Post by Gilvan Blight on Dec 14, 2005 11:31:05 GMT -5
Quickly: they didn't mess with it much, still tons of fun, pick it up.
Summary: the fourth installment in the Burnout series won't disapoint fans. There have been some minor tweaks to the user interface (no world map for expample). The gameplay is mostly unchanged though. They added a new type of collision, the check. Now when you crash into the back of ongoing traffic you don't crash, you instead check the vehicles forward. A new mode was added due to this. The other change is that once you get far enough in the game you can detonate your car during races. The crash mode (crash car into intersections to cause the most damage) has been changed slightly. You now have to use a meter to start your car (ala most old golf games) and there are no bonuses to pick up. Instead you get a bonus for causing cars to explode.
The good: it's still Burnout. They didn't mess with the basics. It's still just as fun as ever. The checking system took a bit to get used to but is a ton of fun, especially on the traffic courses where you have to check a certain number of vehicles. The graphics have been upgraded just enough to show improvements. The courses are all unique and there are a ton of them. In addition they added alternate routes and shortcuts, this is a very welcome addition. There are a ton of unlockables, and 'golding' everythign will still take a ton of time and skill. Online replay value is added as well though I haven't tested this function yet.
The bad: the new crash system just isn't as fun as the old. The golf system is pretty pointless and being good that that or not shouldn't affect your score. The lack of a world map makes it very hard to tell what part of the world you are in, and thus what side of the road to drive on. The rewards for unlocking things generally result in new cars that really don't seem that different from each other. Actually over all the car selection was pretty lame, you get a set of cars at one speed, then start unlocking another set at another speed. They are even named after thier speed ratings. a M-205, is a Muscle car with a top speed of 205. It takes some time to get used to the checking system as the natural habbit is to dodge all cars.
The ugly: there are still some huge collision detection issues in this one. Some perfectly flat surfaces obviously have jagged invisible spikes that cause you to crash. You will a few times drive through the ground and float through space. You will see cars drive through each other instead of crashing. Now all of these are few and far between but it would have been nice to see more polish. This game at the later levels doesn't feel harder, it just starts to feel cheap. You blow up your car and take out all 5 other racers, when you re-pop they are ahead of you, what the hell is that?!? There are many instances when the computer magically ends up in front, or when you go side on into a car and it somehow gets out unscathed etc. The only good point is that it is consitent, so once you know that when you die crashing 3 people they will start ahead of you you can at least expect it and adjust accordingly.
Overall: Burnout is a great series, the best racing games out there and truly some of the best games out there. The latest installment will not disapoint. There are some frustrating 'flaws' but it's no worse then the others in the series. Well worth picking up if you are a fan, and if not I suggest trying it and you may become one.
Summary: the fourth installment in the Burnout series won't disapoint fans. There have been some minor tweaks to the user interface (no world map for expample). The gameplay is mostly unchanged though. They added a new type of collision, the check. Now when you crash into the back of ongoing traffic you don't crash, you instead check the vehicles forward. A new mode was added due to this. The other change is that once you get far enough in the game you can detonate your car during races. The crash mode (crash car into intersections to cause the most damage) has been changed slightly. You now have to use a meter to start your car (ala most old golf games) and there are no bonuses to pick up. Instead you get a bonus for causing cars to explode.
The good: it's still Burnout. They didn't mess with the basics. It's still just as fun as ever. The checking system took a bit to get used to but is a ton of fun, especially on the traffic courses where you have to check a certain number of vehicles. The graphics have been upgraded just enough to show improvements. The courses are all unique and there are a ton of them. In addition they added alternate routes and shortcuts, this is a very welcome addition. There are a ton of unlockables, and 'golding' everythign will still take a ton of time and skill. Online replay value is added as well though I haven't tested this function yet.
The bad: the new crash system just isn't as fun as the old. The golf system is pretty pointless and being good that that or not shouldn't affect your score. The lack of a world map makes it very hard to tell what part of the world you are in, and thus what side of the road to drive on. The rewards for unlocking things generally result in new cars that really don't seem that different from each other. Actually over all the car selection was pretty lame, you get a set of cars at one speed, then start unlocking another set at another speed. They are even named after thier speed ratings. a M-205, is a Muscle car with a top speed of 205. It takes some time to get used to the checking system as the natural habbit is to dodge all cars.
The ugly: there are still some huge collision detection issues in this one. Some perfectly flat surfaces obviously have jagged invisible spikes that cause you to crash. You will a few times drive through the ground and float through space. You will see cars drive through each other instead of crashing. Now all of these are few and far between but it would have been nice to see more polish. This game at the later levels doesn't feel harder, it just starts to feel cheap. You blow up your car and take out all 5 other racers, when you re-pop they are ahead of you, what the hell is that?!? There are many instances when the computer magically ends up in front, or when you go side on into a car and it somehow gets out unscathed etc. The only good point is that it is consitent, so once you know that when you die crashing 3 people they will start ahead of you you can at least expect it and adjust accordingly.
Overall: Burnout is a great series, the best racing games out there and truly some of the best games out there. The latest installment will not disapoint. There are some frustrating 'flaws' but it's no worse then the others in the series. Well worth picking up if you are a fan, and if not I suggest trying it and you may become one.