Mangle your gearstick
New this time around is the after-touch system, where once you car is totalled, be it by accident or on purpose, you can still manoeuvre the shattered wreck around with the aim of taking out passing cars… It really is manic stuff and just a real blast to play. The tracks have had a complete overhaul, allowing for more jumps, ramps and stupid stunts than before and the Takedown system has gone 3D, meaning you can land on an opponent and take him out that way. The tracks themselves are based on real world locations such as Detroit, Rome and Tokyo and feature plenty of multi-level roads, so piling off a bridge onto traffic below is now an option and one way of getting a quick takedown on the other guys.
Be careful though because also added in this edition is the Revenge system, giving the game it’s name. If you takedown a racer too often or by just nudging him into a wall at the last second, he may well decide to wreak his revenge and you’ll find yourself getting pummelled until he’s satisfied he’s done you enough damage. Of course, taking him down again will only wind him up more, but your score better if you do.
The cars have had an overhaul too, with Stephan claiming that there’s up to three times more damage modelling and deformation on the vehicles than before. I have to say that after a few bad crashes, my uber-machine was looking like it had gone head to head with a combine harvester with bumpers hanging off, doors and glass smashed in and generally fir only for scrapping or advertising on EBay for spares or repair.
The cars themselves come in plenty of different shapes and sizes, each with different characteristics making them more suitable for one mode of racing or another. Of course, car manufacturers are more than a little reluctant to see their latest cars turned into recycling materials, so the cars in Burnout: Revenge all look vaguely familiar whilst not actually being a particular make or model… but rest assured, you’ve got everything from 4x4 pickups with the weight of a small house through to high powered compacts (Minis!) that are nippy as hell and bounce around the track like pinballs on speed.
Despite Burnout: Revenge’s ludicrously high speeds, the pure arcade nature of the game mean that it’s easy to pick up and play, and after about 10 minutes play I was just as hell-bent on destruction as Stephan was, throwing my car all over the road, wiping out traffic without a thought and even fluking an impressive two car takedown. With multiplayer available for up to six players, grudge racing and verbal abuse are a real possibility with Burnout: Revenge, so keep your eyes peeled for a review very soon.
Burnout: Revenge will be available on PS2 and X-Box this September.
