Burnout 3

[marcus]

I think it comes down to what you was expecting and hoping from BO3, if you wanted the emphasis on skill then Id say BO3 will disappoint as its far more reliant on breakneck speed boosting, earning boost in previous games was also harder and the ability to chain your boosts is something Ive missed in the third game. However if you want simple, fast addicitve racing then BO3 will be the one for you, theres far more to do in this game also than the first two which were reasonably easy to complete. I think in Kingstons case its simply too radical a change of approach to what he was wanting, no amount of debating will change that. Just because something is different doesnt automatically mean its 'worse', and in BO3s case it is very different from 1 and 2 but its still a damn good racer nevertheless.

[Hodge]

Having done around 60 percent on single player my overall conclusion is the game is becoming boring very quick. There just doesn`t seem any depth to the game to me. Ok so you got loads to do but the tracks are to long and boring to warrent remembering (even though there are a couple of of all right short ones) and theres not alot to the handling either as you can gladly go over any surface without any effect to your speed (as you always got a bit of boost to keep your speed) and while the drifting is not bad it`s not great either. Also the difficulty level i find to easy for all challenges and just find myself coasting through them rather than being challenged. Also the car models don`t look that great compared to burnout 2 which ain`t really giving me much incentive to try and unlock stuff. Well the only thing i`m trying to complete is crash mode so i can unlock that car from burnout2 but crash mode i`m finding a chore cause again it`s way to easy. For me the saving grace of this game is online which is great to play and you always get a decent challenge. The road rage ain`t to bad on solo play but again it`s easy to master and can breeze through them all. It`s still not a bad game overall but i still prefer the racing and weaving through traffic to build your boost of 2 over the ramming of 3.

[Chadruharazzeb]

I think it's good that Criterion have decided to take the game in a different direction each time, and not just polished the graphics while the gameplay grows mould (Gran Turismo).

God only knows what 4 will be like, possibly some kind of F-Zero type where you have to ram-raid off licenses.

[dave heats]

I bought this game the other day after all the hype and praise it had been given, and tbh I cant see what all the fuss is about.
Its a fun game for around an hour or so, but after that the handling starts to show its wafer thin gameplay, the tracks get repetitive and crash mode shows its true colours as possibly the dullest part of any racing game.
So I thought, hey, I'll take it online and see if thats any better. Oh, was that a big mistake or what? I can safely say Burnout 3 has the worst online play I've seen for a very long time, and goes some way to destroying all the good aspects of online play microsoft had implemented with xbox live. Disconnections, poorly laid out menus, overly complex nav controls and some of the most incredibly boring online modes ever concieved (team takedown = dull to the nth degree).

I can see why alot of people are enjoying this game, and the above is of course all my opinion, but I am one of the few people it seems who really couldnt give a **** about burnout. In the meantime I'm selling my copy and buying outrun 2 shortly, a game that wont be overhyped nor shallow.

[Mayhem]

I actually like BO3 for not being able to chain boosts. Means you have to, in general, pick and choose when to use your acquired NOX much like how BO1 was. Pity they reduced the crash detection physics though (however I've heard the later sports cars do break apart rather easily).

[Leon Retro]

I still don?t understand Brats and people that hold his opinion.

There are many guys on this site into VirtuaFighter games. Are they freaky fan-boys because they enjoy the evolution of the series???

What about all the StreetFighter2 fans that have also enjoyed the series evolution?

KingOfFighters fans that have played and enjoyed the game for 10years and yet the game sticks to its roots.

RidgeRacer, the series has changed in only subtle ways from 1 to 5.

I could list plenty of games that are part of a series and very popular even though they have evolved gradually.

All this bull**** about its good for a game to radically change is so wrong.

Fans of a game series play the first iteration because it delivers what they enjoy. The 2nd game should extend the game and add features to the core gameplay in a subtle and positive way. Further iterations should then improve with technology, such as better graphics, physics and sound, as well as adding the necessary new features that keep fans happy.

The Burnout series started-out as a pure racing title with the added bonus of traffic to negotiate. The 2nd version kept the core racing but tided-up certain aspects and added many other positive points.

BO3 is a radical change of direction. The game is not focused on racing anymore but is centred on mass chaos and destruction. Elements of Burnout are still present but in all but appearance, with little of the true substance and flavour that gripped players of the originals.

For me, it?s like Sega turning VF5 into a SmashBros type game. The same characters would be present, the graphics could be similar but the core gameplay would be a radical departure. Fans, yes the people that are devoted to the series would be devastated and much anger would be directed Sega's way.

Obviously that isn't going to happen, but it did happen with Burnout. The funny thing is the fact that Burnout 1&2 were never really discussed or well regarded on this forum. Now with the 3rd game, we have all this excitement surrounding its release and the fact it?s on Live. I assume that most people love the new style and the sheer mayhem of the game. Another chance to meet mates on Live can never be missed.

If these people like the game so much they obviously prefer it to the originals, so basically they have different tastes, it makes me wish that Criterion had developed BO3 as a separate title with a name that identifies it as a new series and kept the Burnout name true to its roots.

One last thing Brats, if one of your favourite series of games suddenly changed direction and became something that made you cringe, would it be fair of me to call you a twat and tell you its good for the industry and stop whinging about it, of course not, so please don't insult me just because I?m an easy target and not one of big guns here at NTSC

[Leon Retro]

I think it's good that Criterion have decided to take the game in a different direction each time, and not just polished the graphics while the gameplay grows mould (Gran Turismo).

God only knows what 4 will be like, possibly some kind of F-Zero type where you have to ram-raid off licenses.

You said it mate, yes the series has gone all Twisted Metal with a big dose of WipeOut velocity.

No4, will obviously build on the destruction element. I guess EA wanted the series to change direction basically because as a pure racing title it would overshadow the NeedForSpeed range and in a way they have created a new genre of game which means EA win all round, those sly devils.

[Commander Marklar]

Fans of a game series play the first iteration because it delivers what they enjoy. The 2nd game should extend the game and add features to the core gameplay in a subtle and positive way. Further iterations should then improve with technology, such as better graphics, physics and sound, as well as adding the necessary new features that keep fans happy.

So you're fine with endless FIFA titles, which fit your definition perfectly?

The Burnout series started-out as a pure racing title with the added bonus of traffic to negotiate. The 2nd version kept the core racing but tided-up certain aspects and added many other positive points.

Untrue, to an extent. You've yet to list why...

BO3 is a radical change of direction. The game is not focused on racing anymore but is centred on mass chaos and destruction. Elements of Burnout are still present but in all but appearance, with little of the true substance and flavour that gripped players of the originals.

Again, untrue -- the game is not only focused on racing but additional elements too. You still need to win (come 1st) to obtain gold in many of the events.

If these people like the game so much they obviously prefer it to the originals.

No, that isn't a certain -- you seem to have made a gross assumption here that fans of BO3 either didn't like the other games in the series or haven't played them, several times in the topic. Me personally? I like them all, BO3 continues a fine series...

Just imagine, for a second, if the games were released back to front - BO3 first, 2 and then the original. Would you still consider Burnout the pinnacle of the series?

One last thing Brats, if one of your favourite series of games suddenly changed direction and became something that made you cringe, would it be fair of me to call you a twat and tell you its good for the industry and stop whinging about it, of course not, so please don't insult me just because I?m an easy target and not one of big guns here at NTSC

If he was being an obnoxious fanboy, sure, he's a twat (he's not, btw ) but other than that it's a fantastic that a series can break its mould, continue forward yet still its genre defining nature. That's true development talent... Criterion should be applauded.

[MikeRox]

You said it mate, yes the series has gone all Twisted Metal with a big dose of WipeOut velocity.

No4, will obviously build on the destruction element. I guess EA wanted the series to change direction basically because as a pure racing title it would overshadow the NeedForSpeed range and in a way they have created a new genre of game which means EA win all round, those sly devils.

Hmmm, I'm not too sure, other than the takedown aspect, for me the racing side of the game was pretty much everything I expected from NFS: Hot Persuit 2 but never got. Especially now there are non circuit based races, it really does feel like a "proper" Need for Speed title.

[Brats]

I could list plenty of games that are part of a series and very popular even though they have evolved gradually.

Just because something is popular doesn't make it right. Fans of Pink Floyd would probably be up in arms if they suddenly went all goth, but it doesn't mean their stuff in the last twenty years has been any good.

Conversely Bob Dylan completely alienated his very traditional folk audience in 1965 when he went electric with Robbie Robertson and the band. There was uproar and he was labelled Judas by his fans. Now of course the albums he recorded in that perod are regarded as some of the finest music ever put on an LP.

There have been changes in series I've previously enjoyed that have left me unsatisfied. The Metal Gear games' growing obession with cut scenes has drawn me away from the series, but I can at least appreciate that many people still enjoy the games or actually like the cutscenes. That is the difference between you and I.

Personally, I think the games you list have changed more than you give credit. RRIV is a marked difference from Rage Racer and the structure of VF4 Evo is a massive change and very innovative (and has been widely accepted by the majority of the fans).

And for the last time, it was EA who changed the direction of BO3, it was decision made by Criterion themselves. The only thing EA got wrong was the messing around with Live, but that's in a different thread.

[linkster]

Can anyone tell me if Burnout 3 is W signed (are PAL/NTSC skus interchangable?) Have a US machine but fancy a rental.

Cheers!

[Commander Marklar]

No, it isn't region free -- this has already been mentioned, use the search

[Soi]

I played this game for the first time last night. Can't say I liked it too much to be honest. I've not played either of the first two games and was hoping that this would be good.

I played about 20 minutes of the single player, which was predictably very easy to start with (I guess it gets harder as you progress). Got Golds without even trying, which was a shame. As in, I would rather there had been a challenge to aim for (like trying to get platinums in PGR2 -which take a lot of practice).

I then took it online. My first game was Team Takedown, which was complete pants imo. After the ended, I asked the rest of the people in the room "Is that it? That was shockingly dull". "Yeah, it is a bit dull". Some people drive, the others chase ?is that all there is to it? Where?s the tactics or fun it that?

So I tried a crash mode, and after having my xbox crash twice, I joined a game with 5 other people, all with good-ish looking rankings. As the game loaded I asked how this mode worked etc, and everyone was very helpful. The game started and I set off driving in a straight line, picking up a boost icon on the way. I activated it and then attempted to turn right at the junction ahead of me (not realising that this was where I was meant to crash). I accidentally slammed into a fuel tanker and thus my involvement in the crash (except for pressing B to explode when prompted) was over. Effectively all I had done was drive straight and hit a tanker. Consequently I thought that my crash was likely to have been really lame. But apparently not. I had easily the highest total out of the 6 people in the room. There were six rounds of this and I did the same thing every time (boring I know but I wanted to see if things were different every time or not). Sure enough I ended up winning, much to the annoyance of the other 5 people. Is there anything more to crash mode apart from learning a simple pattern with respect to the scripted AI vehicles?

I then tried to join a racing game, but this proved too tricky and so I turned the game off and enjoyed a really good Black Arrow session with some other people off this forum.

Someone tell me Burnout 3 gets better once you are into it, please?

[Ravon]

Mmmm its an arcade type racer like ID/BattleGear/Outrun2, i cant see really what else you could have been expecting from the hype..Maybe your better suited to stuff like PGR2 or even the GT series..

[Leon Retro]

Brats and Commander Marlar, I have just given Tony Blair a call, he agrees that you two guys would be perfect as his new spin-doctors.

Seriously though, with all the schpill that you guys have given me, I realise that all your doing is saying black is white and its just got too irritating to carry-on with.



Join the club

P.S. Brats, I haven`t been more amazed than when I read your claims that Ridge Racer V and VirtuaFighter4Evo have in your opioion radically changed since their first incarnations, gret stuff, hilarious, I could argue all day but I do have some semblance of a life to lead, cya!!!.