Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2)

...back in the shape of Burnout 3 Takedown. EA Games have realised that not all racing game players are worried about observing the Highway Code and have built a game around that fact. Not only can you ram, shunt and scrape your opponents or other road users in Burnout 3 but it is positively encouraged and rewarded with cash and medals. At last I can be myself and drive as I've always wanted to!

• The premise of the game •
...and the selection available in Burnout 3 does not disappoint. As far as the racing events go the cars are of a sporty style with muscle cars, compacts and retro racers all available either at the start of the game or via unlocking as a reward for good performance in events. Cars can be chosen depending on speed and weight so that you can select the right car depending on whether you are taking part in a race or crash event, each car can also be customised ... more

Driving games are two a penny on the Playstation 2, there are all manner of incarnations all based along a similar theme - make it over the finishing line in the fastest time and in front of your rivals. Although I do enjoy pitting my wits against others on a virtual race track I am always looking for that game that moves the boundaries a bit, and thankfully I found such a game a few months back in the shape of Burnout 3 Takedown. EA Games have realised that not all racing game players are worried about observing the Highway Code and have built a game around that fact. Not only can you ram, shunt and scrape your opponents or other road users in Burnout 3 but it is positively encouraged and rewarded with cash and medals. At last I can be myself and drive as I've always wanted to!

• The premise of the game •

In its rawest form the game is about gaining gold medals and cash rewards by either completing races first, destroying as many other vehicles as possible or just generally being a road using menace. The game is set in three locations with the player selecting icons on various parts of a map to compete in various vehicular shenanigans. If you do well in a particular event and gain a silver or gold medal you can unlock new events to take part in as well as new vehicles to make any given event easier. Gaining money also unlocks new vehicles and events to keep the game moving with dollars being the currency of choice. Driving your vehicle into various "pickups" or icons results in all manner of added fun, you can double or quadruple your final cash total or turn your car into a bomb with the "Crash Breaker" icon or simple add a few much needed dollars by hitting the "bonus" pickups. The different events are all fun in there diversity, and offer the chance to crash if you feel destructive or race if you want a more traditional racing game, the events are:-

•Grand Prix:- Which comprises three races against five rivals with the aim to get the highest cumulative points total on completion. It's six points for a win falling to four, three, two and one for the descending placing. Ramming opponents off the track adds bonus points to your final cash total and increases your "Boost Bar" which gives a much needed spurt of speed when it is most needed. I have found that winning two of the three Grand Prix races in an event is enough to gain a gold medal and thus unlock other events or vehicles.

•Face Off:- This is a straight race between you and one other car. Ramming is essential to make sure you are the first over the finish line where you will be rewarded with your opponents' car to add to your garage as well as a gold medal. These one on one races are a lot tougher than others and can take a few attempts to come out on top.

•Road Rage:- Road Rage is not about finishing first at all, you simple have to disable as many of your opponents cars as possible in a set time. Ram them into oncoming vehicles or walls to render them un-drivable or simply "psyche them out" and make them crash on their own. Medals are awarded depending on how many opponents you neutralise with fifteen being the usual number needed to attain gold. Unfortunately your vehicle also suffers damage in this race so care must be taken not to inadvertently take yourself out of the event.

•Eliminator:- These races last longer depending on how good you are. At the end of each lap the vehicle in last position explodes and is eliminated from the race, ideally on lap five you are still racing and trying your hardest to get that gold. Again ramming, shunting and intimidating your opponents is a must as you strive to be in the race at the end.

•Burning Lap:- None of those pesky opponents to get in the way here, it's just you against the clock as you chase those medals. Generally gold is very hard to obtain and needs expert driving with no time consuming crashes needed and good use of the boost button a necessity. If you manage to get gold in a Burning Lap there are usually two or three cars or events unlocked so they are well worth competing in.

•Crash Events:- This is the part of the game I enjoy the most. You have to race into a busy intersection or junction and try to cause as much damage to as many other vehicles as possible. Ramps and pickups aplenty as you try to think up ever more dramatic ways of causing a large crash and thus increasing your dollar total, depending on that total you are awarded the standard medals with gold sometimes ridiculously hard to get. The fun of the crash events is in your timing, a second later and you could of broad sided that petrol tanker (and gained a massive $99,999 for the privilege) and then rebounded into a tram; it really is all about chaotic crash choreography.

• Rewards •

Apart from a soaring dollar balance and a nice collection of medals there are other rewards to aim for in the game. Signature takedowns are awarded when you force an opponent off the road in an elegant or unusual manner while Crash Headlines are heralded if you cause an unfeasibly major amount of damage in a Crash Event. Postcards are randomly awarded and are usually followed by the unlocking of a special event while trophies are handed out on completion of various takedowns.

• Location, Location, Location •

The game takes place in three locations - America, Europe and the Far East which ensures that the majority of the world's gamers don't feel left out. Each location is fairly true to its real life counterpart with the snow capped mountains and tram laden streets of Europe, the coastal routes of America and the busy dockside and clogged inner city roads of the orient all adding to the feel and variety of the game.

• Vehicles •

Of course vehicles are the life blood of any racing game and the selection available in Burnout 3 does not disappoint. As far as the racing events go the cars are of a sporty style with muscle cars, compacts and retro racers all available either at the start of the game or via unlocking as a reward for good performance in events. Cars can be chosen depending on speed and weight so that you can select the right car depending on whether you are taking part in a race or crash event, each car can also be customised to the players' favourite colour. The real fun of the vehicles available comes to the fore in the Crash events, you are given anything from a lightweight compact car to a dustcart, bus or parcel delivery van in order to cause maximum carnage and thus rack up the points and dollars. Best has to be the fire engine though - unwieldy it may be but the damage it causes when ploughed into a busy intersection has to be seen to be believed. As far as the vehicles you have to crash into or beat there is virtually all you could envisage, from the many tuk tuks in the Far East to the trams in Europe and the tankers in America, all carrying different dollar values if you destroy them.

• Graphics •

As you might expect from an EA Games production the graphics are crisp and detailed. Scenery and backdrops are well detailed even if you simply speed through them, vehicles are clear and smooth at high speed and the explosions gained as a result of crashing are extremely lifelike. Clever use of the sun causes a little dazzle on some roads while the snow in the European mountains almost makes you shiver such is the subtleness at which it is used.

• Sound •

Again the sound is strong with crashes sounding like crashes and the gunning of engines raw yet realistic. Little details like the sound of a stray wheel bouncing down the road after a crash or the tinkling of glass after broad-siding a bus mean that no noise, no matter how small, has been left out. Also the icy wind in the mountains or the incessant tooting of horns in the Far East give a real feel for the surroundings. Best of all though is the hyper tongued DJ on Crash FM - he goes by the name of Striker and actually comes up with some witty asides in between records, a rarity in games nowadays. To finish there is a cool soundtrack to be heard as you go about your automotive madness with Franz Ferdinand, Eighteen Visions and Funeral for a Friend just three of the forty-four artists featured.

• Multiplayer & Online play •

To compliment the events listed above there are four more to be enjoyed if you like to play your games in the company of others. Team Crash lets you and friends combine forces to reap carnage and cause maximum damage to as many other vehicles as possible. Double Impact is similar to Team Crash but this time you are competing against your fellow player to see who can cause the most damage and thus notch up the most crash points and dollars. Race is exactly as it sounds with rewards for beating your opponent while Party Crash lets up to eight players either compete individually or in groups of two to cause destruction. Providing you have your Playstation 2 configured and connected to the internet you can play these same events online, you can also add fellow net players to a buddy list so you can compete together when both are online.

• Is it child friendly? •

Yes it is; the good folk at www.pegi.info (The Pan European Games Information) have set Burnout 3 as suitable to those aged three and over. There is no bad language, sex or horror and the only violence is seeing your shiny new vehicle bounce off a tram at high speed. All of the music featured is of a rock feel and again there are no explicit lyrics featured. Just watch your child doesn't get over confident on his/her bike after playing this and try to write off the wheelbarrow!

• Final thoughts •

Little surprise that I like this game; it has taken the traditional driving game and turned it upside down. Now you do not have to find the correct braking point when approaching a sharp bend - you can simply bounce off the barrier! The vehicles are well designed, attempting to steer a Dust cart over a ramp is an experience in itself. The scenery is crisp and in keeping with the respective country you are in while the dulcet tones of Striker on Crash FM add some unexpected humour between the strong rock tracks. The events get progressively harder as you delve deeper into the game and the different facets to each event mean you can race or crash as your mood decides. Nothing other than the full five stars from me.

www.eagames.co.uk/burnout
£29.99 new
 

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