Burnout 3

[PeteJ]

I've played this for six hours now, and it is still an amazing game, but there are some frustrating parts to it (single player).

The handling isn't as refined as Burnout 2, though it is better than the first game (which I find unresponsive). I don't feel as in control of the car as the last time, so I can't thread my car around a corner between traffic at 200mph as smoothly as before.

Some of the races, especially the Point to point challenges, are dull. "Race to the Sun" (or whatever it was called) was the best race in Burnout 2, but the p2p races here just lack traffic for huge sections. Since you can bounce around the traffic without causing yourself to crash you can gain a massive lead over your rivals so, for several minutes, you are alone on the track. Since the handling isn't quite perfect, it is quite boring.

At E3 I told the rep that fans of the series were disappointed with the direction the series was taking - more about the cheap thrills than the heavy traffic that defined the first game. He responded with some confusion, as if he wasn't aware that anyone thought this way, and when I pointed out that the traffic was even less than in BO2, he told me that the "traffic was set to low for the demo". This is, clearly, a blatent lie, and I find that disappointing.

I'm really loving this game - crash mode and Road Rage are just so much fun that the game will be played for a long time to come, but I feel the game could have been improved with a more thoughtful approach to development.

Oh, and I hate the way the soundtrack resets back to the EA one every time you load it up. I don't really mind the default soundtrack or the DJ, but I prefer my music and the DJ kept on interrupting!

[Rushy]

Some of you people are just dead inside This is the most fun I've had in ages.

I don't care who published the game, and I don't think EA's input into the game has had a detrimental affect to the game.

[Inertia_]

The traffic increases as the game progresses, quite dramatically towards the end.

[PeteJ]

Thanks, you've made my day

[weightgain]

So, so true...

tbh, every single online game in the world would be better without ranking...!

[Azelpds]

Hmm, the first time i played i felt a thing of "meh" feeling, but the more i played, the more i become addicted. Yes, the soundtrack is annoying, the DJ also and the takedown camara can be for some too, but, we are talking about the Xbox review and all those problems can be avoided (custom soundtracks) or simply turned off on the others.

My mates the other day, just to give a random example, were surprised to hear Doors or Pantera on my game and thought it was the music of the game lol

Yesterday i went to bed after 7:00 am, so for me the game is really good, rarely a game can do that for me these days and i didn't play online yet.
I think the review is spot on regarding the thing about the positives outweight the negatives in a long way hehe. OutRun 2 is algo a great game, but very different experiences in my opinion and Burnout 3 also need skill, specially after the 30 and 40% of the game, when races are more difficult, you need to get more takedowns for gold, have more traffic on races, need to shave any seconds to get gold on special events and so on. Maybe OutRun 2 demands more skill on the go right on the first challenges of the mission mode, but Burnout 3 needs skill also, is just more forgiving to the new players in my opinion

I have 18+hours on the game with 74 gold medals for now and 47% of the game done, Sudeki for example didn't last me so much and is an rpg lol. I think some people are being overly reactive and negative about the EA thing and forget to enjoy the game a little more. Yes, is different from BO1 and BO2, so? If its the same thing its the same thing, if it's different its because its different...but, how about, is it fun? ^_~

[Azelpds]

So, so true...

yeah, specially because online rankings are evil and a threat to any attempt of having a social life

[Leon Retro]

If Acclaim had published the game it would probably be sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting to be auctioned off...

You might say "Japanese Fanboys in we prefer Sega" Shocker

Disappointing - EA clearly making efforts to put out better titles but you are just extremistly blind to it.

I have been playing the PS-2 version alot and considering the power difference in the consoles Criterion should be applauded for doing such a great title on that hardware.

Regards,
Neil.

I don`t think you read peoples posts properly.

No one said Sega are better than EA or Acclaim. In my post I made the point that EA have had a big influence on the title and that if Acclaim had published it then it would probably be more like BO1&2.

Imo BO3 isn?t better than 1or2 and therefore I am upset because I loved the originals. Burnout2 in particular is excellent and more pure than no3. EA haven?t tried to make a better title they have stripped away the good aspects of Burnout2 added their own generic EA style and basically made a title that fits in with there range of dumbed down games.

I guess you got mistaken when I said something about BO1&2 were so good that they seemed like they had been made by a top Japanese company such as Sega or Namco.

A lot of Burnout fans are very unhappy with the latest title. Some people may find fun in it but don?t put-down fans of the originals when they express their grievances, remember without the fans the series would have died at No1.

[Leon Retro]

One other thing, when did racers become RPG`s. All this bull**** about points, scores, collecting tokens and the like really pisses me of.

Racing should be first and foremost, all other stuff should be secondary. If the racing sucks then no amount of gimmicks can make up for it.

Also all this stuff about " So what if its different " is getting on my nerves.

If Sega dumbed down and radically changed VirtuaFighter their would be an uproar. If Polyphony made GT4 more like AutoModelista, the world would cry.

Why shouldn`t Burnout fans be sad and angry. They bought and supported the first 2 games and then EA come along and make Need For Burnout Hot Pursuit Underground 3

All true fans of the Burnout series unite, EA have let us down, BIG TIME!!!

[revisedgenocide]

One other thing, when did racers become RPG`s. All this bull**** about points, scores, collecting tokens and the like really pisses me of.

Racing should be first and foremost, all other stuff should be secondary. If the racing sucks then no amount of gimmicks can make up for it.

Also all this stuff about " So what if its different " is getting on my nerves.

If Sega dumbed down and radically changed VirtuaFighter their would be an uproar. If Polyphony made GT4 more like AutoModelista, the world would cry.

Why shouldn`t Burnout fans be sad and angry. They bought and supported the first 2 games and then EA come along and make Need For Burnout Hot Pursuit Underground 3

All true fans of the Burnout series unite, EA have let us down, BIG TIME!!!

Well they havent let me down
Ive played all three versions and the current one is probably the best (though i still have a softspot for the first). Burnout 2 was piss easy in comparison to 3 and i completed it within 2 days. In an industry which has a mutlitude of similar drift titles youd like another? I dont see 3 as a radical change from 2 anyway. Criterion chose to expand the crash element over the drift racing element of the game which id say is a good decision since Outrun 2's drift mechanic is so much more subtle anyway.
Also the 'Need For Burnout Hot Pursuit Underground 3' thing is just plain daft since the last nfs was a travesty imo.
this i dont understand at all
'One other thing, when did racers become RPG`s. All this bull**** about points, scores, collecting tokens and the like really pisses me of.'
Mainly because its so vitriolic but also becuase for me points, scores and the act of getting the highest are extremely enjoyable in a racing game. You do get points in outrun 2 after all.

[charlesr]

This is the racing equivalent of Psyvariar. You have to buzz the other cars (traffic) constantly, especially in online Road Rage if you are blue team trying to escape.

This is my first time on Live and this and outrun2 have converted me, inspite of the BO3 lobby system running atrociously online in the evenings. I'd say I got my ?40's worth just today. Entertainment extreme.

[Plisken]

The music's great , i own about 10 full lengths from the bands featured so this was um 'marvellous' . Custom soundtracks as well- no problems.

OK so the PS2 version won't have that feature, but what kind of music would you rather have? The music in this game is 1000X better than the generic Garage or Dance **** they lob in any old racing game nowadays. Burnout 3 is a different kind of racer with a different kind of soundtrack.

I prefer the clean, sharp visuals of Burnout 2 though. I ****ing hate motion-blur with a vengeance and everygame lately overuses this feature like crazy. Same with the anti-aliasing, overdone it can ruin a really good looking game. Rallisport 2 is a great example of clean, sharp graphics- pity this didn't take the same route.

Gameplay is great fun, though i agree with the previous comments about it being generally to easy (boosting ALL the time even when sliding round corners) , and it rewards drifting/dangerous driving pitifully forcing you to drive dirty. Shame really, but the gameplay is still highly enjoyable.

Crash mode is rubbish compared to BO2, to many pick ups , the aftertouch is far to generous and the crash breaker just looks and feels stupid. Worst part of the game, tbh.

Overall i'd give it a 8/10, still rather have BO2 tbh. Great game though, even if it published by the devil.

[Pij]

had a few games online today, is it me or does it never save your ranking when you do well

im amazed how many peeps are playing in 50hz. Even saw an ntsc-uk game that was 50hz

im crap at the game, seem to have a real problem seeing the normal cars on the road.

[Inertia_]

Hmm, the first time i played i felt a thing of "meh" feeling.

Funnily enough, the feeling I had the first time I played was:

[winky]

One other thing, when did racers become RPG`s. All this bull**** about points, scores, collecting tokens and the like really pisses me of.

Megadrive Super Hang on was one of the first for me