Keeping the NHSTA on edge.

Game Information ESRB Rating: Everyone Publisher: Acclaim Developer: Criterion Studios Genre: Volleyball Players: 1-2 Year: 2002 Memory Required: 4 blocks Online: No «» Proggressive Scan , ‡‡ Dolby Surround

Settling The Score

Presentation

70

No opening videos, no real "zazz" to the menus.

Visuals

80

The courses look good, but the cars are a bit round and kind of lacking in detail (I heard that's a result of Renderware). Nice particle effects, just not enough of them. Does move fast and at a smooth 60fps.

Audio

85

The music is okay, but the crash effects is where it's at.

Gameplay

85

It's a fairly simple and easy to grasp arcade racer that uses wreckless driving is it's draw.

Replay Value

79

I wish there were more courses, because Burnout is a fun game to play. Not very heavy on the gameplay modes, either. Survival is a challenge, though.

Reviewers Impression

87

Despite the fact that this game isn't very long, I still played the hell out of it, and did turn me on to the series, which is getting better with each installment. It's also nice to see a pure arcade racing game make it's way back onto the scene.

Overall (not an avg.)

80

I got to this game a little too late, because Burnout 2 was pretty much primed for release, and it IS a better game in every other aspect. As far as it compares to other racers, it's not as deep as say Gran Turismo 3, but is a little more varied than Ridge Racer V.

Written By Shaun McCracken

Perhaps this game would have been better suited with the title "Smashing Drive", but Burnout is fine. The reason I said that is because Burnout has some of the most realistic, and fairly graphic crashes ever seen in a video game (until the point Burnout 2: Point of Impact came out). While this is certianly the draw or the hook of the game, the developers slightly downplay the crashing. It's basic arcade racing with the encouragement of wreckless driving. If you can drive dangerously successfully, you can earn a boost for even more unlawful fun. But Criterion Studios never took full advantage of the crashes. It's just there. It wasn't until the sequel that crashing became a little more integral. But the crashes are one to behold. While it doesn't have as much particle effects as the sequel, the original does plenty. Some crashes are rather lame like a small fender bender or a scrape on the wall. But then there's the moments when your car files and flips smacking into the oncoming traffic. And there is some car damage and deformation, but doesn't last. Right after you crash, your car looks new. Hmmm. Graphically, Burnout is really nice, and slightly better than the PS2 version (and also offers Progressive Scan, which isn't that important to me, since I can't use it). It runs at a full 60FPS and has an amazing sense of speed. The cities are large and well detailed, and suprisingly, the framerate doesn't hitch. The game also has some great lighting and reflectiveness. There are some flat textures and average particles in the crashes, but this is a good looking game. The audio portion is great. The music is standard techno, but the best part is the crashing sounds. It sounds very realistic and loud (thanks to Dolby Surround). Turn off the msuic and turn up the game loud to experience some great crashes. The gameplay is fairly limited, especially when you compare Burnout to other racers such as Gran Turismo 3 or the Need For Speed series. The main portion of the game is the championship mode, which is actually eaier to complete than the PS2 version. It's not until the last couple of portions of the championship where things start to pick up. There's the single race mode, which is fun anytime you want to play a quick game, and the time trial is much like the single race, but without the competiton. One of the more challenging modes is the Survival mode that opens up after completing the game. You have to finish any course whithout crashing, and it's no easy task. I have yet to complete one course in Survival mode. This increases replay value some, but there needed to be more. Burnout's biggest letdown is in the replay value. There's only about 6 actual courses with variations, and not too many modes of gameplay which I mentioned above. It's still fun to pick up, play and crash, and let's face it, the Gamecube is not basking in the same wave of racing games as other consoles right now. And with what racers there are on the GC, good ones are few and between (as of 10/02). Seeing how Point Of Impact is already out on the PS2, you should find the original on the cheap.