Review: Burnout Revenge (PS2)
Game: Burnout Revenge
Platform: PS2
Publisher: EA
Price: £29.99 (Amazon.co.uk)
Reviewer: Jay Neill (TechSmec.com staff)
Burnout Revenge is a title that grows on you. In fact it grows on you fast once you can get it into your head that this is a racing game where avoiding collisions isn’t always the best way to do things. If you’ve never played games in the Burnout series before, and you’re expecting Ridge Racer or Gran Turismo, think again. In Burnout, metal mayhem is the order of the day, where knocking your rivals, and innocent bystanders, off the track is not just permitted, it’s positively encouraged. Crashes, explosions, crumpled wrecks - leaving car carnage in your wake will quickly see you advance through the ranks, unlocking new vehicles and tracks as you go.
Even by the standards of arcade racers, this is not a game steeped in realism. Ploughing into the back of a moving van at 200 kph does little more than scratch your paintwork. What such a collision does achieve is to knock the van spinning into the air and over your head, hopefully into the path of a rival. The feeling of satisfaction as the game pauses momentarily so you can watch a slow-mo replay of your opponent being crushed by 20 tonnes of flying metal, or spearing at full speed into a brick wall, is hard to explain and it quickly becomes unsatisfactory just to complete a course by driving fast. Of course, if it was as simple as driving fast, then Burnout Revenge wouldn’t have a USP. Often the only way to complete a level is to meet a set number of ‘Takedowns’ and you’ll find yourself sacrificing speed to make sure you can shunt a rival off the track and into a barrier….or an oncoming artic.
The feeling of speed in Burnout Revenge is awesome and quite unlike any other game to date. Track design is excellent and packed with variety. Freeways, alleyways, docksides and dirt roads mesh together in a maelstrom of colour that flashes past on either side of you. Often you don’t take in your surroundings until you’re out the other side and desperately trying to prepare for the next few seconds. Alternative routes are everywhere. Sometimes it’s a shortcut, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it just gives you half a second of breathing space away from the other competitors before the track forces you back together and the violence starts again. Occasionally the shortcut becomes your weapon as you arrive back on the main track in the air, crushing the road-bound mortal beneath you.
Career progression is all about revenge. Quite who you’re trying to get revenge on isn’t clear, but every race won, every takedown created, every ‘awesome’ maneuver adds to your revenge rank and moves you through the game.
Game types vary from straight race, to ‘traffic attack’ where you race alone through rush hour traffic trying to knock as many vehicles out the way as possible. The most morally-questionable game type, in a title full of morally questionable challenges, is ‘crash mode’. Here the object is to drive your vehicle into a busy intersection and cause the most humongous pile-up possible. Success is measured in repair bills and the game ends as the camera pans over the scene of burning devastation, the cost of each wreck flashing up on the screen as you pass. This game is rated ‘U’ in the UK which strikes us as a little lenient. Sure, there are no dead bodies, but a minigame whose sole aim is to cause as big an accident as possible has to be questioned when played by a 7 year old. In fact it has to be questioned when played by a lot of 20 year olds we know, so perhaps the censors decided they didn’t have a rating system sensitive enough and washed their hands of the issue.
All in all, there’s enough in Burnout Revenge to get your heart pounding every time a race begins and to make sure that you have to make a real effort to put the controller down and walk away. Every PS2 owner who loves racing games should add this one to their collection, but if speed’s not up your alley then the over-the-top crash antics make this one to seek out at the rental store or borrow from a mate.
Graphics
Excellent feeling of speed and nicely rendered vehicles add up to a classy looking racer - 8/10
Sound
A great rock soundtrack and innards-churning sound effects from one the best sounding games around - 8/10
Gameplay
Easy to get into, difficult to master gameplay that has just enough variety to keep you coming back time after time until you’ve completed every round - 8/10
Verdict
If you love racing games you have to try Burnout Revenge. If you hate racing games you have to try Burnout Revenge. Without doubt one of the best driving (or crashing) experiences on the PS2. 8/10
Add comment November 18th, 2005