You’re racing
down the narrow stretch of road that leads into a Normal Rockwell-like town that
looks as peaceful as a grave … that is until a sleek and sexy muscle car just
barely clips you. At the speed he was clocking he could have easily have rammed
you off the road and into a ditch. How dare he do that, you say through gritted
teeth. You step on the gas and you spot the same car and, as you approach him,
you slam that muscle car from behind until it careens off the road and smashes
to pieces as hits a wall. Revenge is a sweet dish both cold or hot and in
Burnout Legends for the PSP you’ll find how true that really is so buckle up
racing fans and lets go racing.
Burnout
Legends takes
a page from Electronic Art’s second Burnout game as well as the brilliant
Burnout 3: Takedown and the new Burnout Revenge. If you’re
unfamiliar with this racing series, well, you’re in for a real treat. You see,
aside from looking like your average racing game (complete with laps and
circuit-styled races) the game tosses in a healthy dose of demolition-styled
takedowns that require an aggressive approach to racing. That means this is the
type of game that doesn’t punish you for ramming your opponent into oncoming
traffic. In fact, you’re encouraged to use any means necessary to win the race.
Welcome to Burnout, folks, say goodbye to the lead car by nudging it into
a brick wall.
So you can
imagine this fan’s delight when a handheld version was announced for Sony’s PSP.
For the most part, Burnout Legends feels like a complete package with
only a few notable features removed. While many of the series’ best features
made the cut, the loss of more racers on the track is hard not to notice. You’ll
still find a World Tour mode and it’s surprisingly lengthy but it misses the
various extra locales found in the console version. There’s not even an online
multiplayer mode, although you can play the game with up to six friends using
the portable’s Ad-Hoc features.
The game does
offer nine different events from a normal Race mode, Time Attack, Road Rage
(where you earn big points for slamming into your rivals), Eliminator (last one
that reaches the checkpoint is out of the race) and Pursuit (where you drive a
cop car and try to takedown your target). Then there’s Face-Off (where you go up
against a single racer), Legend Face-Off (win this one and you’ll get the Legend
car), Burning Lap (a beat-the-clock race) and Grand Prix (pull off some moves
for big points). Then there’s the beloved Crash Events that have you speeding
down a busy street and causing the biggest pile up for big points toward a gold
medal.
You’ll also find
World Tour where you’ll compete in a number of races to win the ultimate tour
prize. It is here that you’ll get to unlock extra cars plus new racecourses and
race types you can use in the other game modes. You’ll get to unlock some great
cars from the interesting concept cars, muscle cars and supped-up racing
vehicles. Unlike most racing games, though, these cars really take some damage
and just as easily as you can annihilate other racers, you too can damage your
car by slamming into oncoming traffic or hitting barriers. The great new
addition to the Burnout games is its Crashbreaker feature that, if you
manage to turn your car into a mangled mess, you can direct said mess into the
path of any rival racer you left behind you.
Control-wise,
the game handles just as beautifully as the console versions. The default
controls make for a smooth ride and the framerate, even in the heat of an ugly
race, never really drops dramatically. Depending on the type of car you can make
short work of your rivals and thanks to the ability to boost you can quickly get
the upper hand on your opponents. Boost is gained by performing a number of
tricks like performing a near miss (zipping past traffic without getting
clipped) or performing a number of Takedowns.
Visually,
Burnout Legends looks as good as the console games. Your car really shows
off the damage done to it and crashes, especially those seen in the Crash
Events, really let the car parts fly to a wince-worthy degree. During the races,
the PSP manages to capture the sense of speed perfectly and the cars to manage
to reflect their surrounds nicely enough. Even the environments look good in
this game.
As for the
game’s sound, there’s a variety of tunes that play during races. Think of it as
having a Grand Theft Auto-styled radio in your car so you can easily switch
stations whenever you like. The tunes in question are pure indie punk rock tunes
with some recognizable artists tossed in for good measure. Remember Stryker, the
annoying radio DJ that introduces most of the game’s main events? Well, he’s
nowhere to be heard in this game. The rest of the game is composed of detailed
sound effects from revving engines, spectacular crash effects and the sound of
cars speeding down the road.
Burnout
Legends is one
of the most addictive racing games you’ll find on the PSP this year and missing
out on this one means you either hate your PSP or are allergic to fun.
Seriously, this is a great portable version of a series that just keeps getting
better and better each year so pick this one up if you like your racing games
fast, furious and insanely enjoyable.
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Gameplay: 9.0
The game plays
just as good as the console games and that’s quite an accomplishment. The game’s
solid controls make for an addictively fun time and with nine different game
modes there’s very little to complain about. Well, there is the fact that the
game throws in fewer racers on screen.
Graphics: 9.2
Visually,
Burnout Legends looks sharp and wonderfully detailed. Many of the race
courses will look familiar and the environmental detail looks just as great as
the PS2 version of the game. Even the cars look sharp and reflect light and
objects perfectly. In short, this is one seriously great-looking PSP game.
Sound: 9.0
The game
features a nice amount of tunes from some pretty good indie artists as well as
some familiar artists as well (like Yellowcard). The cars sound great in action
and the crashes sound excruciatingly realistic. Add the fact that the annoying
radio DJ is not present and you have a game that sounds great through the PSP
speakers.
Difficulty:
Medium
The AI
opponents are sharp and, like the console version, great at getting you back for
trashing them during Road Rage. The various events offer a varying degree of
difficulty but it’s nothing multiply tries won’t remedy. If you’re looking for a
Gold medal during the Crash events be prepared to try it again and again.
Concept: 9.0
Mixing
elements from Burnout 2, Burnout 3: Takedown and Burnout
Revenge, the PSP version still sees a nice number of cars to unlock, great
courses and the same great crash events. On top of that there’s a surprisingly
lengthy World Tour mode and even a multiplayer mode worth playing.
Multiplayer:
8.5
The lack of
online play is unfortunate seeing as this game has all the goods and fun game
modes worth sharing with other gamers through Infrastructure Mode. You can play
against up to six friends wirelessly using the Wi-Fi connection and there are
four gameplay modes that should definitely be shared. The game even supports
Game Sharing so if a pal doesn’t have a copy they could download a race event
and play along.
Overall: 9.0
While it’s
missing a few of the elements the console versions offer, Burnout Legends
is the perfect substitute to have with you when you’re far from your console.
Not only does it look amazing but it plays just as fluidly and as gorgeously as
the big boys do so do yourself a favor and pick this one up right away.
