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| EXPLOSIVE VEHICLULAR VENGANCE |
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 he engine roared with the ferocity of an F15 fighter plane when I kicked in the nitrous oxide. As the crippling speeds increased, the buildings liquefied into unintelligible blurs and the wind hissed violently. The highly congested highway that my road rocket barreled uncontrollably toward should have spelled disaster, but rather it opened a window of great opportunity. Although my instincts pleaded to swerve out of the way of the traffic, the drive to win forced my foot onto the gas, hurtling my car directly into the backend of each car on the highway. The vehicles that I selfishly brutalized were either sent flying into the air or into other drivers that were making their daily commutes. The blacktop was gripped with an unprecedented level of chaos and the smile on my face stretched so much that it hurt. Within all of this mayhem, I managed to send a car flying directly on top of one of my rivals. As his car exploded into flames, I zipped by into a commanding lead.
In Burnout: Revenge, you no longer need to avoid the cars in your lane. Rather than wrecking when you slam into a vehicle, you can theoretically use it as a four-wheel, 3,000-pound projectile. It’s like bowling with cars! This one change to the racing dynamic completely alters the experience. I’ve always been amazed how games like Activision’s Tony Hawk can, with each passing year, raise the bar so high that it’s impossible to go back and play the installment that came before it. Criterion Games has accomplished just this.
Almost every little aspect of the game has been tuned up to draw more saliva out of our mouths. Adding a bit of strategy to the mix, players can now select from different vehicle weights and classes. The smaller cars that you’ll get behind the wheel of are light, fast, and easy to control. On the downside, if you enter an event where you’ll be catching air, the wind will take them for a serious ride. The larger cars in the game are not affected by the wind nearly as much, provide a much stronger Crashbreaker, and can plow through traffic like a lawnmower trimming grass. Of course, most of the races demand sleek, fast rides, but you’ll often find yourself changing up vehicles in the fan-favorite Crash mode.
If you enjoyed the 50-car pileups in the precursor, brace yourselves. Criterion has torn this mode apart and completely reinvented it. Rather than launching your car at a score multiplier icon, your crashing skills are reflected in the majority of your score. You will get a subtle point boost by taking out the bonus target car, but again playing off of the skills, you’ll have to figure out how to include it in your routine. Your reflexes will also be put to the test in a frantic button-mashing sequence that increases the destructive quality of your Crashbreaker.
Once again, all of the tracks in the game are based on three locations (this time being Detroit, Rome, and Tokyo), and are the perfect fit for the event at hand. The courses are grittier in design and are far less forgiving. Wherever you look, it seems like there’s a small concrete wall. You really have to focus on staying away from the barriers in this installment.
The opponent AI is also a bit surprising. They know how to rip your car to shreds, thus bringing about the “Revenge” aspect of the title. If a rival takes you out, the game highlights them, allowing you glorious payback. With three times the vehicular deformation, you’ll be amazed at the ways in which cars will be shredded. Watching them fall apart in slow motion is fast becoming one of my favorite things to do on a lazy Saturday morning. That’s not to discount how profoundly intense Road Rage races are online.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, I can’t pull myself away from the incredible explosions, blinding speeds, and impressive vehicular carnage. Once you get behind the wheel, it’s almost impossible to turn this speedster off.
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9.5 |
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Burnout 3: Takedown was my favorite game of last year, and while playing it I couldn’t imagine being any more addicted to a driving game. Well, Criterion has masterfully topped last year’s entry. Burnout: Revenge is nearly impossible to put down, thanks to tweaks to old favorites like Crash Events and new treats like Traffic Attack. The new ability to plow through same-direction traffic had me cackling like a B-movie madman, and brings Crash mode’s mayhem into the more standard races. With its car crash carnage and ridiculous speed effects, Revenge is the most over-the-top racing game to date, and its arcade-style action makes it the perfect pick-up-and-play title. I can’t imagine what Criterion could add to this franchise to make it more fun, but then again, I never thought Takedown could be topped, and Revenge does that easily. |
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9.25 |
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| CONCEPT: |
| Smash! Drive like a maniac! |
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| GRAPHICS: |
| The cars look great, but they look even better when they are falling apart and surrounded by flames |
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| SOUND: |
| A surround sound dynamo. Objects hiss as they zoom by, you can hear the wind rolling over your car, and explosions make your woofers thump like a shotgun blast |
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| PLAYABILITY: |
| The first racing game that pushes players to smash into everything. To no surprise, this proves to be insanely fun |
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| ENTERTAINMENT: |
| The racing is nothing short of exhilarating. There are tons of events to medal in and online is unbelievable |
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