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Destroys the Racing Barrier

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 50 / 56
Date: September 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

An email I wrote in December 2003:

"Dear Criterion Games:

I hear that Burnout 3 is going to focus on wrecking opponents. This is a mistake. It's not going to work. Why turn your brilliant, traffic-weaving Burnout franchise into a demolition derby? Change is good, but this is too much - it's now a fighting game with cars instead of a racing game. Hopefully Burnout 4 will get it right.

Regards, A Fan"

Fast-forward to September 2004. Burnout 3 is now here, and I am now sending them my sincerest apologies. I now invite them to send me a very nasty "We told you so!" response, because they've managed to not only prove me to be completely and utterly foolish for doubting them, they've made what is hands-down the best arcade racing game we're likely to play.

Criterion has managed to tap into some kind of suicidal primal instinct all of us seem to have - the urge to fly through populated streets at near the speed of sound in a sleek automobile (or firetruck), careening headlong into anyone and anything in our path. Better yet, Burnout 3: Takedown now adds the lovely feature of a dream made virtual reality: smashing into pieces that no-good idiot who dared to try and tap you into the guardrail. We've all had those fantasies, right? Now you can live em in the comfort (and safety!) of your own living room.

For those of you who are skeptical, one thing should be made clear up front: Burnout 3 is very different from the first two games in the series. You'll still race through beautifully rendered courses at brain-searing speeds, missing traffic by millimeters. But even though B3 now focuses on making your race opponents wreck in the most ghastly ways possible, the intensity and rush is still here...no, it's actually been ratcheted up to a realm of insanity no racer has ever attained. It's different, but still more than worthy of attention.

One thing Burnout vets will appreciate is the single-player mode has been greatly expanded. There are a huge number of race events - close to two hundred, ranging from single races to burning laps to eliminations to crash junctions to....well, it doesn't get old. Add a ridiculous number of unlockables (including fake headlines, signature Takedowns, forty tracks, seventy cars, etc etc) and suffice to say you could finish the first two Burnout games twice each before seeing all B3 has to offer. You still progress by earning medals - only getting golds will unlock everything - but it's no longer just about finishing first. Peforming Takedowns is essential, and well-worth it, as the game lovingly displays the mechanical carnage you create, but it's not always easy. The AI is wicked this time round, and will even gain grudges for you......and go after you. If you do fall victim, you can always choose to enable the Aftertouch, a brilliant feature that allows you to control your wrecked car, and steer it into the path of your opponents. Revenge has never been so sweet.

Screaming down a Hong Kong-ish crowded street, golden Buddha statue looming overhead, desperately trying to keep your lead when two guys in F1-type racers are inches from your rear bumper.....yeah, it's exhilirating all right.

Crash Mode returns in all its destructive glory, but now it's deeper, and larger. Power-ups litter the course - yes power-ups, ranging from temporary boosts to points multipliers. Add the Crashbreaker - in which your car becomes a literal bomb that you can detonate at any time, and we're talking serious mayhem. And oh yes - this mode can be played co-operatively now. One more thing - there's 100 crash junctions now.

The multiplayer madness continues with Road Rage Mode (whoever takes down the most opponents wins), Elimination (whoever's in last place at the end of a lap is disqualified), Burning Lap (boost as fast as you can without crashing once), and normal Single Race, and there's a lot more meat here than before.

The bad? Well, the default soundtrack can leave a lot to be desired (and turn the announcer OFF, trust me), but this is easily fixed by lovely custom soundtrack support. HINT: Causing wrecks to bluegrass is poetry in motion. EA Games - who now owns Criterion - has plastered advertising signboards all over the courses, and they're kind of distracting in an annoying way. There are also many minor details (you race in car classes now rather than picking any you want, the scoring system is different, no nighttime races or weather changes, no licensed cars (like any respected auto manufacturer would let their lovingly crafted creations get dismantled like this!), Crash Mode repeats junctions) that one could complain about, but the core gameplay is so sublime, well-done, and addictive, it's silly to dock the score for any of them.

Burnout 3 is the epitome of what arcade racing should be: easy to pick up, hard to master, appealing to everyone, unimaginably intense, and unbelievably fun. Mark my words, you're gonna see Burnout 3 on a lot of Best Games of 2004 lists -- it'll be on mine, without a doubt.

Thanks for proving me wrong, Criterion. But I need to ask - what's next? You can't possibly top Takedown....can you?

The Takedown

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: November 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Buckle your seatbelts... and prepare to die! While the first Burnout game had you dodging traffic through crowded streets like the best scenes out of your favorite chase movies, and Burnout 2 had you purposefully crashing into intersections for maximmum damage points (like some kind of crazy car crash physics puzzle game), the Burnout series yet AGAIN moves into an entirely different direction with the third installment: Takedown!

Yes indeed, all the wishes of the people who played the first two games have been granted. Before, I had found myself wishing that the computer players would fight back more (instead of just trying to outrun me), the gas tankers would explode when you hit them (they do!!!!! In a flash of white and a fireball!), and that you could make the computer players crash in a way other than crashing right in front of them (now you can run them off the road, into walls, and manuever your crashing car right in front of them!). But ultimately this game is much more than just a remix, it's a revolution.

The graphics have been cranked up a notch yet again, with sparks, flames, glass shatters, crumpling metal, flying tires, big rigs losing their cargo, and cars doing the most amazing acrobatics you have ever seen. All this at incredible speed (looks like about 300 miles per hour to me!), silky-smooth framerate, and with perfect control. More than that, you the new Aftertouch effect allows you to put the car into bullet-time as soon as you crash (to make your car do wicked stunts, or hit other cars), as well as letting you precisely aim yourself in crash mode after hitting a ramp so that you hit right where you want to. And speaking of crash...

You didn't think they would just leave the crash mode alone, did you? Now there are crash icons you need to collect (or avoid) which can half your score, double it, quadrouple it, give you bonus cash, increase your speed, or make you explode instantly. And since when you rack up a certain amount of cars crashing you can make your car explode with the push of a button, and gas tankers explode on high-speed contact... it is indeed possible to make your car explode three times in a single crash!

I remember back when Need for Speed:Hot Pursuit 2 came out and everyone thought it was so great. It seems like garbage now compared to this game. That game had annoying bullet-time (too long, too often, poorly executed, and just plain irritating), this game has sweet bullet-time (unobtrusive, not too long, auto-steering when it happens, perfectly executed, and just plain cool). And while that game may have been fast and furious, this game is just...umm.... faster and furiouser.

With all the multi-player modes and single-player modes and unlockables and world tour ect., you'd think this was the perfect racing game. Sadly though, this is not the case.

The music soundtrack is quite frankly absolutely terrible. Ditto for the annoying annoucer. Thankfully, both can be turned off (and you can listen to whatever music you like). The interface for selecting music, however, is not as good as the previous Burnout. Also, the excellent cops and robbers aspect from Burnout 2 is gone as well. Just another reason to own all three Burnouts I'd say.

If you love racing games, and especially if you liked the previous Burnouts, this one is a definite purchase.

... and I don't even like racing games!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is great. The only reason I bought it was because I was craving a new toy and saw that Gamespot rated this game a 9.5/10. I think Gamespot/Gamespy/IGN/etc are a little easy on games these days, but a 9.5? I figured there must be something in this game worth trying.

They were right.

I don't particularly care for racing games. They just don't hold my attention. But Burnout 3:Takedown is just downright addictive. The controls are simple (even talked my wife into playing it with me!), but the gameplay mechanics are a perfect balance between art and science. I won't go into the game's details, since other reviewers have already done that. But rest assured, this game offers hours of adrenaline-pumping replayability.

Battling other cars (and players online!) for position by trying to nudge them into the path of an oncoming Mack Truck, over the guardrail, or into the deep blue sea, is just as fun the 1,000th time as it was the 1st time.

My only complaint is the soundtrack (just like everyone else). It's pretty bland (and the announcer is a little irritating). Both of these issues, though, are easily overcome. Queue your own tunes up in the playlist and disable the 'Im too cool for this gig' announcer, and you're ready to rumble.

If you don't feel like plunking down $50 for the game, at least do yourself a favor with a rental.

Worst case scenario: You're out $5.

Likely scenario: You'll go out and buy your own copy after renting it.

Phenomenal sense of speed, and overall one of the best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is pure speed, adrenaline, and white knuckle racing taken to the extreme. I bought Burnout 2 some time ago and didn't think it could get much better than that. I loved that game for its insane speed, graphics, and especially the crashes. Crash mode in Burnout 2 was so much fun it was unreal.

Burnout 3 makes 2 look primitive by comparison. There is such a sense of extreme speed in 3 that no other game I've seen has come even close to having. This game feels dangerous. The addition of takedowns was a genius move: its added a layer of aggressive strategy that I can't imagine playing without now. I'm not going to go into detail about every little bit of the game, you can go to official magazine or website reviews for that.

There are a number of play modes to choose from, all of which are fun. The world tour mode (which is where everything is unlocked) is excellent, combining every aspect of the game into a system of increasing difficulty, but also variety. Some have complained that the crash mode levels are not all unique, with some being extentions or other minor changes, but I have to disagree. With all the additions made to crash mode, changing anything on a level changes it completely. With the ability to steer your wreck after a crash you are able to destroy more vehicles or obtain more power ups, and in fact this is often required in order to meet the requirements for the lowest of medals.

This is not a game to read about. Like intimate encounters, its all about the experience. Secondhand information is good, but its all about the experience.

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.

Wonderful for lovers of speed

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The highway code for this game rewrites the rules of the road. Aggressive racing is required; the longer you sit on the wrong side of the road, the quicker you will fill your "boost bar"; you speed as much as you can before entering a one-way street the wrong way to cause mayhem, and on highways you get as close to other cars as possible to cause multiple vehicle pile-ups. If you're overtaken, you are urged to fight back and the longer you battle, the more points you gain. As for speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights, what are they again? If you thought Need for Speed was an adrenaline rush, you'd love this. Just don't tell the LTSA about it.

Oh. My. God.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am going to make the blanket statement that if you own an XBox, you really ought to own this game...even if you have no interest in driving games. I held off getting it because the price stayed high. Now I know why the price stayed high. Recently this became a platinum hit so it's now twenty bucks, and it is worth every penny of that and then some. This game is just a riot, it takes a simple premise - that the real fun in racing games is in the crashes - and executes it extremely well. I actually catch myself giggling while I play this game. There is just an element of pure fun here that can't be ignored nor quantified. I haven't experienced such fun in a video game in a long time...I don't know how else to describe it. Yeah okay, the music stinks, big deal. If you can't enjoy this game, you just don't like video games.

Awesome Racer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Addictive as crack.
Once you get started, you can't put it down.
I got so used to Burnout 2, that when I heard they were releasing Burnout 3, I was a little bit interested. Knowing how much I liked "2", I purchased "3". What a huge difference. Unlike Need for Speed, kick up that boost, and you can truly feel the speed. Hard to explain, but you almost want to lean in your chair to avoid crashes, or go around turns.
The addition to "Rage" matches, where you are pitted against cars of your own class, you get points for take downs, and special take downs, earn points, and $$ that unlock better and more wicked cars (or trucks in the crash mode.
Man, I need to try this "Live" for X-Box....but for now, pitting against friends is awesome, and a great way to get rid of road rage without getting pulled over by cops.

Do yourself a favor, and even if you aren't in to racing games...try this one man...it is way wicked.

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.

Takes Down The Competition!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The racing genre is perhaps the hardest for developers to produce good games for. After all, it even seems hard to continuosly innovate a genre that is all about running laps around a track. Thankfully, EA's Burnout 3: Takedown has so much innovation it keeps itself alive play after play.

Graphics- 10/10
From textures to particle effects, (Which, by the way, are the best I've ever seen in a game) they aced everything.

Sound- 10/10
The music fits the game perfectly, as well as the sound effects do.

Control- 9/10
This game has great control, but just not much better than most games. (That is, unless you have a wireless steering wheel)

Story- N/A
While this game doesn't have a story, it just doesn't need one!

Gameplay- 9/10
My only problem with gameplay is that road rage mode is so fun, you won't play the other modes!

Overall- 10/10
This game is just different enough to make it a winner!

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