Burnout
Criterion and Acclaim's expertly tweaked mix of arcade racing and death-defying stunts could be the sleeper hit of the holidays. Don't miss this review.
Published: December 5, 2001
Acclaim's see-saw history on the PS2 is rather amazing. From Extreme G 3 to 18 Wheeler to Dave Mirra to Paris Dakar Rally, the quality of releases from the company is like a pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other. Luckily, with Burnout, that swing has been caught squarely in the realm of "good." More than good, really, more situated in the whole "amazing/incredibly addictive/cleverly balanced" extreme.
At its core, Burnout is nothing more than a gamble. A cleverly disguised, ridiculously fast, nail-bitingly fun gamble, but a gamble nonetheless. The gameplay centers around racing, or rather racing dangerously. You don't HAVE to drive like a madman, but if you want to win later races, you'll have to fill your boost meter and let it fly at least once per race, and the only way to do that is to drive as if you were madly in love with every "xtreme" catchphrase on the planet ("taking it to the limit, on the razor's edge, pushing the envelope, ego writing checks your body can't cash"… you get the idea). You'll do that by slipping in feats during races that give the grim reaper one of those "koochy-koo" tickles under the chin like missing other cars by a matter of atoms, throwing your car into rubber-wasting powerslides or careening headlong into oncoming traffic. See, the catch is, you're just annoying the crap out of the grim reaper, not letting him take you away.
Throughout the game's 14 tracks (counting reverses and different times of day), you'll have to balance your need for reckless driving with the endless pursuit of the almighty checkpoint. That gamble I spoke of will play a key role here, as you'll have to straddle the line between effective racing techniques and just plain crazy driving to help fill the Burn Meter, the gauge that rises steadily as you drive like a maniac. Once it's full, you can slam down the Burn button and watch as the game's already fantastic sense of speed launches into overdrive.
Of course, if you were the perfect driver, there's a good chance you'd be doing three things right now: a) Making billions cheating death and wowing everyone in the process; b) Getting all the chicks; c) Making billions while simultaneously getting all the chicks. There's a good chance you're not doing any of those things right now, mainly because you're reading a review on PSX2.com, which has been clinically shown to only get you most of the chicks. If you happen to be female, sorry, the site's powers bend for no mortal; you'll still get most of the chicks. But I digress. The point is, you're probably not the perfect driver, and sooner or later, you'll slip up, sending your nimble little racer dancing into the business end of another vehicle. And that's when you'll discover one of Burnout's biggest pluses: the crashes.
Just about everyone who's seen one of Burnout's crashes agrees that they're the best looking example of what happens when you mix Sam Bishop and anything with speed: the sickening crunch of metal intertwining with metal and the splash of shattered glass skitting across pavement. At the moment you fail to "fly by the seat of your pants" and just end up soiling them, the game bursts into a triple-pass replay of the impact, coated with a syrupy-sweet layer of motion blur that softens things up just a bit. It'll also take a huge chuck out of the Burn Meter.
Of course, the rest of the game looks great, though you'll definitely have more time to appreciate the replays than anything else. The textures are high-res enough to keep from looking blurry or mottled. There's not a ton of variety, though the different levels have their own feel, and more often than not, you'll start out in one venue and end up winding through a couple of different ones before wrapping around to the start/finish line. A track that starts out by a boat-choked harbor quickly moves onto a massive bridge, then segways into a mountain path. The way the levels keep changing makes for interesting scenery – even if it all whizzes by in a blur.
That sense of speed is Burnout's best weapon; the game moves at a rock-solid, creamy smooth 60 frames a second, and the sense of speed is a direct result of that framerate. You just wouldn't get the same adrenaline rush or notice that you haven't blinked in about an hour. What's more amazing is how much the boost actually adds to the already zippy pace. When you finally do glean enough boost bonuses to fill your Burn Meter, you'll be treated to a lightly motion blurred kick of speed that somehow still manages let you feel like you're in control – at least until you slam into any number of walls, cars, guard rails, etc.
When you do end up slamming into anything, whether or not it actually results in a crash, the aural accompaniment is spot on. The effects can best be described as arcadey, but they're not unrealistic. The sound of rubber adhering itself to the street squeals with apropos vibrato, and when you finally do end up smacking into another object at high speed, prepare for an earful. Metal crumples like tin foil, glass spiderwebs, then shatters, and there's a fantastic audio backing that just adds that much more impact to what your watery eyes will witness.
The music manages to keep itself from jumping to the fore, but it doesn't hang too far in the background either, thanks to limited interactivity. As the clock ticks down to your final seconds, you'll get a series of terse, light notes to help add to your stress (as if there wasn't enough, we know). As I've said before when I reviewed this game elsewhere, the music definitely has a bit of electronica influence. It's not outwardly techno-ish, something that I can completely appreciate, but rather mixes in light strings with some peppy percussive undertones. The whole audio effect keeps things interesting without interfering with the main draw of the game: the racing.
Burnout is one of those games that may not pull in crowds like your Metal Gear Solids or your Final Fantasies, but it WILL reward anyone who does decide to play it with an expertly blended mix of speed (and tight control at any measure of it), and daredevil stunts. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't have an absolute blast with this game. Considering how little hype it managed to grab, this could be the perfect surprise gift for a PS2 gamer. Unless they're up on their reviews (and with the nine trillion friggin' games that game out this month, they can't have read them all), they probably won't be looking out for this game, but they're thank you once they've played it.
At its core, Burnout is nothing more than a gamble. A cleverly disguised, ridiculously fast, nail-bitingly fun gamble, but a gamble nonetheless. The gameplay centers around racing, or rather racing dangerously. You don't HAVE to drive like a madman, but if you want to win later races, you'll have to fill your boost meter and let it fly at least once per race, and the only way to do that is to drive as if you were madly in love with every "xtreme" catchphrase on the planet ("taking it to the limit, on the razor's edge, pushing the envelope, ego writing checks your body can't cash"… you get the idea). You'll do that by slipping in feats during races that give the grim reaper one of those "koochy-koo" tickles under the chin like missing other cars by a matter of atoms, throwing your car into rubber-wasting powerslides or careening headlong into oncoming traffic. See, the catch is, you're just annoying the crap out of the grim reaper, not letting him take you away.
Throughout the game's 14 tracks (counting reverses and different times of day), you'll have to balance your need for reckless driving with the endless pursuit of the almighty checkpoint. That gamble I spoke of will play a key role here, as you'll have to straddle the line between effective racing techniques and just plain crazy driving to help fill the Burn Meter, the gauge that rises steadily as you drive like a maniac. Once it's full, you can slam down the Burn button and watch as the game's already fantastic sense of speed launches into overdrive.
Of course, if you were the perfect driver, there's a good chance you'd be doing three things right now: a) Making billions cheating death and wowing everyone in the process; b) Getting all the chicks; c) Making billions while simultaneously getting all the chicks. There's a good chance you're not doing any of those things right now, mainly because you're reading a review on PSX2.com, which has been clinically shown to only get you most of the chicks. If you happen to be female, sorry, the site's powers bend for no mortal; you'll still get most of the chicks. But I digress. The point is, you're probably not the perfect driver, and sooner or later, you'll slip up, sending your nimble little racer dancing into the business end of another vehicle. And that's when you'll discover one of Burnout's biggest pluses: the crashes.
Just about everyone who's seen one of Burnout's crashes agrees that they're the best looking example of what happens when you mix Sam Bishop and anything with speed: the sickening crunch of metal intertwining with metal and the splash of shattered glass skitting across pavement. At the moment you fail to "fly by the seat of your pants" and just end up soiling them, the game bursts into a triple-pass replay of the impact, coated with a syrupy-sweet layer of motion blur that softens things up just a bit. It'll also take a huge chuck out of the Burn Meter.
Of course, the rest of the game looks great, though you'll definitely have more time to appreciate the replays than anything else. The textures are high-res enough to keep from looking blurry or mottled. There's not a ton of variety, though the different levels have their own feel, and more often than not, you'll start out in one venue and end up winding through a couple of different ones before wrapping around to the start/finish line. A track that starts out by a boat-choked harbor quickly moves onto a massive bridge, then segways into a mountain path. The way the levels keep changing makes for interesting scenery – even if it all whizzes by in a blur.
That sense of speed is Burnout's best weapon; the game moves at a rock-solid, creamy smooth 60 frames a second, and the sense of speed is a direct result of that framerate. You just wouldn't get the same adrenaline rush or notice that you haven't blinked in about an hour. What's more amazing is how much the boost actually adds to the already zippy pace. When you finally do glean enough boost bonuses to fill your Burn Meter, you'll be treated to a lightly motion blurred kick of speed that somehow still manages let you feel like you're in control – at least until you slam into any number of walls, cars, guard rails, etc.
When you do end up slamming into anything, whether or not it actually results in a crash, the aural accompaniment is spot on. The effects can best be described as arcadey, but they're not unrealistic. The sound of rubber adhering itself to the street squeals with apropos vibrato, and when you finally do end up smacking into another object at high speed, prepare for an earful. Metal crumples like tin foil, glass spiderwebs, then shatters, and there's a fantastic audio backing that just adds that much more impact to what your watery eyes will witness.
The music manages to keep itself from jumping to the fore, but it doesn't hang too far in the background either, thanks to limited interactivity. As the clock ticks down to your final seconds, you'll get a series of terse, light notes to help add to your stress (as if there wasn't enough, we know). As I've said before when I reviewed this game elsewhere, the music definitely has a bit of electronica influence. It's not outwardly techno-ish, something that I can completely appreciate, but rather mixes in light strings with some peppy percussive undertones. The whole audio effect keeps things interesting without interfering with the main draw of the game: the racing.
Burnout is one of those games that may not pull in crowds like your Metal Gear Solids or your Final Fantasies, but it WILL reward anyone who does decide to play it with an expertly blended mix of speed (and tight control at any measure of it), and daredevil stunts. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't have an absolute blast with this game. Considering how little hype it managed to grab, this could be the perfect surprise gift for a PS2 gamer. Unless they're up on their reviews (and with the nine trillion friggin' games that game out this month, they can't have read them all), they probably won't be looking out for this game, but they're thank you once they've played it.
