Burnout is tremendous fun when you get the hang of it and can get used to the tedious crash replays.
Thankfully Burnout does aim to impress with something not many racers specialize in these days, and that is its elaborate crashes. No other game has rendered car crashes as beautifully detailed as Acclaim’s Burnout has. During a crash windows will shatter, doors will dent and take scratches, particles of the car will fly in all directions, and the car will ultimately get totally smashed if the circumstances are correct. And seeing this for the fist time will certainly excite you and impress anyone watching over your shoulder. But sadly you are forced to watch these crash sequences, and eventually you get used to them as they become very monotonous and annoying. However, as you get used to the repetitive crashes, you get used to the road as well, and so you won’t get into as many crashes as you progress through the game.
Apart from the excellent crashes, the environments you speed through are also well detailed. This isn’t the game you’ll be showing off to your friends when they come over, but the visuals surely fit the premise and do the job. The only drawback visually is Burnout has serious aliasing issues. And to most of you who are unfamiliar with this term, it simply means the visuals are a bit jaggy and this is particularly problematic when trying to spot your path on the road in front of you. With these aliasing issues, it can be a bit difficult to spot cars on the horizon, you’re usually not sure if it’s a car or just a tree in front of you. But apart from this, everything else about Burnout’s visuals is great. The frame rate runs at a flawless 60 frames per second and you will never find this slow down, not even a hiccup when the car is kicking up dust or showing off some pleasing reflections.
There are 8 cars in total, none of these are licensed but they do bear close resemblance to modern street racing cars. The cars are also very well rounded, you can win a race with any of the 8 cars, some being easier than others but they are all fair and race at approximately the same speed. The only noticeable difference is slight change in handling.
The primary mode in Burnout is its Championship mode, which contains 4 ‘free-races’, and 2 marathon races (which take roughly 30 minutes each). The actually time it takes to complete a single circuit is rather long too, the average lap will take about 3 minutes and there are always 3 laps in a circuit, so you’re looking at about 9 minutes a race. And there are 3 or 4 circuits in each championship. But the time it takes to complete the championship mode is just too short, you can easily complete this game in an afternoon maybe overnight due to its lack of difficulty. More experienced gamers may want to increase the difficulty when playing. The computer opponents are also too easy to beat and you can usually win back first if you’ve fallen behind a rank or two.
Luckily though, the fun doesn’t stop here. Its primary mode may be short but there is still plenty of life left after you complete it. There are a few modes that are un-lockable including ‘Head to Head’, in which you race against a specific car, and if you place first that car is yours. There is also a multiplayer mode to unlock, where 2 players can race through any circuit. But the un-lockable mode that will present the most challenge and fun is ‘Survivor’. This is hardcore, you have to complete any normal track but if you crash, it’s game over. If you’re really into Burnout, this will take some time and concentration to complete. If you’re only renting this game though, don’t bother touching on this, because you won’t get past the first challenge.
The music in Burnout is along the lines of Euro techno, mixed with some dace beats. And it’s very appropriate for the game, it keeps the action flowing. It doesn’t add too much to the game, but it certainly doesn’t take away from it either. The ambient noise in the environments isn’t really noticeable, but it’s not too important since you’re cruising at over 100 miles per hour during most races.
The last minor gripe I have with Burnout is its camera. There are two selectable angels that are not adjustable, one in from the perspective of first person except without the view of the cockpit or anything else, just the road in front of you, and the other being from the third person perspective. Both views are acceptable, but they don’t really let you see as much as you wish you could, and they’re not at all adjustable.
Overall, Burnout is tremendous fun when you get the hang of it and you can get used to the tedious crash replays, this game is sure to be a great gaming experience. Anyone interested in racing should try this out, casual gamers might not enjoy this as much but should at least check it out for it’s brilliant crashes.