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Burnout Revenge
The Burnout series once again returns on
the XBox and Criterion continues to push the bar higher and higher and
with their latest release, Burnout Revenge is probably the best racing
game out in 2005. Unlike the previous title which suffered some flack
from certain reviews, the gameplay of Revenge has been drastically
modified and to quote an old saying, "revenge is a dish best served
cold" which is what this new current incarnation of Burnout is all
about. Criterion listened to the criticisms of the previous title and
created one of the most addictive and highly entertaining games of the
year.
Unlike Burnout 3, Revenge takes the pain and heartache out of crashing because it's
now used as a tactical strategy that allows the gamer to push their
opponents into oncoming traffic but the beauty of the game is that
traffic no longer causes you to crash, unless you've been pushed into
it. This is great news for gamers because not only does it improve the
gameplay but also the longevity. With that said, Burnout Revenge also
features a variety of different gameplay modes and also some great
online content.
The new gameplay of Revenge stars all opponents with blue marks over
them, indicating that they are neutral. If you continue to target a
particular opponent during a race they will become increasingly more
aggressive towards you, ultimately turning that blue marker into red, which
means they're completely gunning for you. If you manage to take down any
of the competition that is red marked for Revenge, you'll earn a Revenge
Takedown which will crank up the points in your Revenge Meter and put
you that much closer to taking the big prize.
As with previous titles, you'll play Burnout Revenge main event to unlock
new tracks, cars and also new modes of play. New arrivals alongside the
tried and true Road Rage and Crash challenges include Traffic Attack and
the Crashbreaker mode. Traffic Attack is exactly what it sounds like -
pile on the hurt while Crashbreaker is something entirely new.
Revenge is probably the best looking and sounding in the series and is a
contender for the best looking racer ever. The game moves so fast and
looks so incredible at high speeds that other development teams really
need to sit up and take notice. Revenge's car models return to Burnout
2's roster of cool Criterion based machines rather than caricatures of
real world vehicles. It doesn't really make a lot of difference in the
scheme of things and you'll either dig it, not dig it or not care one
way or the other.
Burnout 2 fans who found last years game too much of a shock to the
system might delight in the direction Revenge takes this year. In any
event you can't say that Criterion was resting on it's laurels. Any
gamer who gets off on high speed hijinks will find that Revenge is a
dish best served now!
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