Burnout 3 & SRS double header review!

[Ruined]

Burnout 3



The third in the Burnout series, can it live up to the hype?

Graphics: A-
--
Graphics are very sharp and clean in this game, with lots of excellent special effects. However, the artwork and texturing on the cars themselves could be improved - most of the cars have amateurish or uninspired paint jobs.

Sound: B
--
This game would have gotten an A in sound for its excellent sound effects, however that was flushed down the toilet with its EA-ification. The prior two Burnout games had quite good original music composed for the game, which upped the tension even more when racing. Burnout 3 has generic punk bands vol. 1 (I hope you like listening to "we are the lazy generation" over and over again) with a few hits now and then. Though you can use custom soundtracks and thats good, EA should have used music similar to their first couple of games instead of licensed junk. Not to mention the announcer/DJ. Wow, EA decided this game was Burnout Xxxtrrreeeme! and hired the most annoying person of all time to say the same repetitive phrases every time you start an event. In fact, I had to turn him off. When you have to turn off sound, you know that is bad.

Controls: A
--
Controls are dead-on, but maybe a bit "too" dead on? Instead of having the kinda out of control feeling you had with the original two Burnout games, this seems Need-for-Speed-ized. Overall can't complain though.

Gameplay: A
--
Something for everyone, though EA seems to have made Burnout 3 more complex than the prior ones, for better or worse. Now instead of just progressing through a championship sequence you have to hop between places on a map. You will be racing against opponents, against the clock, and trying to crash into as much stuff as possible. Also, now you can "takedown" opponents to give yourself a boost and put them back in the pack.

Online Play: A-
--
I'd like to give this an A for its excellent online modes but to put it simply, EA's service isn't as good as straight XBOX Live. The interface is not as intuitive, you have to pick servers when not using quick/optimatch, etc. Also, the interface of the high score records stored online is not nearly as polished as the one in Burnout 2, and it appears the high scores only count for races/crashes you do online, not offline ones, which is a bummer. Still, there are a ton of great modes to play in, and once you get going its a ton of fun. Overall a great online experience. Voice chat works well.

Overall: A
--
Despite the EA-ization of this game which has stripped away some of its uniqueness, it has also added a lot of polish to the game. Not much new to see here, but it does what it sets out to well. This will probably end up being the best arcade racer of 2004. A must buy for arcade race fans!


**************************************
SRS: Street Racing Syndicate



A brand new street racer game, and this seperates itself from the pack in one major way - it is the first import tuner street racer that is more sim-oriented than arcade-oriented... Does it succeed?

Graphics: B+
--
Roads have an excellent wet look to them, and car models are very detailed. However, the game just comes off feeling a bit rough around the edges, which knocks down the graphic scores a few notches.

Sound: B
--
Though this game doesn't suffer from annoying announcer syndrome like Burnout 3, some of its sound effects are weak, specifically the crash effects. Every time you bump into something, it sounds like a window is being shattered, which is a bit odd. However, this is offset by a good licensed music soundtrack (far better than Burnout 3's) and good engine sound effects.

Controls: A-
--
The controls in this game are quite good, but of a sim-nature unlike Burnout 3. You will find that SRS is the first game to feature an analog clutch, which is rather innovative. Controls are a bit hampered by Nitrous not working for a couple of seconds occasionally when you are stuck on a car or wall. Controls are a bit tricky to get used to, but once you get them down they are quite nice, and you can perform some great moves.

Gameplay: A-
--
SRS is a different type of street racer. It is open ended, and you can cruise around and choose what you want to do in a nonlinear fashion. Its sort of like a cross between Tokyo Xtreme Racer (PS2/DC) and SEGA GT Online (XBX). Unlike the other import tuner games out there, this one is sim oriented, developed by the maker of the excellent Test Drive LeMans sim for Dreamcast. This means that when you hit the nitrous you don't go 500mph, it actually similar to how nitrous does in real life. It also doesn't look like you are going 500mph, speed is portrayed sim-style, which some may perceive as "slow," while the game is trying to be realistic. Some reviewers are panning this game because they wanted an arcade game and got a sim game - very simply, if you want an arcade tuner game, buy the upcoming NFSU2, but don't penalize the game because it breaks new ground by offering a sim experience in a genre that has never had one. Moving on, There are three types of cameras, behind the car, in-car, and in-car with hood. Out of the three, the in-car cameras work the best by far as with most sim-style games. I find the one with the hood to be the best way to play the game, as it gives you the best feeling of driving the car. In SRS, you get to drive around the city, challenge random people driving around the streets by flashing your high beams (ala TXR), participate in events, and do challenges to win girls. Yep, you win girls in this game, 16 to be exact. Win a "respect challenge" and you will have a new lady. Now, the way this works is you can have all 16 girls, however only one can ride with you. The one you pick is the one that signals the drivers to go on all of your sanctioned races in computer generated form, and when you win certain events it unlocks real life movies of the girl dancing, PG-13 risque style. Each girl starts with one video, and a total of three can be unlocked for each, with the last being the one where the girl is wearing the skimpiest outfit. If you challenge a racer and he kicks your ass, he might steal your girl. Then you have to hunt him down and beat him to win her back. Its actually a pretty fun aspect of the game. This game focuses on tuning and installing parts on your car as much as it does racing. You even have a dyno in your garage to see what results your tuning yielded. You have to win races to win both respect and money, so you can buy cars/parts and eventually participate in races that require higher levels of respect. You even get chased by the cops in this game . All of the different gameplay elements come together to bring a varied spectrum where you can cruise around and do whatever you want to do most, leading to great gameplay. And when you get bored you can go check out the videos of the hotties you unlocked

Online Play: A-
--
I believe the first console game to have online pink slip races was Speed Devils Online for Dreamcast. Later, SEGA GT Online supported this really cool mode, and now SRS supports it as well. You can race someone online and whoever wins gets the opponents car. I have noticed however that some online apparently have used a modchip or gameshark to edit their savegame and get unlimited money, meaning they can buy the best car with all the best parts, and many of them. So for some, losing a car may be no big deal. This is probably best a feature you use when playing someone you know. Online races are lag free and have up to 4 players. The online interface is very good, quite superior to Burnout 3's. Still, Burnout 3 has more modes so you will have more variety there.

Overall: B+
--
One of the best street racers I've played since the (dead?) Tokyo Xtreme Racer series, heads and shoulders above the Midnight Club series and the first NFSU - but its not as polished as either of those games and load times in places are longer than they should be, bringing down its overall score. While the upcoming NFSU2 will likely be fun and more open ended than the first, many might find the tuning and sim-oriented gameplay in SRS more fun. SRS also does an excellent job of immersing you in the import tuner scene, unlike some of its competitors. If you can live without the polish of some of the more popular racers, SRS will prove a worthwhile investment. Though I'm having "A" quality fun with the title, some technical shortcomings hold this game back from "A" status. In the end though, this will probably get my vote for best import tuner racer of 2004 based on what I've heard about NFSU2.

**

Both games are excellent and are worth a buy - Burnout 3 for its arcade fun, SRS for its gritty sim street racing and unique innovations. Both are great, but to be honest, I have both, and I am having more fun with SRS. Don't know of any B3 deals, but outpost.com has SRS for $35!

Oh, and here is the website of one of the unlockable SRS girls for your end of review pleasure:
http://www.courtneyday.com/