Burnout Revenge

Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Criterion Games

Platform:  PS2

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 6

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: September 13, 2005

Intro:

Fans of the SSX franchise will find a familiar tone in the intro to Burnout Revenge.  Big Radio comes on-air to show the improvements in this latest installment in the franchise.  The game shows and tells giving players an enticing view of the new modes,events, special cars, and levels. 

Getting Going:

Players are prompted to set up a profile and then are immediately given the opportunity to choose from two cars and taken into the first race.  The Big Radio announcer gives players a brief tutorial before new types of events, easing the player in as play progresses.

Fun:

There are several kind of races and events and an abundance of unlockables to keep players involved in gameplay from the beginning.  The first event is simply checking traffic.  Upon successful completion of this, new events are unlocked.  Play is immediately immersive given the inherent fast pace and activity of a racing game.  And, doing an "afterburn" into a wall can only be described as amazing fun, a rush.

Visuals:

Sometimes, the scenery rushes by so fast that it is a complete surprise when you crash.  EA has given complete attention to detail in every environment.  The cars are a visual feast.  The streets, buildings and obstacles are nicely textured, but not perfectly.  It's easy to find the competition on the road:  they are marked with their position in the race and revenge targets are marked in red, making them a breeze to spot.  The crashes are spectacular, not only in explosive value, but in the break-up visuals that accompany each crash.

Sound:

Players can choose the musical score of a race or have it randomly playing on the radio.  Meanwhile, engine sounds remind the player that they are racing. Crash sounds blend successfully with the visuals to wow the player with every explosive event.

Intelligence:

There aren't any real NPC's or AI in Burnout Revenge.  The game definitely recognizes obstacles and oncoming traffic.  Cars in position keep trying to win the race.  The game does play well against you in these ways.

Immersion:

Burnout Revenge is immediately addictive, which adds to its immersive quality.  With a rocking beat and fast-paced play, it's impossible to look away from.  An abundance of rewards unlocked during play keep players involved and leveling up. 

Rewards and Punishments:

Players start the game with a Harmless Rank and a given number of stars until the next rank is achieved.  If players race well, they are awarded a gold, silver or bronze medal.  Each race is finished with a star rating, provided the player medals in the race.  Thus, the player is already ranking up as well as receiving medals.  Players are punished for a bronze medal, however, when their star rating is reduced by one star.  In addition to medals, stars and ranks, players unlock items while racing.  Sometimes, the item is merely a new venue or new event.  But, occasionally, a new car is unlocked or the ability to test drive a car will be unlocked.  Other than losing a star or not ranking at all, there is no real punishment or death state in Burnout Revenge.  It is the lack of positive feedback that, instead, acts as a punishment.  

Cameras:

There isn't a real option that I could find for changing the camera angle during play, but one hardly seems necessary.  It is occasionally difficult to see what you hit or what got you at such a fast pace, but that's the point of playing.  It's a racing game, after all.  On the other hand, there is a camera angle in crash mode that does enable the player to look over the crash site before proceeding, giving the player time to come up with the best strategy.

Controls:

EA uses similar controls and markers in several games so that fans of the SSX franchise, for instance, will be familiar with the arrow markers used throughout the Burnout franchise.  There are no surpises in the controls here, which are pretty straight-forward.  There were a few times when I felt certain that I had hit another car instead of it hitting me but, there were also times when I was surprised at a Takedown when I thought I'd been Taken Out.  So, the controls seem balanced.

Ideas:

Burnout Revenge makes a great party game, along with the rest of the games in the Burnout franchise.  The crashes are spectacular and there are times when that is all you are trying to do:  create the most destruction possible.  It's just not as much fun to create an impressive crash with no one there to share it.  The Burnout franchise hits on a core fantasy: destruction without restraint.  EA successfully improves on each incarnation in the series while maintaining what makes it so fun to play--the greater the destruction, the higher the reward.

Memory:

I definitely want to play some more.  The play mechanic in Burnout Revenge is rewarding on it's own.  The addition of multiple rewards gives it just the right challenge to make play addictive.  If I had to describe it briefly?  Glorious destruction!