Burnout 3: Takedown

Did You Know?

• The PlayStation 2 version of Burnout 3 included a demo for EA's Need for Speed: Underground 2.
• In 2008, the Xbox version of Burnout 3 was re-released as a downloadable emulated package for the Xbox 360 console as part of Microsoft's Xbox Originals scheme.
• The game was showcased at several trade shows throughout 2004, including E3.

Gameplay

Burnout 3: Takedown is an arcade-style racing game built around high-speed, reckless driving. The core races take place on highways and city roads filled with regular traffic. In Single Race mode, the player competes against five computer-controlled opponents over one or more laps. Boost is a key resource that can be spent immediately to give the car a sudden speed increase, a change from earlier Burnout games where the boost meter had to be full before it could be used. Boost is earned by driving dangerously: drifting through corners, barely missing other cars, or speeding into oncoming lanes. The fastest way to fill the boost meter is by performing a Takedown, the major new feature in this installment. A Takedown happens when the player rams an opponent’s car until it crashes. Each successful Takedown not only fills the boost meter but also adds an extra segment to it, allowing the meter to grow up to four times its starting size. However, aggressive driving has consequences: opponents become more hostile after being rammed, and their level of aggression is shown by a colored arrow above their car. If the player crashes or is taken out by an opponent, they lose boost and any bonus segments. During the crash, a slow-motion sequence called Impact Time can be triggered. In this state, the Aftertouch mechanic lets the player steer the wrecked car’s chassis into another opponent to score a Takedown, which cancels the penalty of the crash and acts as a recovery move.

A new mode called Road Rage challenges the player to achieve a set number of Takedowns within a time limit or before their car is destroyed. In this mode, new cars keep appearing so there are always targets to hit. Crash mode returns from Burnout 2: Point of Impact, now enhanced with the Aftertouch feature. The goal in Crash mode is to cause the highest possible monetary damage in a massive pileup at a busy intersection. The game includes one hundred different Crash junctions. Once enough vehicles are involved in the crash, a Crashbreaker becomes available, letting the player detonate their own car to create even more destruction. Power-ups placed around the junction can give cash bonuses, score multipliers, a speed boost, or an instant Crashbreaker. One power-up, the Heartbreaker, has a negative effect and reduces the total score.

Development

Burnout 3: Takedown came from Criterion Games, a studio based in Guildford. Before it could make that game, the studio had to navigate a messy series of events that included a cancelled project, a pitch that went nowhere, and a falling out with the company that would eventually publish Burnout 3: Electronic Arts. In 2002, Criterion had about 130 employees split into two groups. One team was busy making Burnout 2: Point of Impact for Acclaim Entertainment. The other had just finished AirBlade, an extreme sports title for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Sony wanted to keep working with Criterion on a sequel to AirBlade, but that team said no. Instead, Criterion started talking to EA, who wanted them to remake the 1988 skateboarding game Skate or Die!. Criterion was excited to work with EA and began development on that project. After Burnout 2 came out, Criterion put together a pitch for EA Canada about another game together. They called it Need for Speed: Split Second, a stunt racer set in EA’s Need for Speed series. Meanwhile, the Skate or Die! remake started falling apart when EA asked for changes that pushed the game away from what Criterion had in mind. The development team grew unhappy and stressed, so Criterion got in touch with EA and cancelled the game. EA was not happy about this, and the relationship between the two companies turned sour. That bad blood killed the proposed Need for Speed game as well.

Reception

Burnout 3: Takedown was met with near-universal praise from critics across both the Xbox and PlayStation 2, according to aggregate scores. It ranked as the second-highest-rated game on each platform for 2004, and it holds the record as the best-reviewed Xbox racing game ever, as well as the second-best on PlayStation 2. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot declared it one of the finest racing games ever created, noting that it stood out in a crowded and varied genre, and he believed its quality was strong enough to appeal even to players who normally had no interest in driving games. Edge magazine called it Criterion’s best work, praising the studio for reworking the series’ structure and energy, and pointed out that while other developers chased realism, Burnout 3 delivered pure, exhilarating fun. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer credited the new gameplay additions with making it one of the most addictive racing titles ever. GamesTM gave it a perfect score, calling it without question the greatest racing game ever and the most fun they had ever had with the genre. GameSpy’s Miguel Lopez also awarded a perfect score, calling it possibly the best arcade racer ever made.

The introduction of Takedowns was widely celebrated. Critics noted how this feature transformed the boost system and pushed the game toward a more aggressive driving style. GamesTM observed that the aggressive AI opponents created more chances for Takedowns, leading to an intense, dramatic race. Lopez explained that the game cleverly borrowed from vehicular combat genres through the Takedown mechanic. Gerstmann praised the Impact Time and Aftertouch systems, which made crashing entertaining rather than frustrating, unlike in other racing games. IGN’s Fran Mirabella III was impressed by the crash system, calling it far ahead of anything that had come before.