 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Burnout 3 has been out for quite a while now and has been garnered a stint on the Greatest Hits line now which is great with a $20 price tag on it. I had heard nothing but ultimate praise for this game and had never played a previous version but $20 bucks was too hard to pass up so I bought it. First off for those interested. At $20 this game is definitely worth it.

The first day I played this game with several friends and we had a blast. Unfortunately there was only one course, one crash junction, and 3 identical cars available. This was frustrating to say the least as we wanted an enjoyable multiplayer game but seeing as how we had to spend several hours unlocking things we tired easily.

The game at first impression was great. Amazing speed and graphics, a lot of fun, and smashing each other up seems like it would never stop being fun. Well once my buddies left the game soured on me.

Single player is a drab experience. The first 30 or so events are a lot of fun and somewhat challenging with good racing and excitement. Problem is by about 30 events you have seen everything the game has to offer. They boast a whole ton of race modes in the description however many of them are the same thing. You really have time challenge, race (6 players or vs. 1), rage (destruction derby), and crash mode. Multiplayer has numerous options but most are only a variation of the crash game and the rest are only available online so I wouldn't know about them.

Crash mode was great fun. I love the wanton destruction and the after touch ability made getting the cash and powerups fun and challenging. Problem was there are an insane number of these in the game. We're talking like 70+ different junctions. I mean smashing into traffic is a lot of fun but try it 30 or 40 times in a row and you will get bored. Plus some intersections are not only difficult just downright stupid. To achieve gold you have to have the patience of a seamstress to constant replay over and over again as you try and blow yourself up and reverse directions to get 4x multipliers. Worse are the load times! Why so many and so long??? When I replay a level that just loaded why does it take forever and go back through all the original screens? Could have been done better.

When it comes to racing the most fun you will have will come early. The most enjoyment I had was the first 20 or so races. They are the most interesting to fight with the competition and really see some good crashes. Problem is the lack of diversification in races makes it really monotonous later on and as the competition gets better you just get frustrated more often. And as for unlockable cars. Yeah there are 70+ in the game but they are all the same! I mean for every class there are about 7 or 8 cars and they are either one of two body models with slightly different paint schemes and virtually no difference performance wise. Seeing as how you can change the color of any car the need for more of the same model in different paint scheme was unnecessary. Plus having to constantly win new events to unlock the same car over and over bored the heck out of me.

As you progress through the game and finally get better cars you will find the game starts to become almost unplayable. As speed increases the screen blurs. Add this to crazy backgrounds, intense light effects, and hard to see cars, tracks can quickly turn a person with 20-20 vision into a sniveling blind man. There just is too much going on in the environments for a person to be able to handle the high speeds of some of the cars. You will be smashing into obstacles and oncoming traffic all the time and swear you never saw it. Things like intense sun glare on the pavement hide civilian traffic almost to the point of stealth for instance. Worse is in some levels the crash physics are not always equal. On some tracks you can careen around the track at top speed clipping walls or other obstacles almost head on with no effect and in others if you so much as touch a wall it will crash you. This was my ultimate frustration. After 50+ gold medals I have the physics down pretty well in races only to have my time trial thwarted by rubbing a wall and going into an elaborate crash. This will frustrate anyone looking for the game to be constant over the course. It also makes the annoying time trial missions virtually impossible with some cars. These missions require you to run at top speed, almost constantly boost engaged without crashing once. Some tracks allow you one or two mess-ups but most of the advance courses require you to run a perfect lap. Add in that you can't see traffic or obstacles, boost blurs your vision, and the crash engine is not always equal. Makes these races a virtual frustration of agonizing proportions.

Overall I found the novelty value of this game great. It's basically Tony Hawk with cars. High-speed arcade fun with a lot of annoying quirks. The music is nothing special. I could have cared less about most of it but some songs are decent. The graphics I'd say are slightly above average. Mostly the crash scenes add to my assessment but standard-racing scenes won't blow your socks off. Control is functional. There is a decent physics engine so it has some realism to it even though it's an arcade racer and that was nice. Story wise or evolvement was an utter disappointment. Screaming and swearing through one race just to unlock another one 173 times over with about 10 different cars (car types not individual models) doesn't have the kind of lasting appeal I expected from this title.

I would say Burnout 3 will deliver to the hardcore fans who loved the originals and newbies will like it for a bit but those average gamers looking for some fun may want to stay back and rent this title for a weekend as it will keep you entertained for a while but annoy you forevermore.

Almost perfect, with just a bit of cheap

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

THE SHORT: Super fast, loads of modes and options, tons of unlockable stuff, 2 players, custom soundtracks. It'd be perfect if not for a tiny bit of cheap.

THE LONG: First, let me get that "cheap" comment out of the way. To begin with, this game is fun. Very fun. I'm no racing fan, and I loved it. I played it for 9 straight hours when I bought it. I usually only do that for role playing games.

But it's during this extended play that I did start to notice something. I was learning the controls and doing progressively well, but then when I took on a 3-race Grand Prix challenge, I started to see that no matter how fast I went or how many times I hit them, my opponents were always able to appear right behind, or in front of me. What always kills a racing game is when the computer just gets cheap and makes the drivers experts who never screw up. Although this doesn't always happen, I have seen a few spots where it sure seems to. If I can constantly use turbo, not crash, and spin around corners without hitting the walls, should the other drivers just be expected to be right there doing just as well, only to whip right past me for good if I dare to make one mistake?

Well, I reiterate: This has happened to me on only 2 or 3 of the stages I've played through, and thankfully, out of a combined 15 hours so far, that's a pretty good ratio.

The rest of this game, I'm happy to say, has been fantastic. As I said, I don't like racing games, but upon seeing this one in action and reading the astonishingly positive reviews, I just had to check it out, and there's a lot to do. You can race against the computer, take on a friend, try causing huge pileups in specific "crash junctions", and do other stuff like see how many cpu-controlled drivers you can smash off the road before your car finally expires. You can do any of this at any time, or take on the "world tour" mode, where something new, be it a track, car, award, etc., is unlocked after you successfully complete a course. And although certain courses are geared to be unlocked only after clearing the ones before it, for the most part you can sort of go back and forth between what stuff you want to do.

The action itself, whether in world tour or just freeform mode, is exhilirating. You are directly encouraged to do as much damage to other drivers as possible, while of course avoiding collisions yourself. Even after a good couple thousand destroyed opponents, it's still satisfying to ram a driver against a guardrail and watch the car flip into the air in slo-mo. The graphics and sounds are fantastic too, making every crash (even your own) seem realistic yet impossible, and at some points, even cringe-worthy.

Crash mode is fun too, as you repeatedly get to try ramming your car into certain areas of a small track, trying to cause as much damage as you can in the time you're given. If you're lucky, you can maneuver into bonus points and things like that as well. It's a lot of destructive fun.

There's no big customization or fine tuning involved in this game. Over time you'll unlock dozens of cars (although several are pretty similar), and the only thing you have to worry about is which ones are the fastest and lightest. No other statistics necessary.

And as I said, there's a lot to do, because even though this is basically a fast, arcade style destruction derby, there are still tons and tons of things to unlock for incentive. You start with a few cars and a track or two, but by the end of my first night I had about 20 cars and a dozen tracks. That's about a third. There are rewards and feats to win, too. Cause another car to get rammed under a bus, that's a reward. Cause more than a million dollars in crash mode, that's a reward. Cause more than 40 wrecks. Wreck three cars at once. A huge list of your progress is kept and there's always something to do. The only real problem I had with the game is that you can't re-map the buttons. The controls are good, and easy to learn, but since the R trigger is the accelerate button, your finger will be getting sore after a while, and it would've been nice to change this.

The custom soundtrack feature, obviously exclusive to the Xbox, is a fantastic thing to have in this game. But you can't use it during two-player, for what I can only assume are memory reasons. Also, I mentioned before that some of the tracks or individual races can really get frustrating, due to how invincible and perfect the computer seems to be. Again, this has only happened to me a couple times and the majority of the game has not felt so difficult so far. Besides, you can work on other progress such as unlocking cars and other things, then try that difficult track later. I don't want my races to be cakewalks, but after doing well all day, having a sudden group of wonder drivers eliminating me drops this game from a perfect score.

But, hey, what I've played so far has still been great fun. The minutiae of the game's modes and details are too many for me to go into here, but rest assured that although this game is essentially pick up and play, there is so much to do that you won't get sick of it after a half hour, such as similar games like Crazy Taxi (which, especially given the control scheme, feels a lot like this game). I think the best way I can put it is this: I just plain do not like racing games. But this one was fast enough, addicting enough, unique enough, agressive enough, deep enough, replayable enough, and FUN enough, for me to not only like it but to have spent double digit hours with it and still find absolutely worth playing.

If the game doesn't stay cheap like the part I'm hung up on now, then I will definitely assert that it's the best racer ever made.

BURNOUT 3 almost perfect.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: September 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I picked up Burnout 3 on 9/8/04 and I have to say I was impressed. The graphics and speed are amazing on the XBOX(unsure what PS2 offers) I also like the little touches like the sounds of the gears switching, whoosh as you pass other cars and the sound of the fire when you use the boost. My biggest complaint is the soundtrack. Completely terrible and would have expected more since Criterion games is in UK. This is my biggest dissappointment. Keep the alternative rock for skateboard games not for solid racing. Even a soundtrack like GTA 3 would have blown this ones away. SOUNDTRACK SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING LIKE ENERGY DRIVEN ELECTRONICA!!! The Soundtrack for one and two of the burnout series were better than this one. I shouldn't have to put in my own cd in the stereo while turning this crap off. I hope the artist licensing didn't cost too much because it was a waste. Also where is Pursuit mode? :(
Glad i still have burnout 2 for the PS2.

The first to reward you for crashing....spectacularly !

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The racing style of Burnout 3 is new to me. The Need for Speed series was extremely popular, yet it was just another racing game that offered only a little in terms of overall versatility.The race is only confined to just out-speeding your opponent to win rewards. But the concept of Burnout 3 is different and surprising, to say the least. This isn't a game where you out - gun your opponent by stepping on the gas pedal and sveltly moving your car. Here, you are rewarded by actually taking your opponent down !. You gain points by crashing into your opponent and send him flying out of the circuit. By doing so, you gain special energy in the form of 'Boost" which when activated, simply propels your car to breathtaking speeds. The end result, is a game that offers you purely satisfying experience and leaves you wanting more.....

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound....

The real star of Burnout 3 is undoubtedly its gameplay. You are pitched against other cars and you gain points or win the race by crashing them into various objects like civilian vehicles, road-bends etc. You earn 'Boost' by doing so. When activated, 'Boost' speeds up your car exponentially thus giving you the potential to out-race your opponents or causing greater damage when taking them down. You increase your Boost meter by taking down others, or you lose your meter if your opponent takes you down!. When you crash, you can slow down and slightly steer your car to make an 'After touch' takedown that, if successfully accomplished, maintains your Boost meter intact. Takedowns are real fun and the variety of ways by which you can do so is immense. This adds a lot to replay value. In the career mode, you start out with basic cars and by winning events around the world, you unlock new events and better cars. Each event has its own charm and not all events are the same. Some have pure racing, some have just takedown counts, while others focus on you to crash into incoming traffic in a way to gain maximum points. Thus you are never given the same mundane stuff. Rather Burnout 3 offers something new. And as you unlock yourself all the way through to the Super car series, the levels of speed you attain is freakish and eye-popping.

The graphics are secondary to Burnout 3 but they are not far behind to gameplay. Rather, if it wasn't for it, then the game would have looked perceptibly dull. It surely is the best around in business, but slightly less detailed than say Project Gotham Racing 2. It has been specifically designed to showcase the speed of the game, and at no point in the game will you find the frame rate dropping below 60fps. Your car is brilliantly detailed. It will look hazy and blurred at the back when propelling forward, showing you the real sense of speed . The sudden fall back of the environment when you Boost is jaw-dropping. Also the effect of cars whizzing past you when you Boost is tremendous if not downright astonishing, giving you a thrill unseen in other titles. However, the civilian traffic and the surrounding flora and fauna are a bit blocky but passable. Whose got the time to stare when you're nitro-ing at over 200 mph!.

The real beauty of the game come into fray when you crash. Your car will tumble across, hitting incoming vehicles, which in turn get ripped apart around the surrounding vehicles, dealing truly spectacular damage. The crash physics is phenomenal and the most complex in any game to date. What makes Burnout 3 so good is that you have not only pure adrenaline driving, but you can just about smash into anything and everything to bring out memorable moments of traffic mayhem. And the game rewards you for it, which is a brilliant concept.

The sound is great. The roar of the engines is deep and the ambient sounds are but satisfactory. Crash sounds are tremendous. The only annoying addition is a radio station called Crash FM, hosted by Stryker. In the beginning , he is okay, but then you'll get annoyed when he says the same thing over and over again. Just turning him off will do the trick. He isn't in the league of class as Lazlow of ChatterBox in GTA3. Also, the custom soundtracks are good, but not great. All are upswing in mood, generally reflecting the gameplay. Overall, they do a decent job.

Conclusion :

If you are into racing dangerously and always living on the edge, then go ahead and buy this game. It is worth it. The XBOX version is hands-down the better one. Burnout 3 is stellar and offers you pure adrenaline pumping experience that is refreshing and rewarding. It delivers you a sense of speed unmatched by other racing games. The game offers enough scope for re-play and the multiplayer option will keep you busy long after you put your car in the garage.
Enjoy.

I really give this game a 4.5

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is really fun. I especially like the multiplayer. Buy this game!

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