Strap Yourself In For One Hell of a Ride!
User Rating: 9.2 | Burnout 2: Point of Impact PS2
The original Burnout was a game that no-one expected. It brought back in the old style of Arcade racing in a world dominated by Racing Simulators. Not only did it provide killer gameplay, it also was a good multiplayer game and has the best crash engine to be designed in a racing game. The problem is though, that the original Burnout had its problems, so developer Criterion (who also make the RenderWare engine, which powers the Mortal Kombat and GTA games) came back with a bigger, better and faster game. Welcome to the Point of Impact. Burnout works just like your normal racing game, with the odd occasional tweak. Firstly, is the unique way to fill your Burnout Bar (a.k.a your Turbo boost), in which, you must do some driving you wouldn't want to attempt for real. Driving on the wrong side of the road, narrowly avoiding crashes, drifting, and getting air will allow you to get a temporary speed boost, which can make a difference as to who finishes first. Also, there is a timer, which, more than likely, you will always keep full. Then there is the speed you are playing at, which is fast, giving a great rush. But there is one addition in this game which more than defines why you should play this game. This mode is Crash mode. As I said earlier, the original Burnout had some great crashes, but they were replayed, slowing down races in the singleplayer mode. Criterion took the ingenious idea and made it into a separate mode, with specially designed tracks just for it. The end result? Utterly Brilliant. There is nothing like creating insane looking crashes, and this is why you should at least play this game. In my opinion, this is possibly greatest addition to a racing game, next to 1 on 1 racing with someone else. Graphically, the game looks really good. The game runs at a good rate without any slowdown, and the GT-ish pristine quality of your cars won't last long. Take a crash, you will see the parts fly off the cars. More than likely, you will finish a race with a lot of dents and removed parts than in the condition prior to the start of the race. The sound in this game is decent, but not perfect. The games music is decent, but it's not good enough to the point that you would start humming it. The cars also sound good, but again, not perfect. So, all up, the game contains great gameplay, including the brilliantly designed Crash mode, great looking graphics and so-so sound. This is definitely a game you should rent, and one that would make a good buy. Enjoy the ride...
