Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Written by Adam Woolcott on October 24, 2002

Full Review: Kinda like survival horror Ц only there's no rabid zombies or guys named Pyramid Head, just a bunch of cars.

Amongst a crowd of games in a busy 2001 holiday season, Burnout slipped through the cracks and was stuck in the slow lane, unable to get into the fast lane hogged by the stars of 2001 (you know what those are). It probably was a good thing that a novel concept like Burnout was still overshadowed, given the mistakes and problems it had. Criterion's baby definitely was and is a sleeper, but it needed more work to compete with the other arcade racers in a very crowded genre.

Now that the sequel is here, the question is; does Burnout 2 deserve more of the spotlight in yet another crowded fall season? The answer to that is definitely yes Ц with a couple reservations. No doubt that Point of Impact is a vastly enhanced and improved sequel, but a couple nagging problems remain, and both really were preventable Ц in a lot of ways, they fixed prior mistakes by messing with something that didn't need to be fixed. On the whole though, Burnout 2 is a great arcade racer that works, but when the obvious comparison to Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 comes around, Burnout 2 is again overshadowed Ц though this time, the gap is much closer.

Burnout 2's improvements start right off with the modes of play. The main 1 player mode, Championship, is a major improvement over the shallow original rendition. The Championship mode is split into multiple play types to keep it fresh and does a good job of avoiding repetition, coming with standard series championships (multiple races), point-to-point sprints, faceoffs that unlock some new cars (like the faceoff from the original Burnout), and finally, the Pursuit races. The pursuit races are different Ц instead of running from the police, you are the police and your job is to run a guy down by hitting him so many times until the opposing car is incapacitated. It's not the most well-executed mode in the game (very generic how you have to knock the car a dozen times before it blows Ц why not just, you know, block the bastard and arrest him?), it's a fun diversion that breaks up the action.

The other modes consist of the standard time attack and single race, along with another interesting mode for both single and multiplayer Ц Crash. Crash mode goes something like this Ц the game gives you a situation, and your job is to speed down the road and cause a big of an accident as possible. That's right, now you can live out the dreams of a frustrated Chicago tollway commuter and smash and slam the living dogshit out of all the cars in your way and earn points for it. It's a bit too gimmicky for my tastes, but it's a fairly entertaining diversion and can get addictive when trying to get as high a score as possible in the mode and cause the most possible damage.

For the uninitiated, Burnout 2 is your typical by the numbers arcade racer, with a bunch of decked-out rides and crazy arcade-style tracks, complete with the old-school checkpoint system. Of course, not only do you have to race against the clock and other cars, but you have this teeny element of a ton of other cars on the road that you have to race around and avoid when making a wild powerslide around a blind corner, because hitting them will result in a pretty nasty crash that can cost you a race if it slows you down enough. That's where the whole Уsurvival horrorФ element comes in, because this game can really get hairy and scary when you're in an intense race right when you head into an intersection with semi-trucks and stuff. Some short-sighted people have passed the whole thing off as a gimmick, but in reality it's a really innovative addition to a genre that needed a shot in the arm, and Burnout 2 just continues what the original started.

However, this definitely doesn't get Burnout 2 off the hook, because for every 2 steps forward, there's a step backwards that hinders the progress. Last year, the AI of the game was insane, with a cheap rubberband style that only helped opposing computer cars catch you, while falling behind for a human meant forgetting any chance of victory. This has been rectified in Burnout 2, however the rubberband now goes both ways, so the computer cars will actually let you catch them unless you're unable to avoid getting into wrecks, in which that's your own problem.

Despite that, the big flaw comes out that really bothers me Ц the traffic seems to have been made easier to handle, thus making the game nowhere near as challenging as before. The first Burnout was intense in terms of handling traffic Ц it really was a challenge and a blast to avoid traffic and maintain a lead in a race. It's still really intense at times in Burnout 2, but it just seems a lot easier to navigate the innocent bystanders, and really don't run the risk of crashing into them unless you lose control of your car. Plus, the once promised improved traffic AI is nowhere to be seen Ц the same old pattern where later laps get more populated with bystanders that made the original a game of simply learning a pattern and then following that pattern every time you race the track. It is a bit more random than the first Burnout, but you can just sense that the game just uses the cheap dense traffic pattern Ц with the exception of the well laid-out point-to-point tracks. This is something you forget after a while though, because the game is still intense and a lot of fun to play, and with the deep Championship mode, you'll want to play it despite the difficulty being dumbed down in the wrong places.

There's still plenty of neat improvements though. The УburnoutФ turbo boost system is enhanced greatly, allowing for more ways to build up the meter, as well as link burnouts and create combos. Now, the game tallies points for the boost by catching air, along with the powersliding (which is a ton easier to pull off, and feels a lot more natural than the original Burnout was) and riding in the opposite lane of traffic. And while you're in turbo boost mode, pulling off more tricks to build the meter can result in a combo that keeps your turbo going until you make a mistake. The turbo should still be used in certain situations Ц given how fast you wind up going, it's easier to lose control and smack into another car or cars; so make sure you have plenty of open space before going (right) trigger happy.

Like before, the cars all control differently and are actually pretty accurately represented from the descriptions Ц if a car has poor handling but great acceleration and top speed, it actually feels like an uncontrollable beast. If you have a car with somewhat slow acceleration time but controls like it's on rails, you feel that too. Burnout 2's control maintains a very arcade-style feel, with hardly any exaggerated physics Ц usually the cars move fast and responsive Ц but way more responsive than a real car would. The only problem for some might be how easy it is for a car to spin out taking a corner fast, but that's a matter of learning how to adjust and even occasionally use the brake to navigate. On the whole though Burnout 2 maintains tight, responsive control that never once reminds you of a simulation Ц it's pure arcade all the way.

A large set of tracks and cars does make up for the somewhat minor flaws when in-game, with 30 different tracks, though they're basically just alternate routes or random connections to other tracks. All are well designed though, with some killer turns and tricky situations to remember for the next lap. A wide variety of vehicles exists too, with basic sports cars, to jacked-up rockets from movies like The Fast and the Furious to police cars, 1950's hot rods, and even your very own NASCAR ready stock car (a stock car in a race that doesn't involve going in a circle, who'd have thunk it?). A majority of cars are unlocked by completing the Championship races, adding plenty of replay despite the annoying changes to the gameplay, which may or may not turn off fans of the original Ц but might draw in the ones who were turned off by the unusual difficulty.

If there was one thing that made Burnout stand out last year, it was the Renderware-powered graphics. While it was loaded with flicker and jaggies, it still was brilliant looking, and one of the best racing games on the PlayStation 2. With that in mind, Criterion definitely put up the improvements, making an already pretty game even prettier. Gone is the massive flicker, and only a few jagged edges remain. The tracks are polished with details, such as dead-on accurate street signs and warning signs, along with tons of roadside buildings. Lighting effects like a bright, distracting sun and even the flashing lights of the police car add some challenge to the game, making a massive attempt to distract you from the road (an oft-ignored portion of auto racing).

The cars themselves are sharp, while they're not real cars, you can see their influences pretty easily. Traffic cars are just as well detailed, making for a really amazing-looking game when racing. Unfortunately, the cars don't stay damaged as once expected Ц a minor flaw in an arcade racer, but unfortunate nonetheless. When you do get into a crash though, the game shines again; pieces of cars go flying all around, and other cars will run into your mess, creating a pile up that resembles one in a football game. In Crash mode especially, the crashes are a sight to behold.

While NFS went for the gritty, almost European, look, Burnout went for a more Americanized shade - a polished, shiny look that screams out at you. It may not be as good a looking game as the now ancient Gran Turismo 3 (which still looks great today), it's still one of the PS2's best in the racing category.

Most importantly for high-end television owners Ц Burnout 2 enables progressive scan, making for an even better looking game on your TV. Only a handful of PS2 games are Pro Scan enabled, so make sure to check this one out for a visual treat.

Complimenting the great graphics is the nicely done sound. The music that plays in-race is much improved from some horrendous music from the original (the barnyard music haunts me to this day), and comes even clearer into your ears when in УburnoutФ turbo mode. Engine squeals are pretty generic, but that's not the star of the show.

The star is the sounds of the crashes. In addition to the great looking crashes, there's also some great sounding crashes. The sound of multiple vehicles colliding into each other is sure to make you cringe (as would seeing the damage done), and the honking of horns from bystanders is a realistic touch. It sounds even better in the supported Dolby Pro Logic II.