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GCN Review by: Kazooie

Burnout made it's first appearance on the PS2. Unfortunately, this game is quite small. The tracks themselves are huge when compared to most other racing games, but there isn't much to do after you have completed the main single player championship section, which are only 6 championships long.

I'll cut straight to the chase. The gameplay is amazing. There are a range of long tracks to speed around, and you're not only trying to win the race, your main aim is to escape hitting the people in their ordinary little cars, trundling around at 20 mph while you're doing something like 120. Winning is just a bonus after an incredibly frustrating 'Sunday drive' around bustling streets, barely staying ahead of the other burnout racers who are having the same problems with the public as you are. There is a twist however, when you hit one of the public in their little snail mobiles, your car crumples and dents, and a replay is shown of you hitting the other car from various angles. You have the option of saving these crash replays but they take up A LOT of space and you might even find yourself deleting things from the card just to save an impressive crash and regret it, because there still isn't enough space. Although saving a crash replay can be worth it, as some of the crashes look so impressive, especially the high speed ones involving lorries.

It can be very annoying when you are in the lead, and a stray car pulls out ahead of you, causing you to crash. Then you look on in horror as the game repeatedly shows you the replay, and how you managed to dent not only your car, but your pride, as your opponents race past you whilst you flounder around doing nothing, losing precious seconds. The game is quite short though, with the championship mode being the longest part, but is still only six mini tournaments long. But winning these unlocks things like survival mode (race an entire lap without crashing) and Face off mode (racing against secret cars, beat them to unlock them as useable vehicles in 1 and 2 player modes)

Like all Gamecube games, the graphics are perfect. There has been a massive improvement on the PS2 version here. There is almost nothing wrong with the lighting effects on the different colors and shapes of the vehicles; even the shadows look good. They move in relation to where your car is, and where the sun is, instead of just being a rectangular shape under the car. Even the non-racing vehicles look great, and so do the roads. Even the buildings and trees that line the outsides of the tracks have got great attention to detail.

There is no story line in this game, but if there was it would probably be this: A group of guys got bored, souped up some vehicles, and decided to illegally race them around busy city roads all over Europe and the USA. Burnout would probably benefit from a story line. It would be a good excuse to make the game longer.

This game needs a sound track that isn't just a different version of the same damn tune over and over again. Turn the music down so you can listen to the realistic engine and crash sound effects that alternate depending on the size of your car, and the material and size of the vehicle or wall you've hit. This game has had a lot of thought and time put into it, but not enough in the music area.

There is a big sense of anti climax after completing it, and this tends to deter you from playing it again. I suggest you rent this game before you make any final purchasing decisions.

Presentation The cars and sound effects are very real! The game looks great.	7.8
Graphics With nearly The same graphic engine as gta3, you know the graphics aren't bad at all.	8.0
Gameplay Gameplay wise, this game is very fast. It has superb levels and the burnout meter adds a lot of fun to the gameplay.	8.7
Overall Overall this game is very fun, and has nicely designed courses, as well as crashes. The graphics are very well done. Burnout is pretty good all around, aside from a few minor details.	7.5