Burnout will never get burned out in this house.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Blazing speeds, great graphics and realistic scenery. Good score. Good crashes.

Cons: Multi-player good be improved with synchronized timers.

The Bottom Line: 
You can't be disappointed with this game. Good variety in tracks and vehicles, great graphics, and great accelerated play. Try it out and see.

Author's Review
A favorite rental in my home, this game always is on the list during a get-together. With its lighting fast speed and graphic realism, even the women of the house fight over who plays the winner.

The game is pretty straight-forward with a championship mode that allows you to unlock new tracks, and in turn allows you to unlock new vehicles. The tracks are designed with beautiful detail, and the vehicles are rendered with quality and care. PS2 has a great processor for games like these, experiencing everything from great shadow placement to smashed out windshields during an accident. A good score accompanies the game, along with a well thought-out premise, being that to excel at the game you have to PURPOSELY drive reckless. In fact, near misses, driving on the wrong side of the road, and skidding during while negotiating the many turns is all you need to fill your burnout bar. A gauge that when filled, gives you a much needed boost of speed, blending the road into almost nothing more than a wash of light, challenging you to miss that eighteen-wheeler you're coming up on at 150 mph!

The game starts with several vehicles, ranging from roasters to pickups, and more can be acquired along the way. Since PS2 uses memory card technology, slower progress isn't a problem. We just rent the game again. The game also features a "save your crash mode." A feature where after spinning out and hitting that guardrail, then bouncing onto a tanker truck, then flipping onto a station wagon, which ends up swerving into the oncoming traffic, allows you to save the memorable moment onto your memory card, insurance costs and all!

In the multi-player version, this game is one of those few that doesn't incorporate the "fairness" technology you see in so many racing games. It's all too often where your real life opponent gets a sizable lead but not 90 seconds later, you're about to pass him by. Instead, this game allows you to play your heart out, and if you end up lapping your foe, so be it. Unfortunately however, this can cause a problem when one player is skilled at the game and the other is not. The unskilled player often will not be able to finish his game, leaving the skilled driver to continue on racing. This forces the now retired driver to wait until the skilled player either concludes his run, or resets the race.

But except for that minor annoyance, the game has superb qualities that continually make it a top choice of the family. Charismatic and appealing to the eye, the game allows players to enjoy their exuberant crashes, instead of frustrating over another halt in their race. Truly a winner, Burnout now has a sequel to offer which is bound to be everything this game is, and more. Definitely worth a look.