Burnout Revenge Xbox 360 Review

EA proclaim that Burnout: Revengereignites battle racing” and is “without doubt the fastest most dangerous racing game on 4 wheels“. Of course we heard all this just a few short months ago when Burnout: Revenge was released to the masses on what we could effectively call last generation hardware. Nevertheless Burnout is back with some small next-gen sheen to entice gamers to pick up the title all over again. Does the title have enough changes to warrant picking up the upgraded version or if you one of the few who patiently waited for the 360 version to make an appearance was Revenge really worth waiting for. All questions are answered below!

First off let’s focus on what changes Revenge makes to the old Takedown formula. Well the biggest and most obvious change will hit you right in the face the moment you turn on the game. The track design has now hugely improved – if you thought Takedown has some spectacular moments, you haven’t seen anything yet. The first track you lay your hands on in Revenge blows anything you have seen in Takedown straight out of the water. The game is called “Revenge” for a reason. Racing is no longer all about winning; it’s about vengeance as an all-new revenge meter is included and you can now see who is pissed off at you and who you should want to ram off the road. This adds lots of more exciting possibilities in races. The third change comes in the guise of an addition called traffic checking. This basically lets you knock any cars of equal or lesser weight completely from the road. Although this mode will take veterans of the game some time to get used to, it really does add oodles of satisfying moments into every race you take part in. Not only does traffic checking knock traffic out of your way, it also turns the traffic you have checked into weapons. When your rival bumps into you they fly over your head and back into the waiting crowd of racers, or into another lane. This new traffic checking can be done during crash mode as well which add a new layer of complexity into the long running mode that is a favourite of many a Burnout fan.

The bonus medals which multiplied your score are now gone and good riddance to them as they made crashes far too easy and basically did their best to ruin what was a fantastic addition to the Burnout series. Even though these medals are gone there are a few new extras. The first comes in the form of possible multiple crash breakers (if you cause enough damage). These can be extremely satisfying especially in a later crash junction where a lot of thought has to be put in to find the correct route.

Of course the familiar World Tour mode is back once again, and this time offers you 169 different events to drive manically through. You are given a selection of races in different classes to pick from and you must rise through the ranks by driving well. You now can be awarded up to five stars at each event which are given as a result of how many drifts and takedowns on enemy cars you do during a race. Driving in oncoming traffic also helps to get your star rating up. This is then coupled with your finishing position; get gold and it will add one star to your rating. Getting silver will result in no change, but get bronze and a star will be taken away. To get a perfect rating in events you now must not just get a gold medal, but you must do it with some flair. This is another fantastic addition to the series which ups the difficulty slightly without making it extra challenging.

Game modes such as Eliminator are back for another go; if your last Burnout game was Takedown then this mode has gotten a slight revamp as you, the last place racer, is no longer eliminated after each lap. It has now changed to the last place racer being eliminated every 20 seconds being a fantastic change as it makes the mode far more exciting than before. Burning laps, Road rage and preview races also make a return as well and play like they always have done. Traffic Attack is a new mode first introduced back on the Xbox/PS2 version making use of the new traffic checking feature use as it challenges you to check as many cars as you can in a specific amount of time while barrelling down the highway. This mode however is very easy and could be completed in two or three goes giving you a gold medal without any real competition but still can be a lot of fun at times. Also after getting a bit into the game you will start to see modes such as Crashbreaker Races, Crashbreaker Eliminators and Crashbreaker Road Rages being unlocked thus arming your car with the fabled Crashbreaker from the Crash mode which should set you up nicely for a lot of destruction while needed.

Now onto changes from the last generation version of Burnout: Revenge on the Xbox/PS2. In the “last gen” version of the game, Criterion implemented a brand new way to get a good boost off the start line using a swinging meter. Many gamers thought this was a pointless addition taking some of the fun away from Crash Mode and now it seems Criterion think similarly as they have removed it from the 360 version meaning you now get the best start every time, and the option to save 30-second snippets of your replays and share them over Xbox Live. These clips can then be ranked and you can try and get the most watched clipped if you did something extra special. The last change for the 360 version is an upgrade in the online revenge system letting you know who your rival is before and during every race. If you took down a player online a lot then that player will see you listed in a red colour on their player list making them know something needs to be done.

If all the modes I mentioned above are not enough then there are loads of other extras that make the game great value for money. First off all modes offer great multiplayer fun. Crash and Road Rage are especially fun while played with a friend. The single player World Tour mode has a slightly less number of races as opposed to Takedown, but I found it a lot more fun to play through with all the new modes that Criterion have included. It could take gamers anywhere from 20-30 hours to finish depending on how good they are with the game, and as I said it’s fantastic value for the money. Like all Xbox 360 games, Burnout Revenge has a series of achievements. Some of the achievements are simple. but there as some interesting ones that take loads of playtime to get.

Presentation

Of course as with most next-gen games everyone is going to be talking about the overall presentation with next-gen graphics and next-gen sounds. You really have to see the game in motion to appreciate the next-gen sheen it has been given as the screenshots dotted around this page do not do the upgrade justice. The textures on cars (rivals and traffic) are now sharper and clearer. The cars break apart with more a lot oomph than before, blasting apart into a billion tiny pieces if they crash into stuff. The trademark motion blur effect while you boost also looks better than before and of course the game is now presented in high definition making everything look that much better.

In its last-gen version Revenge sounded great, but if you have a good sound system turned up high the game now sounds nothing short of perfect. The engine sounds seem fuller than before. Everything is now crisper and clearer letting you hear every noise and bump your car makes. If you crash into an oncoming car you will most definitely know it as you will be lifted out of your seat with the oomph accompanying the crash. Oncoming cars also sound great with “near misses” now sounding all the better; your speakers will shake as the traffic passes you by. Car screeches, scrapes and squeals all seem to have had a slight improvement as well but not as much as the ones mentioned above.

Overall

If the last Burnout game you played and loved was Takedown then this game is a must buy in every sense of the phrase. However, if you chose to pick up Revenge on the Xbox just a few short months ago, then more thought is needed before taking the plunge with what is almost the same game. There are a few updates to be seen, but nothing that make it a must buy if you owned a previous version. This is the best incarnation of Burnout, but it’s only a sample of what could be done if the game was made solely for next gen hardware!

9.6 out of 10