Burnout Dominator
Hands-on with Criterion's PS2 swan song.
Published: January 18, 2007
It's entirely likely that the last taste your PlayStation 2 will have of the Burnout franchise will be Dominator, a slightly stripped-down, back-to-basics expansion of the first three games rather than the full-fledged PS3 sequel that developer Criterion Studios is working on in addition to Dominator (which, incidentally, is also coming to the PSP, though we haven't yet played the portable version, and we're guessing it probably won't be the last the PSP sees of the franchise). What this means is that racing has come back to the fore, shifting things a little away from some of the more destructive tendencies of the last game in the series.
As a result, the game's now-infamous (and horribly addictive) Crash Mode has been given the boot. Likewise, traffic checking -- the ability to slam into cars going the same direction as you, introduced in Burnout Revenge a good year and change ago -- has been given its walkin--er driving papers. It might sound like fans of the series are getting short-changed, but it's important to realize that this is how Burnout started, and old-school fans of the series that gave the ugly little Acclaim-published racer have plenty of reason to get nostalgic; this is about pushing the limits of control while screaming along at impossible speeds. And it rocks.
We'll be honest, we were missing some of the additions that have crept into the series like traffic checking a couple of minutes into the game, but as we started goofing around with the game's race-based modes, a lot of that longing started to ebb a little, and that all too familiar sensation of adrenaline kicking in as we danced with the series' familiar risk vs. reward mechanic; performing near-misses of cars, driving in the oncoming lane, performing high-speed drifts, all to max out our boost meter, the old juice started to affect us.
And then we realized that Burnouts, the bonus you get for filling your boost meter all the way and then draining it all in one go, were back -- and they were modified. See, Burnouts were Point of Impact's main addition, and they pushed drivers to run at max speed for as long as possible. Because performing a Burnout properly completely refills your boost meter -- and now it actually adds a multiplier to your score -- it makes things like Burning Laps from Takedown that much more intense. Our need for speed rekindled, we started to get why Criterion (or possibly their EA overlords) would push for a stopgap game like this while everyone waiting for Burnout 5: it's still fun to go fast.
After readjusting to the Burnout 2 feel of things, we took stock of what has stuck from previous games. You can still Aftertouch, meaning even if you crash, you can steer your wreck in slo-mo to try to take out racers that would otherwise pass you. Along with it, Crashbreakers, the ability to expend any remaining boost to blow yourself up and catch racers that would normally be out of Aftertouch range, returns. Things like Road Rage mode, where you just try to take down as many AI-controller racers as possible, are still here too, so despite being "less" of a Burnout game, there's still plenty here to love.
Dominator also takes the license tests from Burnout 3 and expands them into a full and proper Challenge Mode, allowing you to press your luck in establishing things like near-misses or long drifts on multiple courses to earn medals. Maniac races now encourage you to use driving on the edge to extend the ever-ticking countdown clock; performing huge drifts, throwing down Burnouts, dodging traffic and catching air all nets you more time. It's sort of like Traffic Attack Mode from Revenge, but a little more technical -- and, if we do say so ourselves, more intense.
Progression in the game is arguably the most tweaked aspect of things. Rather than just earning cars as you race, you'll actually have to accomplish specific goals throughout the races. These can be requirements for just racing well, or a specific Takedown. Furthermore, Signature Shortcuts use Takedowns in specific spots as a catalyst for change in the levels, opening up pathways that are otherwise closed for the entire race. Since cars are now the new gateway to higher ranks, it's important to notch those specific goals while just completing races (surprisingly, all the tracks we played were new rather than just a best-of rehash like Burnout Legends on the PSP), and it helps build on the feeling that this is a little more technical Burnout than in games past.
Dominator may seem a little like filler while everyone waits for Burnout 5 (and yes, we know we keep harping on this fact), but the fact that it's coming to both the PS2 and PSP (the latter actually gets Ad-Hoc multiplayer, though neither version has online play this time around, sadly) means that it's being treated as, if nothing else, a quality bit of filler. No, it's not really a full-on sequel, but for fans of the series addicted to the seemingly endless number of races and lengthy single-player progression, it looks like there'll be plenty to chew on when the game hits in March.
In the mean time, by all means check out the new screens and trailer that we've tossed up, and once we get a little more hands-on time with our own build (particularly the PSP one), we'll make sure we update things.
As a result, the game's now-infamous (and horribly addictive) Crash Mode has been given the boot. Likewise, traffic checking -- the ability to slam into cars going the same direction as you, introduced in Burnout Revenge a good year and change ago -- has been given its walkin--er driving papers. It might sound like fans of the series are getting short-changed, but it's important to realize that this is how Burnout started, and old-school fans of the series that gave the ugly little Acclaim-published racer have plenty of reason to get nostalgic; this is about pushing the limits of control while screaming along at impossible speeds. And it rocks.
We'll be honest, we were missing some of the additions that have crept into the series like traffic checking a couple of minutes into the game, but as we started goofing around with the game's race-based modes, a lot of that longing started to ebb a little, and that all too familiar sensation of adrenaline kicking in as we danced with the series' familiar risk vs. reward mechanic; performing near-misses of cars, driving in the oncoming lane, performing high-speed drifts, all to max out our boost meter, the old juice started to affect us.
And then we realized that Burnouts, the bonus you get for filling your boost meter all the way and then draining it all in one go, were back -- and they were modified. See, Burnouts were Point of Impact's main addition, and they pushed drivers to run at max speed for as long as possible. Because performing a Burnout properly completely refills your boost meter -- and now it actually adds a multiplier to your score -- it makes things like Burning Laps from Takedown that much more intense. Our need for speed rekindled, we started to get why Criterion (or possibly their EA overlords) would push for a stopgap game like this while everyone waiting for Burnout 5: it's still fun to go fast.
After readjusting to the Burnout 2 feel of things, we took stock of what has stuck from previous games. You can still Aftertouch, meaning even if you crash, you can steer your wreck in slo-mo to try to take out racers that would otherwise pass you. Along with it, Crashbreakers, the ability to expend any remaining boost to blow yourself up and catch racers that would normally be out of Aftertouch range, returns. Things like Road Rage mode, where you just try to take down as many AI-controller racers as possible, are still here too, so despite being "less" of a Burnout game, there's still plenty here to love.
Dominator also takes the license tests from Burnout 3 and expands them into a full and proper Challenge Mode, allowing you to press your luck in establishing things like near-misses or long drifts on multiple courses to earn medals. Maniac races now encourage you to use driving on the edge to extend the ever-ticking countdown clock; performing huge drifts, throwing down Burnouts, dodging traffic and catching air all nets you more time. It's sort of like Traffic Attack Mode from Revenge, but a little more technical -- and, if we do say so ourselves, more intense.
Progression in the game is arguably the most tweaked aspect of things. Rather than just earning cars as you race, you'll actually have to accomplish specific goals throughout the races. These can be requirements for just racing well, or a specific Takedown. Furthermore, Signature Shortcuts use Takedowns in specific spots as a catalyst for change in the levels, opening up pathways that are otherwise closed for the entire race. Since cars are now the new gateway to higher ranks, it's important to notch those specific goals while just completing races (surprisingly, all the tracks we played were new rather than just a best-of rehash like Burnout Legends on the PSP), and it helps build on the feeling that this is a little more technical Burnout than in games past.
Dominator may seem a little like filler while everyone waits for Burnout 5 (and yes, we know we keep harping on this fact), but the fact that it's coming to both the PS2 and PSP (the latter actually gets Ad-Hoc multiplayer, though neither version has online play this time around, sadly) means that it's being treated as, if nothing else, a quality bit of filler. No, it's not really a full-on sequel, but for fans of the series addicted to the seemingly endless number of races and lengthy single-player progression, it looks like there'll be plenty to chew on when the game hits in March.
In the mean time, by all means check out the new screens and trailer that we've tossed up, and once we get a little more hands-on time with our own build (particularly the PSP one), we'll make sure we update things.
