Burnout 2
Acclaim
Genre:
Racing
Players:
1 - 4
Type/#:
DVD
/
1
Overall Rating
96
%
Graphics and Sound
I used to have this dream of the perfect driving game. It basically
involved driving around in a car, going through traffic, and everything was
realistic. I mean, everything looked real. The realism of an 8
year-old kid (that's about where I was at the time) driving a car on a busy
freeway would probably look more like Burnout 2. If you liked the
freewheeling mayhem of the original Burnout, Burnout 2 is just more
of the good stuff we loved last year. For the videophiles out there, one
big addition is the support for Progressive Scan, which I see popping up in
more games these days. There's no question things look as good or better
this time around, with more on screen at any one time and less slowdown
present. The crashes are spectacular, easily the high point of any race.
The music is pumped-up rock that sometimes wears a bit thin, but it matches
the adrenaline level of the visuals perfectly. The sweet sound of horns
honking and glass crunching as you push a fellow racer into oncoming traffic
will be the real music to your ears as you get into the Burnout 2
vibe.
Gameplay
Racing games sometimes lose interest over time for the simple reason that
there are only so many variations to racing down the same set of tracks
against the same competitors. Combat racing has upped the ante and made for
better replay value, not to mention more elaborate multiplayer modes. But
the basic formula of 'race around track...jockey for first place...repeat'
hasn't changed much at all over the years. The original Destruction
Derby game, if you can remember that far back, was a pretty big hit for
just offering a different twist, and off-road racing games or extreme sports
racing games mine the same territory. But with Burnout 2, you find a
game that not only takes the race to the highway but encourages you to drive
like a frickin' maniac! That's right, in this game the way you're going to
beat the other racers is by driving against oncoming traffic, cutting people
off and skidding around corners. Driving politely will only get you hurt,
and nobody ever earned a single point on the 'Burn Meter' by yielding
right-of-way.
The breadth of gameplay has increased for Burnout 2. Along with
several multiplayer modes, 2 new additions to the game are present. Crash
Mode is a series of staged challenges where you to try and cause the most
mayhem in one fell swoop. Basically, you launch your vehicle down the road
into a pile-up, and when you come to a stop you're judged on how much damage
has been done. Watching these scenes play out is hilarious, especially in
the 'fly-over' view, presumably from the police helicopter. And speaking of
the police, another new mode is Pursuit, where you take on the role of John
E. Law and try to knock an offending car off the road. Both of these are
available for multiplayer play, and Crash is done as a round-robin for up to
4 players to see who can nail the highest point totals!
In Offensive Driving 101, you'll learn how to master the Dark Arts of
driving, before setting out to conquer the world in Championship or Custom
Series Championship. Unlocking cars, challenges and courses is more
demolition than most derby action ever produces, and there's something very
calming about Burnout 2, from a road-rage perspective.
Difficulty Level
Unlike most racing games that demand precision steering and control,
Burnout 2 truly does reward you for crazy, outta-control driving. The
more you color outside the lines and break the accepted rules of traffic,
the better you'll do here. Sure, there is a learning curve, as you might
expect. Crash Mode especially can take some getting used to, since it is
strictly a one-shot affair. But, more of this game is easily accessible
than not, partly because it encourages serious driving entropy.
Game Mechanics
Lower-level items worthy of mention include the fact that the engine does a
great job of handling the wreck sequences that have been a hallmark of the
Burnout series right from the start. Still, it could use some tweaking to
be in the realm of more true simulation-style racers. You can argue right
back that this is far from a sim-style racer, and I'd agree. But, there are
definitely times when experienced racers will feel the limitations of
Burnout 2 from a control standpoint. To better assist this crowd,
Logitech's GT Force and Driving Force analog, force-feedback
steering wheels are fully supported. Playing with these wheels, if you've
never had the pleasure, raises Burnout 2 to an entirely new level.
Not that the wheel completely eradicates problems, but it glosses them over
to a large extent. Other neat things you'll find in the game that add to
the excitement are long, detailed tracks with plenty of destructible objects
and road hazards galore. It is a testament to the power of the PS2 that so
much destruction can be handled so transparently.
Nobody hates stupid drivers more than me, and even though I'm not frequently
subject to road rage, I'm usually the target of it at least once a week
commuting back and forth to work. So, I can easily tap into the berzerker
rage necessary to compete in Burnout 2. I would certainly nominate
this game as a great release vehicle for the kind of anger buildup we
sometimes have behind the wheel, but many parents may take the uninformed
view that this is some kind of violent driving 'tutorial.' I can't say this
is what I'd want my 16-year old son modeling his driving behavior on, but
those of us who know the rules of the road will see the fun for what it is:
Harmless.
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