Like other “Burnout” games before it, “Burnout Revenge” is about as far removed from a driving simulation as you can get while still involving driving.
It’s better described as a crashing game; a lushly depicted, instantly playable, crash-
bang-smash with a mandate to mangle the competition.
The more you smash, the more power boost you gain, which is then used to thrust yourself out of sticky situations (such as when an opponent is sideswiping you into traffic), propel you into them if it’s to your advantage (like when a buddy is ripe for a ride against a guardrail) and rocket you across the finish line. Getting there is most of the fun.
If you’ve created a collision worth watching, the view switches to slow-motion movie mode, swooping and panning around the event horizon while your car is momentarily switched to autopilot, allowing you to rubberneck the glory of your deeds like you might in a “Matrix” movie.
“Revenge” adds a few new modes and game-play elements; the best of which includes the use of regular vehicles as your own pawns o’ destruction. There’s an unprecedented amount of ramps and assorted smashables, allowing you to get creative when setting up chain-reaction pileups and collateral damage.
You can also participate in slo-mo doom sequences. If it’s you who’s doomed, you can pick your eventual landing spot so it will do some damage; a Kamikaze option with the potential to take out everything in the vicinity and mess up the roadway for anything else coming up behind. That alone adds depth to the full-throttle action of the single-player experience, but you can also do mayhem online with up to six players.
More than a few self-trained maniacs out there are ready to take you on and take you out.
EA Games; PlayStation 2, Xbox; $49.99. Rating: Everyone (10+) (violence)
If you find turning left at high speeds for hours on end exciting, you’re probably a NASCAR fan. So EA Sports has pumped out another game based on the emphatically loopy sport in “NASCAR 06: Total Team Control.”
This is all the NASCAR authenticity you could hope for in a racing simulation, now featuring the ability to play as and/or communicate with each member of your team, swapping out control on the fly or barking out voice-recognized commands (if you have a headset) to set up blocks and such. If you’re not a NASCAR fan, or a motor-sport-simulation buff in general, there’s nothing to see here. Move along.
EA Sports; PlayStation 2, Xbox; $49.99. Rating: Everyone
Shaun Conlin is a freelance games reviewer for Cox News Service. E-mail him at shaunconlin@evergeek.com.
