Review NaN of 14
, from Iowa
Price Paid:
$50.00
from Best Buy Summary:
Burnout 2
I went into Burnout 2: Point of Impact not knowing what to expect. After all, I’ve played my fair share of sub-par arcade racing games in the past, and the fact that Acclaim (the people responsible for the turd known as Turok: Evolution) had a hand in this one didn’t fill me with high expectations of any kind. However, having read several reviews of the first Burnout (many of which held it in high esteem), I decided to purchase the sequel. Thankfully, trying a new thing has never felt so good.
Burnout 2, created by the same team as the first Burnout on PS2, builds upon its predecessor’s claim to fame; high-speed racing combined with high-impact crashes. The formula works, and rejuvenates the arcade racing genre with something that makes B2 truly unique; its speed boost system is absolute genious. In terms of gameplay, this game is like a breath of fresh air when compared to recent arcade racers. The system is simple: take risks during races by power-sliding, catching air, and passing close to oncoming traffic, and your Boost bar fills up. When your meter is filled, press and hold the A button to trigger an octane overload in your ride. When your meter runs out, repeat the process again. And that’s it. Sound like fun? Of course it does, and it’s what makes the gameplay in B2 so incredibly addictive; taking the risk to get your Boost bar filled is dangerous (and you could cause a large crash by doing so), but it will put you in a good position to fight for the lead. At the same time, playing it safe and driving on the right side of the road (something that’s heavily discouraged in the tutorial) will mean less crashing, but you’ll have to fight harder to stay with the opposition. A training mode called Offensive Driving 101 eases you into the system like a charm. I can’t go into any greater detail about the system, because that’s all there is to it; this game is beautifully simple, and that’s exactly what makes it such a blast. Of course, there are a few small descrepancies I found with the game’s physics; the collision detection is a bit too forgiving at times, but at other times it’s just too touchy. Most of the time you’ll be able to weave through traffic, clearly making contact with oncoming vehicles while the game kindly nudges you around them. At other times, trying to squeeze between a cargo van and a guard rail might inexplicably send you into a midair barrel roll. It’s unpredictable at times, but for the most part the physics stay consistent. The driving physics themselves are delightfully twitchy; most of the cars stick to the road like glue, and when you go into a powerslide in a long curve, it’s driving nirvana. The car models themselves might leave a bit to be desired by hardcore simulation gearheads (some of them look like toys), but the models generally look nice and each one performs differently. Performing well in the game’s Championship modes earns you the right to drive the more souped-up vehicles.
Of course, like most other arcade racers, B2 has a regular series of Championship races to compete in. Each series of races gets progressively longer (one set will be three races, followed by a set of five, etc.), and winning one set of races opens up more races; this is where B2 both succeeds and fails at the same time. By beating a set of races, you’ll not only get access to a whole new set, but also a Pursuit race (which I’ll explain later) and a Challenge race, a mano - y - mano showdown that lets you unlock the car you’re racing against if you beat it. These are fun little diversions from the regular races, but in order to truly move on in Championship mode, you must win all of the races in the series consecutively, without stopping. Crashing ten seconds from the finish line and getting passed in the fourth race of a five-race series means you have to start the series over, and you can’t quit after a few races and jump back into the series. This may give you an uncontrollable urge to crush your controller with a sledgehammer. Fortunately, this is only a minor problem, and isn’t serious enough to detract from the game.
The normal Championship modes are not the only reasons to play this game; the crash physics engine isn’t here for nothing. The Crash Mode in B2 is one of the game’s big hooks, and the 30 crash junctions found in the Xbox version almost make the game worth buying by themselves. Essentially, you start out before an intersection or other traffic-filled area with a full and unlimited Boost meter, and slam into traffic to cause the largest pileup possible. You receive a bronze, silver, or gold medal depending on how much damage you cause. At first, it simply seems that the crashes you’re causing are evaluated by a chaotic scoring system; for a while, you won’t understand how the game decides how much monetary damage you’ve actually caused. However, upon several plays, you will begin to see how the game scores your performance. Basically, the monetary damage caused is decided by how many collisions occur, what parts of the vehicles are damaged, how many windows are broken, etc. On top of that, one multiplier is given for each time you cause a car to slam on its brakes; it doesn’t matter if the car isn’t involved in the crash. For example, if you end up causing $1,000,000 worth of damage and get 13 cars to slam on their brakes, you’ll end up with $13,000,000. Simple, huh? Upon first impression, many gamers just may not “get” the whole idea of receiving points for causing crashes, but that’s the point; there’s nothing to get. It’s simple, unadulterated fun, and eventually becomes terribly addictive (especially with two or more players). You’ll try and retry some crash junctions over and over until you get the gold medal for every single one. Crash Mode is, quite simply, pure vehicular mayhem.
While crashing is certainly fun, there is yet another mode which warrants the purchase of this game. Pursuit mode, which is very similar to being chased by the heat in GTA3, lets you choose a pursuit and a target vehicle. You will have a certain length of track in which to catch the target vehicle. Slamming into the target vehicle will take away from its health bar. If you manage to deplete the entire health bar before you reach the end of the track, you catch the target vehicle. If you don’t, the vehicle gets away. Simple. Fast. Fun.
For those of you out there wondering if B2 is as much fun with friends as it is alone, you’re in luck; Crash mode, Pursuit mode, and a Single Race option lets you and your friends duke it out at 160 mph over the burning tarmac. Crash mode allows up to four players to participate in the mayhem; each player has a shot at each crash junction in a series of three. If you’ve caused the most damage by the end of the series, you win. Once again, simple and fun. The one big gripe I have with this multiplayer option is a gripe that I shouldn’t even have to bring up in a game. I understand that there are some people out there who just can’t afford more than one XBox controller (or are too lazy to get off their ass and run to Wal-Mart), but I would ask that all multiplayer games give you the option to play with all of the controllers. For crash mode multiplayer to work, you have to pass around the controller every time it’s someone else’s turn. This is unnecessary and annoying, especially if you and your friends are spread out around the room. Yes, it was considerate to make it possible to play a four-player mode with just one controller, but please include the option to play with all four controllers as well; every other game does. Pursuit mode allows you to play with two people, and works the same way as the one-player Pursuit. While this offers a fast and thrilling chase, I think the developers could have taken it one step further and made it a four-player affair. Team play with two target vehicles and two pursuit vehicles would have added a great cooperative aspect to the game. Single race is fun as well, and is just what it sounds like; it allows you to choose what track you want to race on, and enables two players to race against two CPU players. Once again, including the option for four people to race would have made this much better. With these minor complaints, B2’s multiplayer modes still remain one of the game’s strongest aspects.
B2 is both beautiful to look at and to listen to. The game moves at a constant 60 fps, and I have yet to see it drop below that, even in multiplayer. The textures and environments look great, but when everything is moving so fast, you won’t even care. The car models are shiny and smooth, and crashing them looks great as well; collisions result in a shower of glass and assorted car parts, making them look realistic and spectacular. Although B2 sounds like most other racing games (engine noises and collision sound effects all sound fairly generic), the XBox version allows you to rip your own songs to the hard drive and create a custom soundtrack. This is an option that I wish I had with Gran Turismo 3; sorry, but Lenny Kravitz and Snoop Dogg just don’t do it for me. Imagine listening to “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit while crashing into minivans and semis; this is something every racing game should let you do. The game also contains new songs for B2, as well as songs from the original Burnout. The songs aren’t bad, but they aren’t great either. In the end, you’re better off putting some of your own tunes in.
Final Note
B2 is one of the most fun racing games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. It’s fast, simple, and best of all, addictive. You’ll have just as much fun racing as you will crashing, and the different single and multiplayer modes give this game replay value beyond what you’d expect for an arcade racer. Graphics and sound are great, and XBox version of B2 allows you to create your own kickass soundtrack, something that every racing game should let you do. This game, quite simply, is worth your hard-earned money. Get it. Now.
Scores (each category judged on a scale from 1 to 10)
1 = Don’t waste your money or time
5 = Average
10 = An Experience
Gameplay - 9.5 (Both fast and furious, with an awesome new turbo system that boosts your speed as well as the fun factor...this game is replete with spectacular crashes and fun multiplayer modes)
Control - 9 (Vehicles are delightfully twitchy and hug the road like glue)
Sound - 9 (Good sound effects and an even better soundtrack, once you make your own)
Graphics - 9 (Good car models, environments, and textures, but with a lightning-fast framerate, you probably won’t even notice)
Lasting Value - 10 (The Championship, Crash, and Pursuit modes will keep you playing for a long time, both in single player and with friends)
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