When a multi-award winning game developing company releases a new addition to their multi-award winning game series, it seems to stir up a little bit of excitement. Such is the case with the new EA UK developed Burnout Dominator. Burnout 3: Takedown really caught the attention of American gamers. It captivated us with an ample amount of carnage and a tremendous dose of "As Seen on TV" styled recklessness. So from one gamer to another, I was somewhat excited to learn more about this March 6, 2007 release.

The Burnout series is known for rewarding its drivers who push their cars and skills to very limit of insanity and Dominator is no different. What is different then? Well, Burnout Revenge had a much loved multiplayer mode of gaming called Crash Mode; sadly, in Burnout Dominator, that mode has been removed. Do not fret just yet, dear crash junkies; there is a mode that seems to be designed just for the likes of you. The newly developed Maniac Mode will earn you some respect as you close the gap between you and civilian cars, racing at speeds that would make even the heartiest of NASCAR fans stain their "Dale Earnhardt # 3" jammies. In Maniac Mode, you are racing against the clock, earning points by nearly avoiding crash situations.

The developers of Dominator felt it would be more appropriate to strip down the hype of crashes Revenge built and put the challenge in actual racing situations. With this in mind, EA UK developed what looks to be more like an actual race game. In contrast, Dominator seems to be a throw back to the first three releases. Skills are in a higher demand in Dominator when compared to Revenge. In the past, the driver was rewarded new cars by completing levels, but in Dominator you must first complete level objectives to earn a new car. These objectives may include skill builders such as drifting a certain length, beating a certain time limit given, or performing a certain amount of Burnouts in a row.

The most exciting news to me was the fact that Burnouts, which is what the game is named after, have made a triumphant return. No longer can the driver earn boost by carelessly driving down on coming traffic and slamming into anyone in their way. This time around, a bit of finesse is needed. You earn boost by near misses and the amount of speed achieved during the miss. One great feature that appears on Dominator is the ability to chain Burnouts together. In Revenge, the driver could use traffic checking during a Burnout and gain boost while doing so. In Dominator, you can't earn boost while boosting, you must first expend your entire available boost. After your boost has been fully depleted and you have not crashed into anyone, then, and only then, will you be able to chain together multiple Burnouts. This feature requires the driver to have a great deal of skill when racing in urban maps. Maniac Mode is the real reason behind the recent appearance of the Burnout feature, which may be used to help the driver earn points during his limited amount of time.

Another exciting feature that appears on Dominator is the short cuts. In career mode, the driver may look for short cuts at the beginning of the track, but not see any. That is due to the fact that they are more cleverly hidden. The short cuts in Dominator are hidden behind objects on the side of the road. What, at first glance, may look like an impassible construction site, is in reality a straight shoot past that pesky curve. EA UK mated together the takedown mode and shortcut mode in what looks like to be a very difficult but rewarding feature. The shortcuts that were described above are only passable by charging forwards and ramming an opponent driver through the barrier. After you have opened this shortcut, it will remain open for the entirety of your career. This will add a degree of difficulty and another notch for the skills a driver must have to reach one hundred percent.

In previously developed Burnouts, the cars stats were advertised at the selection screen. The cars in Dominator do not have stats, they are all different in their own way and are all used for different racing situations. So choose wisely when looking for a car to cruise and bruise in. As in all the Burnout games, there is a wide variety of cars to choose from and the tracks are computer altered representations of actual roads such as the U.S. Interstate and Costa del Sol. Each map has a distinct traffic level, racing style, and objectives to be completed. Don't expect the maps to be knock-offs of old maps; these are distinctly and newly designed maps.

The graphics are expected to be above average for PS2 and PSP. Dominator is using the same engine as in Takedown, so expect similar graphics. Familiar features like "road rage" and "takedown" are still present and used a great deal in Dominator. I personally cannot wait for March 6 to roll around. Dominator will challenge even the most veteran of Burnout fans due to its return to being an actual racing based game, rather than a crash testing simulation. Surely this will be the best to date, at least until Burnout 5 is released on PS3. This release will be highly enjoyable. So, this game is an attractive option, whether you are an avid Burnout fan or just a game renter looking for a few hours of white-knuckle racing. This is the game for anyone and everyone.

By Jacob Joel Hullett
CCC Freelance Writer