"Perfect for Playing In Traffic..."

First, a confession: this is the first Burnout game I have ever played? Perhaps you'll forgive me then when I say that this is unlike any game I have ever played. So here is my review, with no knowledge of what to normally expect from a game in the Burnout series.

Gameplay (9/10)

Wow. The action never seems to stop. There are multiple scenarios, ranging from the relatively mundane "Race" to the homicidal "Road Rage". The key word in that last sentence is relatively. While in most racing games only the sneakiest of players may attempt to take out the other racers, in Burnout Legends you are not only encouraged to force other racers to crash, but it is nearly essential to success. Such acts, including takedowns, driving into oncoming traffic, and just barely avoiding other vehicles reward you with boost. Boost will bring the already fast-paced action to a blistering speed, creating much mayhem. Something that really blew my mind the first time I played this game was how whenever a player crashes, the game will cut to slow-motion, and the camera will cut to the spinning, twisted heap of steel. But that is only a brief respite from the blinding speed.

For those racers who are more prone to crashing into civilian vehicles sharing the road then actually winning a race, there is an entirely separate Crash mode. Here, the point into strategically crash your vehicle in such a way that you cause the largest pile up you can, thus causing the most amount of monetary damage you can. Larger vehicles such as 18-wheelers and city buses are worth more. On an average level, the pileup will range from 20-30 wrecked vehicles, with many explosions and flying tires. And there are 100 crash events.

The only drawback is that the events do get monotonous at times. However, this could be considered a good thing for a PSP game because no gamer will walk away from this game feeling like it was over too soon.

Graphics (7/10)

The graphics are quite detailed and clear... as long as you stay on the track. In a game that forces you to cause or be involved in crashes, flying off the road is inevitable. Once off the road, the buildings and ground is soft three quarters of the time. Sometimes you are able to plan crashes so that you ricochet off a building, but sometimes this will end up with you watching your well-planned crash from beneath the map. Also, if you T-bone a vehicle, usually an 18-wheeler, your vehicle has a tendency to drop through the road, into oblivion. But since you automatically respawn after crashes, these problems really aren't a huge problem.

Controls (10/10)

It's a racing game, not much to say here. An easy 10.

Sound (8/10)

Nothing special, though nothing terrible. The soundtrack features bands such as Pennywise, Billy Talent, and OK GO. Not my cup of tea, so some gamers may appreciate the music more than me.

Replay (10/10)

Excellent. With 5 classes of vehicles, and roughly 14 events per class, and an extra 100 crash events. There is also a ridiculous number of unlockables, for those gamers who yearn for 100% completition, such as myself. The unlockables range from the purely aesthetic trophies and gold medals to the more useful extra vehicles.

Overall? Excellent. Any gamer with a PSP should pick this game up, as they will not be disappointed. There is a reason why this game was the top PSP game on gamespot.com for a while, and topped only by a game with a score 0.1 points higher.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/06