Graphics 9/10

This is one of the best-looking racing games I’ve seen, and I’m not just talking about the crashes. The shiny textures are crisp and great looking. Light effects are present and do a great part in making the game look good. Cars do vary in style and color. Crashes are awesome. How and where you crash affects the distance, spin, and all around flare the crash shows. The newest feature, the Aftertouch, allows you to slow down time during a crash and direct it where you want. This effect looks amazing, as pieces of your mechanical mess fly everywhere. Environments are beautiful, including sun glare and the variety of tracks, even though a few more would’ve been better.

Audio 9/10

The audio in crashes are extremely tough and give the crash some intense edge. Soundtrack takes place on a radio, featuring some nice tracks from bands like Finger Eleven, Franz Ferdinand, Fall Out Boy, and more. The diversity is pretty good and only helps the fierce action of the game. The DJ was annoying at times, but rarely hindered gameplay and even helped in avoiding dangerous areas.

Gameplay 10/10

Burnout has always been about aggressive racing and huge crashes, but it never truly integrated the aggressiveness into the gameplay. Burnout 3: Takedown, on the other hand, is a perfect mix of fierce crashes and addictive gameplay. The forgiving arcade controls make it accessible enough for people just now being introduced to the Burnout series, while still being deep enough to keep Burnout players coming back for more. The game’s newest features are the Takedowns, which allow you to slam, shunt, or ram into opponents to make them crash, and Aftertouch, which allows you to steer your crashed machine into other racers. These features allow you to witness the crashes without sacrificing your place in the race. The World Tour mode involves racing all over the world and taking on challenges. The variety of challenges is enormous. From normal races to Crash Mode, the entire game has been improved. Crash Mode has significantly been improved thanks to pick-ups scattered around the area, the Impact Time, and the new Crashbreaker, which allows you to make your car explode after causing enough crashes. The Road Rage event involves causing enough Takedowns in a set amount of time or before your car is hit with a Takedown itself. This mode is incredibly fun and allows for variety in how you create a Takedown. Eliminator, Timed Lap, and Face-Off modes only add to the fun. This is an excellent racing experience.

Replay Value 9/10

Burnout 3: Takedown is filled with replay value. The World Tour mode is loaded with content. It takes quite a long time to unlock every track, car, and mode. Multiplayer aids in the replay value with split-screen Vs. mode and online play. Also, by using Takedowns in certain ways, you can unlock pictures of your Takedowns or postcards of where you raced. Some specific goals are given to you by the game, as you must complete certain tasks to earn cars or tracks. It’s hard not to want to play the game again just to see how many cars you can Takedown in a single race. You’ll soon be creating your own goals to achieve and beating them. It’s that fun.

Final Verdict 9/10

The Burnout series is a series like no other, and Burnout 3: Takedown proves it. Integrating the madness of the crashes into the already solid gameplay, the third installment is a deep and thrilling racing game that can be recommended to anyone. With excellent graphics, great soundtrack, and addictive gameplay, Burnout 3: Takedown can well be called an amazing game in an already impressive series.