Burnout 3: Takedown peels out

After months of revving up the public with shots of fiery crashes and asphalt mayhem, Electronic Arts has finally shipped its eagerly awaited racing game Burnout 3: Takedown. Rated "T" for Teen, the game is available for both the Xbox and PlayStation 2.

Burnout 3 is the latest installment in developer Criterion Games' death-defying racing series. Takedown builds on previous Burnouts by heightening the game's sense of speed and awarding players for reckless driving. The game grants the biggest rewards for takedowns, which are moves that force opponents into fiery crashes.

Crashes are also the center of their own mode, which rewards points to players who cause the most mayhem in elaborately staged wrecks. These features are outlined in detail in GameSpot's full review of Burnout 3, which earned an Editor's Choice award.

Electronic Arts was also impressed with Burnout 3. The game's existence was first revealed when EA took over the franchise from the now-bankrupt Acclaim, which had published the first two Burnouts. So pleased was EA with Criterion in general, and Burnout 3 in particular, that it bought the developer in late July.