Burnout 3 Takedown

Burnout 3: Takedown is the third game in the high speed racing series, Burnout. Released on September 7, 2004, developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts (the first Burnout game EA published), the game drew critical acclaim and a large fanbase. A GameCube version was planned but was scrapped during development. It is also the only game in the series that received a T rating by the ESRB. This game has been followed up by Burnout Revenge and Burnout Paradise.

Gameplay

There are five play modes, including two race modes and three crash modes. Before play starts, players choose their vehicle based on its speed and weight. In the race modes, the player gains "boost" by driving in the oncoming traffic lanes, narrowly avoiding traffic, and by causing competitors' cars to crash (called a "Takedown"). In "Race" mode, the object is to win the race around the track like a standard racing game, while in the "Road Rage" mode, the player must takedown a set number of computer-controlled opponents.

In the crash mode, the player is not racing opponents on a track. Instead, in each crash attempt, the player races at high speeds towards an intersection and tries to do as much monetary damage to the vehicles there as possible, while collecting cash and multiplier bonuses. The three crash modes are very similar. In some, you drive alone, in others you crash as a team with a combined score, etc., but the goal of doing the most damage remains the same.

In any mode, medals are awarded for achieving certain scores. These medals are used to unlock hidden tracks and vehicles.

Burnout 3 features 173 different events in the offline mode, and 67 cars to unlock, including a City Bus, Lorry Cab, Fire Truck, and a Garbage Truck for use in the Crash mode. There is also online play where up to six players can compete in a race, and eight players can compete in a Crash event. In online races, there is less aggression than in single player. Racers must focus on good drifts and avoiding traffic, not just takedowns, in order to win. This gives the online mode a different feel from single player. There is a racing variant known as Road Rage where players are divided into two teams. The blue team receives a three second head start and must drive a certain number of miles without being eliminated by being taken down. The red team attempts to takedown the blue team before they reach the finish line.