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 Criterion's
next game in the Burnout series continues to surprise
and innovate, while at the same time harkens back
to the series roots while distancing itself slightly
from some aspects of Burnout 3: Takedown. With Revenge
not only the name of the game but the name of
the game, if you catch my drift, players will
still be expected to takedown as many opponents as
possible, but there are some drastic changes to the
franchise that might throw a few players off their
game initially.
The
first of these differences is quite a fundamental
shift from how you have played the Burnout series
up til now. In previous games one ill-timed crash
could mean the difference between winning and losing.
Naturally players would be on the edge of their seat
as they flew through city streets, between cement
pillars, and around corners while weaving in and out
of traffic in an attempt to fill their boost tanks.
Revenge takes the sting out of crashing because now,
same way traffic is no longer an obstacle; it's a
tactical strategy. The ability to "check"
traffic into your opponents (think hockey) is a basic
requirement now and one that you need to wrap your
mind around. If you're anything like me, you'll be
avoiding them for fear of losing and then realize
that there is nothing to fear from them at all. Checking
traffic into your opponents is a neat idea in theory,
but I'm not so sure I'm crazy about it simply because
it changes the game of Burnout too much. Once I became
used to the concept of smashing NPC's into my opponents,
the edge of my seat, white-knuckle fear that fueled
my adrenaline which sharpened my reflexes into an
acute, cat-like sensation, no longer applied to the
game. I could smash into anyone going my way and the
game would send them flying directly into the path
of my opponents. Conversely, the opponent AI rarely
did the same to me and so this feature was all mine
to abuse and it made me almost unstoppable.
 As
with previous titles you'll play BR's main event to
unlock new tracks and with that, new modes of play.
New arrivals alongside the tried and true Road Rage
and Crash challenges include Traffic Attack and the
Crashbreaker mode. Traffic Attack is exactly what
it sounds like - pile on the hurt while Crashbreaker
is something entirely new. In Takedown, you could
steer your car into passing opponents after you crashed
using the Aftertouch control. In Revenge, the Crashbreaker
actually an explosion you can set off after you crash,
as long as you have some Boost left in the caboose.
Using this new technique is cheap; really cheap. You
can effectively eliminate almost any who dares take
your first place position. Hell, you can even take
out the poor bastards in second and third if they're
close enough when the fireworks go off. This translates
into you getting back your first place position once
the gameplay gets underway. Aftertouch was certainly
more skill based, less effective and overall much
more fair. Crashbreaker is on par with using a cheat
code as far as I'm concerned.
In
terms of track design Criterion managed to the raise
the bar over Takedown's collection. With the foundation
of the game relying heavily on battle rather than
avoidance, the track design has been completely overhauled
to facilitate and encourage contact. Whereas Takedown's
tracks were fairly narrow and tight, Takedown opens
up the arena and allows for far more improvisational
takedowns than ever before. Shortcuts also figure
prominantly in this years track design but like anything
in life that is too good to be true, there is a caveat.
Taking a shortcut often means having to pull off some
incredible maneuvers so you won't lose time or crash.
 Since
its debut in Burnout 2, Crash Mode has become one
of the defining elements of the Burnout series and
has also underwent a significant change in direction
when compared to last years installment. Absent are
the confusing icons and multipliers that littered
the stages and the emphasis is once again on kicking
major ass, but with some chaos theory thrown in for
good measure. For starters you'll need to adjust to
the new countdown mechanism which works much like
a swing meter in Hot Shots Golf or Tiger Woods. Hit
the button at the right time and you'll boost. Blow
it and you'll either have to restart or improvise.
The crash junctions are much further up the road than
before - you might need to pass 2 junctions before
you reach the action - and there is a lot of traffic
between here and there. Players will have to rely
on traffic checking to succeed and as mentioned you
might forget this handy technique while you frustrate
the living crap out of yourself.
Taking
the game online is a breeze and like Takedown, extends
the replay value of the title immensely. The racing
is definitely fast and furious and without lag, hiccups
or other graphical anomalies. Traffic Attack and Crash
Tour are new online modes debuting this year. While
I found Traffic Attack to be a little weak in the
knees during single player, playing online is where
the mode proves its worthiness as it's just that more
interesting when you're trying to beat another person
rather than a high score. Crash Tour is a 6 player
mayhem filled smash em up that actually plays like
a twisted game of golf. Each crash course has it's
own dollar amount. Players will compete to reach that
target amount and replay the course over and over
until they reach it. The player with the smallest
amount of turns, wins the course.
The
audio visual department at Criterion is clearly pushing
all of the systems to their physical limits. Revenge
is the best looking and sounding in the series and
is a contender for the best looking racer ever. The
game moves so fast and looks so incredible at high
speeds that other development teams really need to
sit up and take notice. Revenge's car models return
to Burnout 2's roster of cool Criterion based machines
rather than caricatures of realworld vehicles. It
doesn't really make a lot of difference in the scheme
of things and you'll either dig it, not dig it or
not care one way or the other.
 Burnout
Revenge is, I'm sure of it, the last great arcade
racer on the current gen systems. Certainly the boys
and girls at Criterion will be focusing their attentions
on bringing the Burnout experience to the next gen
systems from this point forward. That's not to say
that everything will be completely hunky dory for
all Burnout fans. Some may find the altered direction
of the basic fundamentals of the game a drastic change
which makes the game far too easy in certain places.
Burnout 2 fans who found last years game too much
of a shock to the system might delight in the direction
Revenge takes this year. In any event you can't say
that Criterion was resting on it's laurels. Any gamer
who gets off on high speed hijinks will find that
Revenge is a dish best served now!
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The
Burnout series exploded onto the current gen systems
a couple of years back and in classic simile style
crashed head on into the competition rendering most
of them DOA on store shelves.
Criterion
has always made an attempt to evolve the series with
each subsequent release and Revenge is no different.
As mentioned, if you want to win, you'll have to alter
your tactics. While taking down opponents in Burnout
3: Takedown was necessary, Revenge forces you to play
really dirty. You'll need to slam, bam and ram your
opponents with everything you've got, and that now
includes using traffic as a pawn in your deadly game.
Think of checking your opponents in a game of hockey
and you'll have a closer understanding to the techniques
required of you in Revenge. 
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