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Gamecube Reviews: Burnout

 

Burnout Screenshots

 


 

The Final Say!
Gameplay
9.0
Graphics
8.5
Sound
7.0
Value
9.0

Burnout - reviewed by Tory Favro
Review Date: 19 May 2002
Review Score: 8.75/10 
Distributor: Acclaim

Here's an interesting fact for you: Burnout was developed for the GameCube first and ported over to the Playstation 2 when that system was made available first. Currently king of the racers on Cube, Burnout is a must for any Nintendo owner who wants to see a top notch arcade racer in their home.

First thing you need to know is that this title plays damn fast and furious. Only really fancy driving and the pedal to the metal will see you in front of the pack.

Taking place in environments you can readily relate to, Burnout is a game that truly gives you a need for speed and you are rewarded for taking chances such as driving at high speed into oncoming traffic. When taking chances, a metre appears on the screen. When full you can activate a turbo which will see you streaking miles ahead of the competition.

It's tough working up to filling the metre and tougher again using the turbo boost that you will get. Any crash will see you losing that vital boost and struggling to fill the metre again.

Racing against CPU opponents or your friends has never been so challenging as you not only have to try to win, gain enough to go turbo, but also you are under the pump constantly by having to reach the next checkpoint to gain more time. For the most part this is usually achievable but does add a certain sense of urgency to each game you play.

For those of you who have played Gran Turismo 3, don't expect the same visuals from this game. Graphics are fantastic though and considering the awesome framerate the game runs at and doesn't falter in the slightest. Even in two player mode the visuals are rock solid and a real treat to watch.

Remember when playing Burnout, that it's quite an achievement considering that the CPU is calculating not only how you are doing, it's controlling the opponents and let's not forget the huge amount of non competition vehicles on the road which are being placed there for your gaming pleasure. It's quite the achievement and shows the power of the Renderware Engine that the developer, Criterion, has made.

The only slight letdown with the title I would think, is the audio. Whilst it is totally suitable for this game, the fact that it's in Dolby Surround is wasted on the fact that it is not taken advantage of. Certain scenes are fully surround however for the most part there are only stock standard engines and wheel squeals.

The next and last point I am going to make about this awesome title is the fact that it's quite possibly the only racer where you are not going to complain too much if you crash. Burnout makes every crash a fully cinematic experience and you will sometimes find yourself lining up the biggest truck you can find just to see how much damage you can cause.

Burnout. The best racer currently on Nintendo GameCube. Get it.

- Tory Favro

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