A game for destruction derby fans
User Rating: 6.8 | Crash 'N' Burn XBOX
GameSpot's review is pretty much on the money in my opinion. Alot of their points I definitely could see while playing the game. The graphics and sound are decent, but nothing spectacular. I did like the bright color palettes used in the game. The presentation of the whole game...menu systems and such..is pretty basic. There is a good variety of tracks going from city to city. Though the tracks are mostly short and narrow, which makes it frustrating once cars start piling up because it can be impossible to avoid the wrecks in certain instances. I also noticed that once you crashed and fell behind it was very difficult (if not impossible) to regain or come close to the lead again against AI drivers. Most AI drivers will completely sacrifice themselves to get to you....or can easily drive perfect laps around the track to maintain their lead. You need to drive a near perfect race to win, so once you crash you're probably better off just restarting the race. The biggest disappointment was the sense of speed. It's nowhere near as fast or as thrilling as Burnout 3. It's not fair to compare this game to Burnout 3, but if you've played BO3 then it's hard not to compare it to every other racing game involving 4-wheeled vehicles. I gave up on the single player game due to the frustrating gameplay elements (mentioned above) and the so-so presentation. Customizing your car is a definite plus, but not enough to keep me coming back. Then again, I'm not a big destruction derby or customization fan. I was a little disappointed to discover that there is no offline multi-player...no split-screen action to speak of. 16-player online play is a great and enjoyable feature, though I could never find more than 3 players to play with in a single game. As with most games, playing with less perfect and less predictable opponents is always more fun. Overall, the game is a good value for $20 if you like destruction derbies. Should this game be compared to Burnout 3? Probably not. Their similarities end with crashing. Burnout 3 is racer with an emphasis on speed speed speed, taking down opponents, and crashing through intersections. Crash N Burn is a destruction derby that's all about crashing other cars and avoiding the fallout in the next lap. That being said, is Crash N Burn as good as Burnout 3? Not even close. Burnout 3 has superior graphics and sound, and a much greater sense of speed. The presentation is much more polished and the single- and multi-player modes are far more addictive. But Crash N Burn is a budget title so you can't really expect it to compete with a full priced game. Do I still I have this game? Nope, I traded it in and went back to Burnout 3. But again I prefer racers, not destruction derbies. If you prefer the destruction, then I'd say this is the best option out there for you on Xbox. This game had some potential...maybe if it hadn't been a budget title?
