The Burnout series of games is one in which the normal rules of driving don't really apply. Driving 200mph into oncoming traffic? Go ahead! Hit a car at those speeds? Well, you destroy your car, but we, the game, put you right back where you were, in a 100% repaired car, ready to cause chaos and havoc. This hilarious, un-realistic type of driving genre is one that you can play to vent your anger, because in certain challenges, you are
required to crash into others!
Burnout Revenge is no exception to this rule; it speaks of this type of gameplay in the title! Being released on September 13, 2005 for the PS2 and Xbox, and later on the Xbox 360,
Burnout Revenge keeps with the spaztastic gameplay of the original games (Burnout 1, 2, and 3), while adding all new modes and abilities to increase playability.
The main new feature in the game is called 'traffic checking'. In previous games, if you tapped another car, you would have to deal with the crash cam, and then start off again where you hit (or were hit) at a standstill. In
Burnout Revenge, you have the ability to ram cars out of your way (from the rear) without going into crash-mode. This 'traffic checking' also adds to your boost meter, making the game even more of a crash party. This ability, in turn, makes the game much more enjoyable because of the elimination of constant 'crash-mode' slowdowns, which can many times cost you the race, level, etc.
Along with 'traffic checking' comes the ability to 'take-down' opponents during races. This basically means either ramming them, or making the crash, also known as good old mindless fun. In addition to this, you can be taken down as well. If you then retake-down the opponent that took you down, you get bonus points towards your boost as well as your level ranking. This revenge aspect of the game is one of its best, along with traffic checking.
All of the old modes return, with the crash mode being a personal favorite. You are given a scenario, and must cause the most damage as possible in one try. It may sound easy, but some of the later challenges are just that, challenges. These require careful planning as to what approach you will take, which car you will hit first, and so forth. After you hit a car, then you go into 'aftertouch mode', where you can move around your flying car, and when your explosion meter fills up, blow up your car, causing even more damage.
All of these new abilities, coupled with an already great game series, has lead for
Burnout Revenge to earn quite high ratings, in the 80 to 95 percentile. What, you may ask, is detracting from the game? Well, for me, there is only one major problem: glitches. The game tends to run smoothly, but at times, can be incredibly buggy. My best example is when I was in first place in a normal race, and misjudged a sharp left turn. I crashed, or was supposed to crash, into a wall, yet I didn't. I somehow glitched through the wall, and ended up outside the game area, in a black abyss. If I didn't glitch, I would have won the race anyway, but I did, and ended up having to restart. Much anger ensued.
This type of glitching happens every so often in the game, which, while not effecting gameplay dramatically, it does detract from the overall experience. Thus,
Burnout Revenge garners a well earned
95%. If you find this game for the $10-$15 price range, definitely pick it up, you will most certainly enjoy it. Until next time, happy gaming!
