Destined to dominate the PS2
racing market for the next several months (if not the entire year), Burnout
Dominator is a fascinating, uber-exhilarating racer with more nitro under its
hood than The Fast & The Furious movie trilogy. You’ll cringe, gasp, and feel
your jaw drop as you skid by oncoming traffic, evade a turning Mack truck, and
weave in between two mini-vans. Then, just when you think the coast is clear,
your heart will be stopped and your eyes will be stunned as a tiny, two-door
coupe – the only vehicle you didn’t see coming – puts an end to your speedy,
heart-pounding run.
Dominator is not unlike
its predecessors, which is how it succeeds as a PS2 sequel. Burnout 4, the
tentatively titled PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel, will have unfathomable
expectations attached to it. But on the previous generation, I looked forward
to another dose of the movie-quality thrills introduced in Burnout 3. Those
expectations have been met with a game that’s nearly as good as the third
edition.
Domination Nation
Burnout 3’s gameplay
centered on the physical elimination of your opponents, an act the game
referred to as a “Takedown.” To take down an opponent, you must ram him off
the road, into a wall, or into oncoming traffic.
Burnout Revenge expanded
on this idea, and Dominator is yet another take on the concept. It is, as
announced upon starting the World Tour, “all about dominating your opponents.”
Translation: commit ridiculous acts of road rage and drive as dangerously as
possible in order to take first place – that is, to “dominate” your opponents.
Dominator’s values (or
lack thereof) are cloned from the previous chapters, but the cars and courses
are new. Many of the series’ great events return: eliminator, burning lap,
road rage, and grand prix are back for more rubber-burning action. New
editions revolve around the slightly altered burnout (speed boost) concept. To
chain a burnout, which multiplies your score while maximizing your vehicle’s
speed, fully deplete a Supercharged Boost – the most powerful burnout in the
game. Chains can go on into infinity, so long as you don’t crash while
boosting.
Geico’s motto is saving 15%
on car insurance, but I think these guys can forget about the offer.
The new maniac challenge,
part of Dominator’s World Tour mode, dares you to drive as dangerously as
possible. Drift around other vehicles, drive on the wrong side of the road,
and score as many near misses as possible to achieve a high score. For the
experienced Burnout player, getting a bronze or silver medal won’t be too much
of a problem.
Go for gold and it’s a
whole other story. The game purposely limits the number of points you can
achieve in a normal run by shortening each course. Numerous attempts – with
few crashes and a continuous chain of burnouts – were only enough to grab a
silver medal. It wasn’t until I started experimenting with the track that gold
became feasible. Scour every mile and find every shortcut / alternate route
before attempting these challenges.
Rival Challenge is an
event within an event. When you see a car icon appear over a challenge, that
indicates the inclusion of a new, unlockable vehicle. To acquire the latest
muscle machine, follow the given instructions. They most often read, “Takedown
the rival.” Only one rival will be designated for that race, and that’s the
car you want to hit. In the road rage events, it’s easy to score a Takedown.
Rival events, however, will test your patience as much as they test your
gaming skills.
Unlock all the rival cars
in a particular circuit and you’ll open up the Dominator Challenge, a special
race event with another car up for grabs. Bronze and silver medals – no
problem. Gold – not so much. The car stays locked until a gold medal is won,
which is why the developers made its acquisition so difficult.
Signature Shortcuts are
an interesting addition. They’re discovered by slamming a rival into the
shortcut’s location (which may be boarded up to disguise its presence). Also
new to the game are the drift and near miss challenges. They add a hint of
Need for Speed to the Burnout series, but are easy when compared to the other
events.
Overall the event
selection is very impressive, but there is one missing from the list:
intentional crashing. Burnout 3 featured an event that encouraged players to
slam their vehicle into a pile of cars, trucks, vans, and everything in
between. It was awesome, exciting, and fairly challenging. Its absence doesn’t
make any sense until you check the ESRB rating. Burnout 3 received a T (13+)
rating. Dominator, on the other hand, received an E10+ rating. One could
assume that EA thought it was necessary to release a lighter Burnout title.
But the rest of the game is as crash-heavy as ever. And although you’ll be
penalized for doing so, it is still possible to drive into oncoming traffic
during a regular race.
Crash-tacular!
The camera work is great.
Burnout 3 is still the king of Takedown effects – its flawless cinematic
arrangement is unmatched by anyone. But the Dominator crashes that involve
your car are insanely intense.
If the crash is powerful
enough to lift your car into the air, the camera will switch to a close,
rear-view mirror perspective. It’s a first-class, front-row seat to everything
your car is about to endure. The camera flips with the vehicle, dizzying the
player while inflicting pain – the emotional pain of having to visually feel
the trauma of a severe car wreck. The real thing is awful. I’d never wish it
on anyone. But in a fictitious video game setting, there are few things as
exciting as the experience Burnout produces.
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Gameplay: 8.5
Dominator serves
up a hearty portion of “Woohoo!” and “That was close!” with a side of “Oh my
gosh, did you just see that!?” As you slam into another vehicle, every car
involved will be crunched, smashed, and battered with a unique and defining
visual. Think your compact car is small now? Just wait until you clip the side
of a large truck.
That’s what the Burnout
series is all about, plus the coolest cars and course designs available.
Graphics: 8
Good but
disappointing. Throughout 80% of the game, Burnout Dominator looks nearly
identical to Burnout 3. But while the previous Burnout titles had few moments
of visual imperfection, Dominator contains a handful of average-looking
environments (bland grass, trees, or a couple of ugly structures, etc.). These
flaws are only found in parts of certain stages. But as the fifth game in the
series (and likely the last on PS2), Dominator should have pulled out every
graphical trick the PS2 could muster.
Sound: 6
The weakest
soundtrack since EA’s acquisition of the series. While Burnout 3 featured
debut tracks from major bands like Jimmy Eat World and several indie artists
worthy of a big break, Burnout Dominator is a cornucopia of crap. Rather than
being diverse and creative, Dominator’s soundtrack contains several versions
of the same Avril Lavigne song. And it’s not even a good song! The rest is
anything but memorable.
Difficulty: Medium
Sequels are
generally easier than their predecessors. We could speculate for hours as to
why this is, but I think it’d be more interesting to take note of one of the
few sequels that’s equally as challenging. The learning curve is gone for
anyone who played the previous game. But the difficulty of winning gold medals
in all events, and the challenge of unlocking every trophy is very impressive.
Concept: 7
Nearly every
feature of Burnout 3 is back in Burnout Dominator.
The defining feature of
Burnout Revenge – ramming into civilian drivers without consequence – is
nowhere to be found in Dominator. Though it may sound like the developers are
backtracking, it’s actually an improvement. I want to feel powerful, but not
impervious. Dominator brings back that sensation.
Multiplayer: 6
Burnout Dominator
is a cool game to play with friends, but its multiplayer competitions are
limited to two simultaneous players. It might be crazy to split the screen any
further, but what about online play? Was that not a viable option, or is it
merely being saved for the next-gen sequel? Keep in mind: Burnout 3 offered
online multiplayer, and it was released in 2004.
Note: The 1-4 player listing on the box is not entirely
clear. Four players can take turns, but only two can play simultaneously.
Overall: 8.2
The criteria for
Burnout Dominator are simple: are you a fan of Burnout 3 and do you want more?
This game is exactly that – an extension of all the things that made Burnout 3
a success (soundtrack and multiplayer excluded). The steering and speed boost
mechanics, course design, and unrivaled thrill-factor come together for
another addictive and surreal racing game.
