Burnout

A Smashing Good Time

HIGH When the final explosion in Rush Hour mode causes a chain reaction that demolishes everything on the screen.

LOW Reaching the end of a Pile Up with a full 5x multiplier and dying immediately due to being out of position.

WTF "Umbrellers"?

If there were a heaven for cars, then Burnout Paradise would be it. In Paradise City, there are no drivers in the cars and no people on the streets. Traffic laws are nonexistent, and the laws of physics apply only loosely. Not only that, but cars seemingly drop right out of the sky over at the junkyard, as if deposited there by some automotive deity.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Violence

Game Description: Make action your middle name, as you control what happens when and where in Burnout Paradise. Welcome to Paradise City. Immerse yourself in the open roads of Paradise City from the downtown streets through the hectic freeways to the sweeping mountain roads; the world is waiting to be explored. Slam, Shunt and Wreck opponents in cross-town race events, where you decide the fastest route to the finish line. Hit the jumps and find shortcuts, smash through barriers and get to the places that other racers can't reach to get that competitive edge. Meet your friends online with the revolutionary EasyDrive system that smashes through the tedium of lobbies and servers and cuts straight to the chase. Burnout Paradise provides the ultimate driving playground for you and your friends to play online on the Xbox 360.

The quality of the gameplay was frequently overridden by those niggling little annoyances that all too often dictate how we remember a game in the long run.

Racing games, more so than any other genre, have the power to physiologically transform me. My hands sweat. My heart rate doubles. My body temperature rises. I can actually feel adrenaline bubbling like soda water in my veins. Indeed, a well-crafted racing game can make me feel, even as I sit idly in front of my TV set, wholly alive.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence

Game Description:  Racing gamers and adrenaline junkies are invited to get behind the wheel and experience unprecedented speed and action. Burnout 3: Takedown takes the action racing series even further than previous installments, now featuring a unique 'crash and burn' racing concept and a one-of-a-kind special effects engine that delivers spectacular visuals. The intensity heats up as players race, and often crash, their way through oncoming traffic in an attempt to claim the top spot.

Here's my question: Was Burnout intended to be a racing game or a traffic accident simulation? Combining these two elements created a somewhat interesting product, and Peter is accurate in saying this marriage sets up a solid foundation. And the result? A building that looks amazing, but is as structurally sound as a house of playing cards.

I owe some of my driving skills to video games. I know it sounds silly, but its true. I learned how to navigate curves by playing Segas OutRun arcade game back in 1988. For some reason, I couldnt get the feel of steering properly during practical driving, but after playing OutRun, things just clicked. Its pretty scary to imagine what would have happened had I not learned this valuable skill. For starters, I probably wouldnt have earned my drivers license; and what worse, I probably would have constantly veered off the road at every turn and that would've been ugly.