Burnout 3

[WorknMan]

Rented Burnout 3 this weekend (Xbox version). It's the fastest racing game I've played since Star Wars Racer, but I don't care for it much. I've got a few beefs with it:

1. For as fast as this game is, they've got too much crap strewn about the levels. Nothing pisses me off more than to be hauling ass going 150mph, and then run into a damn bus that's parked in the middle of the road. And I just love how they have taxi cabs and other slow-moving vehicles strategically placed so that when you come around corners, you're almost certain to crash into them. I can't count how many times I ran into those huge trucks that pull out right in front of me before I even have a chance to react - and I cussed every time it happened.
2. The Face Off game mode is quite boring.
3. The whole crash/takedown gimmick just doesn't work for me, and I find the whole zooming in/out thing to be rather annoying, especially when I've got the custom soundtrack rocking and they stop the music every time I crash ... grrrrr!!
4. The rubberband AI - 'nuff said.

I was pretty excited about this game because I thought it was all about pure speed, but instead I found a game that concentrates more on ramming vehicles into walls and putting stuff in your way.

[Danny]

not trying to plug this game or anything but you should try Flatout if you like racing games like this. Flatout does'nt cheat and the game has no annoying effects/glitches to ruin the tempo of the game. My only gripe is that there are no custom sound tracks option

[Shane R. Monroe]

Rented Burnout 3 this weekend (Xbox version). It's the fastest racing game I've played since Star Wars Racer, but I don't care for it much. I've got a few beefs with it:

The PS2 version is JUST as fast ... and it looks great ... amazing what they manage.

1. For as fast as this game is, they've got too much crap strewn about the levels. Nothing pisses me off more than to be hauling ass going 150mph, and then run into a damn bus that's parked in the middle of the road. And I just love how they have taxi cabs and other slow-moving vehicles strategically placed so that when you come around corners, you're almost certain to crash into them. I can't count how many times I ran into those huge trucks that pull out right in front of me before I even have a chance to react - and I cussed every time it happened.

That is part of the Burnout franchise. Its part of the game. Its not unique to #3. I like that part of it. Nothing pisses ME off more than a brain dead racer where you're racing through Tokyo and only you and the CPU cars are on the road and there is NOTHING to run into or crash into (kthxDaytona). Remember, the CRASHES sell Burnout.

2. The Face Off game mode is quite boring.
3. The whole crash/takedown gimmick just doesn't work for me, and I find the whole zooming in/out thing to be rather annoying, especially when I've got the custom soundtrack rocking and they stop the music every time I crash ... grrrrr!!

Once again, its the ROOT of the game ... If you didn't like the crashes in Burnout 2, you're not going to like them in 3.

BTW, you can think the zooming thing is gimmicky, but you HAVE TO HAVE IT in some parts of the game. And, if you get good at it, you can smackdown the bitches driving behind you when you crash. Novel idea, but again - it either works for you - or it doesn't.

4. The rubberband AI - 'nuff said.

Do what everyone else claims they do when they can't stand AI .. Play online. Personally, cheaters and lifers piss me off a lot more than computer AI - at least I can compensate for reliable AI (good or bad). I can't compensate for some ass that drops in the middle of a game or cheats.

I was pretty excited about this game because I thought it was all about pure speed, but instead I found a game that concentrates more on ramming vehicles into walls and putting stuff in your way.

It totally varies. Some races are about ramming. Others are about pure racing. You WILL need a well-rounded skillset to play the world tournament. There are tons of Time Trial modes, pure racing modes, etc. Wait until you get the F1 racer. You think sh*t is fast now ... you haven't seen anything yet.

If you want a straight racer, wait for Grand Turismo 4. Frankly, racing games HAVE to have a gimmick for me to play them. Doing laps is work - I don't play games to work. Might as well play American Farmer... Daytona USA - worst ... racing game ...ever ... seriously boring. Even San Francisco Rush was borderline boring.

You want some high speed pure racing, get CART FURY Racing for PS2. Its a bit old, hard to find, but well worth it. If you've played the arcade game, the PS2 version holds up good. Don't judge the Dreamcast version - totally different game. Here is a link to one on ebay, just so you can see what the box looks like. Our local Blockbuster carries it.

Cart Fury on Ebay

[WorknMan]

The PS2 version is JUST as fast ... and it looks great ... amazing what they manage.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the PS2 version was any slower Anyway, I can't try the game you recommended, cuz I don't have a PS2 anymore - Xbox only here. The PS2 was killed in a tragic moving accident

Once again, its the ROOT of the game ... If you didn't like the crashes in Burnout 2, you're not going to like them in 3.

I didn't play either of the previous two - I only got interested in this one because people were talking about how fast I was. I think speed works as a gimmick myself. I'll play anything that's fast.

Nothing pisses ME off more than a brain dead racer where you're racing through Tokyo and only you and the CPU cars are on the road and there is NOTHING to run into or crash into

Oh, I don't mind obstacles on the road, but not when they come at you faster than you can avoid them, or when something just pulls out in front of you from out of nowhere.