Racing games had never been one of my favourite genres in the world of videogames. I liked some few games like Top Gear Rally or V-Rally for Nintendo 64 very much, the first one especially, maybe Superruner for MSX is a racing game? Ah well, Unirally is another example of an exception. but as you can see, even Unirally is not a classic racing game like Out Run, Ridge Racer or Gran Turismo. Auhm, I didn't like those ones a lot. Loads of graphics and brand new cars to drive. But what about the gameplay and the fun?

Then I tried Burnout 3: Takedown in Xbox. I firstly liked only the crash mode, where you play in a scenario full of traffic and you have one go to cause the biggest havoc, which means as many accidents and pile-ups as possible, driving a specific vehicle. Damages are counted at the end of the charge. I liked it very much: wonderful graphics, excelent sound effects -metals and glasses breaking and blending, drifts and horns wonderfully sampled-, and a very crazy speaker who accompanied the action showing off a superb -the best one I had ever heard-- translation from English, including voice acting.

Then I discovered that Burnout was not only a "crashing" game. I tried another racing modes. This is one of the keys of success in this game: there are many modes to play on and there are more than 50 different vehicles than you can get as you come along; more than 200 different tracks where you can play

after they are unlocked. But as I was saying, there are different modes as follows: race (against five drivers to win after either one or more laps), crashing scenarios, fury at the wheeling steer (a race against five drivers where the objective is making them have a number of accidents in a given time by bumping into them and in a vehicle which is breakable by others, of course), grand prix (a short league where you win points as you finish first, second, etc. and you win at the end of three races if you are the one with most points) face to face (a race against a single rival to get the car that they drive, normally more powerful than yours), eliminator (the last driver reaching the goal in each lap bursts literally) and special races in very difficult scenarios with spectacular vehicles like Super sports cars or F1 models.

However, this is only one of the features of Burnout 3. There are another significant ones like, for example, the possibility of picking out among from three to six -more or less- different tracks from the beginning of the game so it does not have a linear progress because one can choose their own way to finish the game. However, the different tracks and vehicles will not be unlocked unless some specific tracks are finished. And there is a difference if one finishes first with a gold medal or third with a bronze: some tracks will remain closed and maybe some more powerful vehicles will be waiting to be unlocked. Coupés, sports cars, 4x4, and some marvels to drive in and to crash with: a delivery truck, a bus.

But which is the real difference between Burnout 3 Takedown and another great racing games, as they say? The general policy, style, crashing mind present in the game. Whatever the mode of the game or kind of the track are, the way to progress is making the contraries bump into other cars or into each other, so that we gain a turbo bar which if used can increase the speed of our car dramatically. Of course, the probability of having an accident also rises, but it is sometimes the only way to finish first. Imprudences like driving in reverse way, getting away with potential accidents provoked by ourselves and several other dumb actions will be rewarded with extra power to cause more turmoil, as the speaker emphasizes in the first explanation of the game.

The wonderful soundtrack. That's another point. I am actually enjoying it at the moment of writing this article to get inspired, but I also like listening to it just for fun. I normally dislike this kind of rocl music, I have to say, but the tracks here included definitely rock. It seems like if the developers of the game know this sort of music very well and they chose each adequate track for the game.

Groups like Franz Ferdinand, Donots, Autopilot Off, Maxeen, Sahara Hotnights, Amber Pacific or Sugarcult appear in the more than fifty tracks of the game.

The sound effects are also in this line, they are so real that one sometimes wonders if they really come from the game or if there has been an accident out in the street!

The graphics are splendid in every sense. Textures, lights, the fluency of movements, the effects of the sunshine, the sky and the clouds, and graphics at the background, absolutely rich, topped off, perfect.

The game has more than 200 tracks, special postcards to obtain depending on different accidents we have to cause, several prizes as we get points, a very complete agenda where it is easy to get lost. Therefore, it is a very variated and long game. I can work out about a thirty real hours of game, where Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time for instance can provide us with about fifteen-twenty real hours.

Moreover, there is the Multiplayer game. There is neither music nor speaker in this mode -a feature that I have not explained properly yet, the speaker is a crazy guy who gives us info during the races among tune and tune in a very ironic and sarcastic way, the Spanish one is absolutely hilarious-, but we are able to

enjoy the wonderful style and controls of this game besides having fun with friends. Two players playing at the same time as maximum, however.

Burnout 3: Takedown is a marvellous game. You cannot miss it. In my opinion, it iss together with Doom 3 the best game of its generation of consoles -Xbox, Gamecube, PS2-. It is complete as few ones, and some of its features are outstanding, touching the perfection. Burnout 4: Revenge is not as good as the previous episode. But it is logical, there are not so many diamonds in this world.

I have seen some images of this game on TV when violence in videogames is dealt with. Well, we can always bring up our children turning off the console and leaving the TV on with breaking news of a real bloody war. Games are irreal by definition.

The best in Burnout 3 Takedown: Complete in any sense.

The worst: After playing it a hundred million and one times, Burnout 3 Takedown can be monotonous. It should not be so addictive! Ah well, the Multiplayer mode is nice, but it could be better.