| Burnout 3: Takedown | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Criterion Games |
| Publisher(s) | EA Games |
| Series | Burnout |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | DVD |
Burnout 3: Takedown is the third game in the Burnout series of video games. Released on September 7, 2004, developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts (the first Burnout game EA published), the game drew critical acclaim and a large fanbase.
A GameCube version was planned but was scrapped during development. The game was delayed for release in 2003 because of its original publisher Acclaim Entertainment going bankrupt. The game was then picked up by Electronic Arts, the game was then further delayed as changes were made to the game. It is also the only game in the series that received a T rating by the ESRB, making it the last game in the series to be released before the E10+ rating debuted on March 2, 2005. A 5 lapped race demo was and is still available in the EA game Need For Speed: Underground 2. EA Games shut down all network services on April 15, 2010. It is the longest Burnout game to ever have 6th gen console online support.
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There are five game modes, including two race modes and three crash modes. Before play starts, players choose their vehicle based on its speed and weight. In the race modes, the player gains "boost" by driving in the oncoming traffic lanes, narrowly avoiding traffic, drifting around bends, getting air time, and by causing competitors' cars to crash (called a "Takedown"). In "Race" mode, the object is to win the race around the track like a standard racing game, while in the "Road Rage" mode, the player must takedown a set number of computer-controlled opponents.
In the crash mode, the player is not racing opponents on a track. Instead, in each crash attempt, the player races at high speeds towards an intersection and tries to do as much monetary damage to the vehicles there as possible, while collecting cash and multiplier bonuses. The three crash modes are very similar. In some, you drive alone, in others you crash as a team with a combined score, etc., but the goal of doing the most damage remains the same.
In any mode, medals are awarded for achieving certain scores. These medals are used to unlock hidden tracks and vehicles.
Burnout 3 features 173 different events in the offline mode, and 67 cars to unlock, including a City Bus, Truck Cab, Fire Truck, and a Trash Truck for use in the Crash mode. There was also an online mode where up to six players could compete in a race, and eight players could compete in a Crash event. In online races, aggression was lowered down compared to Single Player. Racers must focus on good drifts and avoiding traffic, not just takedowns, in order to win. This gave the online mode a different feel from single player. There is a racing variant known as Road Rage where players are divided into two teams. The blue team receives a three second head start and must drive a certain number of miles without being eliminated by being taken down. The red team attempts to takedown the blue team before they reach the finish line. On April 15, 2010, EA pulled the plug on the online servers, shutting them down for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game. Xbox Live for the original Xbox was completely shut down on the same day.
The soundtrack for Burnout 3: Takedown features 44 songs, which includes "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" by My Chemical Romance, "Breathing" by Yellowcard, "This Fire" by Franz Ferdinand, "Saccharine Smile" by Donots, "Always You" by Amber Pacific and "Memory" by Sugarcult. "Lazy Generation" by The F-Ups is the game's opening song. Songs are played through "Crash FM", the game's radio station with commentary from DJ Stryker from alternative radio station KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. Alternatively, Burnout 3 supports user created soundtracks on the Xbox with the usage of the Xbox hard drive.
Burnout 3: Takedown has received critical acclaim since its release. IGN praised the gameplay, saying it is "instantly enjoyable and maddeningly addictive", GameSpot said Burnout 3 "is an amazing achievement that anyone with a pulse will probably love", and 1UP concluded that Burnout 3 is "so good that you don't have to like racing games at all to enjoy it".[1][2][3]
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| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Gold Award (10/10), Hot 100 – Official PS2 Magazine Can't Miss Holiday Games #1 – GamePro Best Game of its Class: Driving; Best Xbox Game – GameSpot Racing Game of the Year: PS2; Top 10 Game of the Year – GameSpy Game of the Month – GameSpy (Sept.) Game of the Month – IGN (Sept.) Best Racing Game – Jive Magazine Best Racing Game – Lawrence.com Editor's Choice – OXM (Oct.) Must Buy Silver Award: Buy or Die – PSM (Nov.) #4 of Top 10 Games – Official PlayStation Magazine Best Driving Game; Most Addictive Game – Spike TV Video Game Awards Top 10 Video Games – Time Magazine Game of the Month – XBN (Oct.) |
| 2005 | Editor's Choice Award: Xbox; Editor's Choice Award: PS2 – GameSpot Console Racing Game of the Year – AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards Best Racing Game – G4 Video Game TV 10 Essential Racers – Official PlayStation Magazine #2 of Top 40 Console Games – Pelaaja Magazine Best Game; Art and Sound; Technology – IGDA Game Developers Choice Awards Game of the Year; Best Driving Game 2004 – Official PlayStation Magazine Platinum Award – PS2 |
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