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Burnout (video game)
Encyclopedia
Burnout, is a racing game developed by Criterion Games
and published by Acclaim
on the PlayStation 2
, Nintendo GameCube
and Xbox
. The PlayStation 2 version was released in North America on November 1, 2001 and Europe on November 16, 2001. The GameCube version was released in North America on April 29, 2002 and Europe on May 3, 2002. The Xbox version was released in North America on April 30, 2002 and in Europe on May 5, 2002.
Burnout was the first in a series of high-speed racing games noted for over the top crashes and high risk gameplay mechanics. The game's success led to several sequels.
mode, which is a selection of events with three or four races in each. Here the player competes against three other cars on various courses. Each event gets harder and requires the player to use faster cars to reach first place. After completing each event, a Face Off challenge is unlocked which in turn unlocks a new car if won. Other modes include single race, time attack, and multiplayer. Single race is a mode where the player races against three opponents. In time attack, the player must finish a lap in a certain amount of time.
Each location is connected in "Sprints", so hypothetically one could drive from River City (Paris) and end up in Harbor Town (the Costa del Sol) in a matter of seconds. This however, when tried, is impossible. Each location has a distinct collection of traffic that distinguishes one continent from the next; e.g. American taxi cabs versus European taxi cabs and so forth.
Burnout features a small collection of cars, including the small Compact
, the Sedan, the Pickup
and the Muscle
.
This game was often criticized for its music, replays, and its difficulty. TotalGames.net claimed that Burnout is the worst example to date as you can be in first place yet still run out of time, a facet which is both infuriating, common to several courses and, considering the likelihood of at least a few collisions, utterly predictable.
Criterion Games
Criterion Games is a Guildford, England based British video game developer. It is best known for its work on the award-winning, multi-platform Burnout series, the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox first-person shooter Black.Criterion Software Ltd was created in 1993 to commercialise 3D...
and published by Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. The PlayStation 2 version was released in North America on November 1, 2001 and Europe on November 16, 2001. The GameCube version was released in North America on April 29, 2002 and Europe on May 3, 2002. The Xbox version was released in North America on April 30, 2002 and in Europe on May 5, 2002.
Burnout was the first in a series of high-speed racing games noted for over the top crashes and high risk gameplay mechanics. The game's success led to several sequels.
Gameplay
The main gameplay mode in Burnout is the ChampionshipChampionship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
mode, which is a selection of events with three or four races in each. Here the player competes against three other cars on various courses. Each event gets harder and requires the player to use faster cars to reach first place. After completing each event, a Face Off challenge is unlocked which in turn unlocks a new car if won. Other modes include single race, time attack, and multiplayer. Single race is a mode where the player races against three opponents. In time attack, the player must finish a lap in a certain amount of time.
Tracks and cars
Each track is based on a real-world location:| Area | Track Name | Real-Life equivalent |
| USA | Interstate | U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year... |
| USA | Gridlock USA | New York City, New York |
| Europe | River City | Paris, France |
| Europe | Harbour Town | Costa del Sol, Spain Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical... |
| USA | Hillside Pass | Napa County, California Napa County, California Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa.... |
Each location is connected in "Sprints", so hypothetically one could drive from River City (Paris) and end up in Harbor Town (the Costa del Sol) in a matter of seconds. This however, when tried, is impossible. Each location has a distinct collection of traffic that distinguishes one continent from the next; e.g. American taxi cabs versus European taxi cabs and so forth.
Burnout features a small collection of cars, including the small Compact
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
, the Sedan, the Pickup
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
and the Muscle
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
.
Reception
Burnout was received positively by critics, especially praising for its impressive graphics and its gameplay. Shahed Ahmed at GameSpot claimed that Burnout is one of the most intense and entertaining racing games on the PlayStation 2, complete with tight controls and impressive graphics. GamePro claimed that the game offers a great mix of easy accessibility, straightforward style, and pants-wetting excitement. The July 2002 issue of Electronic Monthly Gaming claimed that Burnout has an incredible sense of speed.This game was often criticized for its music, replays, and its difficulty. TotalGames.net claimed that Burnout is the worst example to date as you can be in first place yet still run out of time, a facet which is both infuriating, common to several courses and, considering the likelihood of at least a few collisions, utterly predictable.