Criterion Games is one of the best, young development studios in the gaming industry. Burnout 3: Takedown was an almost revolutionary title in the arcade racing genre, as it perfectly blended an intense recreation of speed with the tight controls of some of the best driving games on the market. The game definitely received attention, garnering nominations for Game of the Year from numerous publications, a feat rarely reached by an arcade-style racing title. Burnout Revenge takes all of the best features from its predecessor and packs an experience currently unmatched by any racer on the market.

 

All of Burnout Revenge’s single player events are played through the World Tour mode, which, unlike Burnout 3, doesn’t divide up the races by region, but by what ranks you have unlocked. There are eleven ranks of advancement in the World Tour mode, each of which can be beaten and played further to unlock the rest of the goodies in the game. Most of the races in Revenge were available in Burnout 3, but feature new twists and quite a few tweaks.

 

Race, Burning Lap (commonly known as Time Attack), Eliminator, Crash, and Road Rage all return from last year’s crop of events, each noticeably tighter than what was found in Burnout 3. Later in the game, you will unlock Crashbreaker versions of these modes, which allow you to hit the Crashbreaker button and explode after crashing, taking out most vehicles in your vicinity. While playing modes like Race, you will undoubtedly get taken out by a competitor at some point. The opponent that takes you out is then identified with a red marker and labeled as a “Revenge Rival". If you return the favor, you’ll get extra boost and a higher rating, which adds a cool new twist to the Takedown system made popular by Burnout 3.

 

One reason why these modes also feel pretty fresh is because Revenge features totally redesigned tracks that completely change the way many races are played. All of the maps in the game are much more complex than last year, featuring shortcuts and elevated driving areas that dictate how you can strategically approach the race. The new heightened ramps allow you to get a vertical advantage on your enemy for vertical takedowns (explained in detail later) and the shortcuts allow you to easily avoid crashes, but since there isn’t any traffic in the shortcut routes, you cannot gain any boost. This adds a bit of strategy to the game, forcing you to decide whether you want to deal with traffic and possibly gain boost, or avoid traffic and sacrifice something that could be crucial to your ability to finish in front of the pack.

 

Crash mode has been revamped for Burnout Revenge, stripping away the power-up icons from Burnout 3. At first glance, it seems that this would make Crash mode extremely easy, but it in fact makes for more of a challenge, since you have to use more strategy in how you bust into traffic because you don’t have multiplier icons to inflate your. This mode is also just flat out better in Revenge, topped off with breathtaking rooftop to rooftop jumps in some scenarios.

 

The new race events include Traffic Attack, Preview, and Grand Prix Race. Traffic Attack focuses on the new ability to slam into same-way traffic, adding time to your countdown bar for every car you bowl through. The Preview race allows you to drive some of the fastest cars in the game before you unlock them, pitting you in a race against the clock. Finally, Grand Prix Race enters you in a challenging multi-race event. Though all the new modes are really good, Traffic Attack is one of the most visceral experiences you can play, as you essentially become a bowling ball, crashing into helpless vehicles that in turn end up careening into other traffic.

 

Burnout Revenge’s gameplay follows the standard set for the series last year by the aforementioned Burnout 3. The real focus of the game, and the series in general, is to zig-zag through traffic, avoid road hazards, and takedown your opponents. In Burnout 3, you had to be very careful of avoiding all traffic, but, as mentioned earlier, you can knock into vehicles traveling in the same direction, a feature Criterion calls “Traffic Checking." Not only does it earn you more boost, but it allows you to check the civilian cars into your opponents. While utilizing this is more a game of chance rather than skill, the feeling of taking someone out by launching another vehicle into them is an experience few words can describe.