The PSP loves its driving fans. Racing games are by far the most represented genre on the handheld, and they have all been reputable additions to Sony’s lineup. Burnout Legends, however, is one of the best racing titles to come around in a long time on a portable system or console. Fans of the series will notice that the game plays as a veritable best-of compilation, while newcomers will find plenty of gameplay modes that will keep them coming back for more. The game features a number of race events that are unlockable through a World Tour mode. In addition to the traditional race, time attack, and grand prix modes, Burnout Legends features Road Rage, Pursuit, Eliminator, Face-Off, and Burning Laps. In Road Rage, the object is to take down and destroy as many competitors as possible before time runs out. This can be achieved a number of ways ranging from ramming your opponents into walls to slamming on the brakes while they’re behind you. In Pursuit mode, you play as a police officer charged with taking down one offender within a given time limit. The object here is to deal as much damage to your target as quickly as possible. This is typically easier said than done, as the suspect can easily outpace your police vehicle. The keys to victory are skilled driving and good strategy. In an Eliminator round, the car in last place at the end of each lap is eliminated. The winner is the only car to cross the finish line. Face-Off pits you against one other competitor, and a victory usually results in a new car being added to your garage. Burning Laps are similar to the traditional time trial mode, but you’ll be using your turbo boost almost the entire length of the course. This makes steering a difficult skill to master as you try shaving milliseconds off your time. Bronze, silver, and gold medals can be earned in each of these race events during the World Tour to unlock new cars, classes, and events. Of course, Burnout’s signature Crash Events make a welcome return in Legends. Demolishing rival vehicles in multi-car pileups has never been this fun. In each crash scenario, the goal is to hit as many vehicles as possible in the limited time available. You are then awarded cash based on the number of cars you total and the cost of the damage you inflict. This cash can later be used to purchase new cars and earn medals. Additionally, each crash event has a different Crashbreaker target, which counts down with every vehicle you destroy. Cause enough damage and you can sacrifice your own car to blow up a few more targets. Burnout’s multiplayer modes are a great addition to the game as well. Anywhere from 2 (Double Impact mode) to 6 (Party Crash mode) players can compete in a customizable tournament over an Ad-Hoc network. Available events vary depending on how many players are racing, but they can include traditional races, Crash Events, Road Rage, and Pursuit modes. Additionally, each copy of Burnout Legends comes with five Collector vehicles that can be unlocked in the single player World Tour. There are, however, 20 other Collector vehicles to unlock. Fifteen of these are unlocked via multiplayer Collector Challenges. In these head-to-head races, you choose to drive a Collector vehicle that you own, but that your opponent has not yet unlocked and vice versa. The winner of the race adds the car they’ve just beaten to their garage. While this is an interesting feature, one has to wonder how well it can be utilized. How many people who have 4 friends with copies of Burnout Legends will actually each get 5 distinct Collector cars remains to be seen. The game’s visual presentation is stunning. The frame rate never slows down, and the particle effects are the best we’ve seen on a handheld. Load times are fairly quick, placing somewhere in the lower range of Ridge Racer and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition. Unfortunately, the soundtrack is Burnout’s most outstanding flaw. While each track plays with crystal clarity, the choice of songs is just plain dreadful. They are all fast-paced and lively enough to fit the racing genre nicely. However, you’ll usually find yourself playing the game without the music because you’d rather concentrate on the race than hear the dying cat parade blasting in your ear. To further infuriate players during the fast-paced racing action, switching tracks during gameplay often causes the game to freeze momentarily while the new song is being accessed on the UMD. Additionally, as the new track is displayed on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, your turbo meter is completely covered by the song name. While this amounts to only a minor annoyance, it does beg the question of why the track names couldn’t simply be made smaller so they don’t obscure your view. You shouldn’t let these minor flaws turn you away from Burnout Legends. Whether you’re new to the series or a Burnout veteran, you’ll find plenty of content to keep your hands busy during those long drives. Or, if you find yourself with a spare minute every now and then, this game is great in short spurts. With the apparent lack of quality titles for the PSP in its post-launch dry spell, Burnout Legends stands as one of the best. Go out, get it, and have fun.
I can tell you the truth I really didn't like Burnout and Burnout 2 at all not even a little bit, but when Burnout 3 came out I was all over that. Criterion had made a huge step into the next best thing, Racing and Cr... Read Full Review
I think burnout is an excelent car game with a very large choice of different cars e.g (compact cars,muscle cars,assassin cars,special cars,heavy weight vehicles,sports cars,and cop cars. But there's one cop car in each... Read Full Review
