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Electronic Arts purchase of Criterion, along with the companies acclaimed Renderware development tool set caused uproar amongst developers worldwide, rumours of mutiny and threats of boycotting from the hardcore fans and mostly absolute joy from executives and public relations people in and around the company. Was it a success for EA? Without a doubt is was, but what about the fans? With the arrival of Burnout 3: Takedown, hordes of completely misplaced musical accompaniments ravaged our ears and a woefully delivered online system blighted and for many, ruined our appreciation for what was overwhelmingly regarded as a stand-out British franchise. Enter Burnout Revenge. A not so heavily marketed next-gen outing for the Xbox 360, part of the second wave of titles to grace Microsoft?s all conquering joy machine, allegedly.

Those of you new to the franchise are in the same journalistic boat as me, kind of. Having never really bothered with the franchise before, it appeared a decent challenge for the senses and indeed the word count to crack the game wide-open and deliver an all encompassing review on the merits, the pit-falls and quite possibly the sublime about the game. So where to start? Big intro? Done. Background to the game? Done. Actually review? Oh right, hang on then?

Jumping straight into the game, we?re greeted by something amazing! An EA HD game with text you can read on a standard definition television (Am I the only one to have this problem so far?) and to be honest, it?s a sight for sore eyes. Presented with the usual slick menu, you?re given options to jump straight into arcade racing or opt for a career, allowing to race around some of the smoothest tracks on any system. By smooth, we mean 60fps with a ton of post processing effects all over the place. It?s like the graphics designers said ?Ok, we?ll make the main game look a little better than average, but then we?ll just make these kids spurt all over the place once it starts moving?!

Not the ideal analogy, but probably the best way to describe the feeling you get once you get towards the top end of 5th gear. Slam on the boost and you?re really not going to believe how smooth this is. No loss of frame-rate and the screens still filled with tens of cars at any one times. Particle effects portray the sparks from paintwork skimming of an opposing vehicle, dust clouds from explosions aplenty. We froze gameplay for a second using our amazing technical skills (DVD recording then paused), we counted no less than 23 different cars on screen with an unnoticeable draw distance due to the fact that there isn?t one we could see. No matter how many cars we rammed, it just would slow down! We?re not sure if this is a multi-core game in the first evidence, but damn! It looks so freakin? sweet as the Americans would say. They also call this vehicular combat, so we?ll just ignore them for a little while.

Sonics in the game have also had a major improvement for nex-gen, with a varied selection of rock and dance music to offer a more suited accompaniment to the game, but remember, you can always have your own playlists with 360, so we decided to opt for a list of rock royalty form our own collection. Nothing against the producers choice, but we?re quite sure we know what we like Mr EA thank you very much.

The crash series makes an addition to the Xbox 360 stable, although it doesn?t quite capture the essence of the originals or so I?m told. To quote my source directly; ?It?s a bit slow in parts. Quite pants really?. So we thought we?d leave trying that out for online. Online? Is it worth the hassle after the immense let down of the last in the series? You?ll be glad to hear that online is where it?s at for Revenge, giving you multiple options from crash to series racing, along with a stable and lag-free lobby and race situation, allowing you to relax in an almost perfect online environment. (How can you call staring at the screen so you don?t miss anything relaxing?)

So, all that?s left to do is sum up my first experience with Burnout. It?s a fine racer, but it?s not really a racer. It?s an average looking game whilst at the same time a stunner. The music is varied and not to shabby, when I?ll probably use my own soundtrack anyway. Is it an essential purchase thought? I tough question but one than can be answered on two fronts.

On the one hand, it?s a good game, with lots of replayability with unlockables, as well as the ever present gamerscore to achieve through completion of the game. Hardcore fans of the series should take a healthy shine to the game, while new followers won?t feel out of place in a savage online battle with a little practice. A solid start to my Burnout love affair I?d say. Id I could only find time to play online more, I?d probably love this. You probably will.

7/10

Amongst a sea of franchise extensions and conversions lies the uber-kitch Amped 3. In development since 2003 at the developer now known as Indie Built, the game represents 2K games only launch title, with NBA and NHL 2K6 to arrive in late January. How does the game differ from Amped 2 and has the transition from 1st party to 3rd party affected the game? Being a 1st party developer for the initial development phase has allowed the developer more time along with increased knowledge of the system. The result is an almost flawless game in every department, but before we evangelise further, let?s take a look at the unique aspects of the game.

From the outset the game impresses with a unique style reminiscent of the 16-bit era, where originality didn’t cost millions of dollars. A time when three guys coding in someone?s bedroom could end up creating a game such as Populous; going on to define a genre. While Amped 3 doesn’t define the snowboarding genre, what it does is set itself apart from every other sports title, snowboarding or otherwise. The game consists of numerous riders, each having their own unique graphical style. Sock puppets, stop-frame animation and 8-bit sprite characters are a welcome change for game presentation and something other developers should learn from. Sure it?s out there, and some players won?t get it, but it?s as unique as it is daring.

Graphically, the game excels with gorgeous backdrops and draw distances that go on as far as the eye can see. Not a single pixel can be found out of place in luxurious surroundings filled with huge, and I mean huge mountains. The level in detail in the snow alone is beyond anything seen In the series before, leading to a greater sense of realism. That?s where the realism ends, with the games unique style from it?s previous iterations carrying through to it?s next-gen outing, creating an experience unlike SSX, but more immersive than EA?s flagship boarder.

Sound wise, it?s the usual Amped collection of strange, yet addictive US based indie bands, but of course, with the 360, you?re able to stream from an external device or the hard drive, tailoring to the players needs. 5.1 Dolby digital surround for any FX can only add to a players experience, but to be fair, the effects aren?t really important to the series. It?s more the gameplay.

This reviewer has owned every version of Amped, so maybe I?m a little biased, but I?m quite sure it?s not just me. Everyone once having played the game has praised the presentation. The majority of those continued to praise the game after a few hours gamplay, because without a doubt, it?s the best mix of Simulation and arcade in the series. Longevity is never a a problem with the main offline mode the bulk of the game, offering at least 30 hours of gameplay for experienced users, while the ability to customise your own slope offer even more for the new recruits. add to this the addition of numerous comedy sleds, such as a coffin and a hand glider amongst others, and you?ve got yourself one hell of a game.

With sumptuous visuals, accompanied by an awesome selection of music to get you through the endless hours of fun you?ll have with Amped 3. The only downside to the game is a lack of multiplayer modes, which did feature in Amped 2, but we can?t grumble about anything else. Once of the best launch titles for Xbox 360, and something to keep everyone happy until the second wave of titles arrives.

7/10