Think You Know Burnout? Think Again?
- NA release: 8th April 2003
- EU release: 9th May 2003
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Criterion Games
- Publisher: Acclaim
- NGC Magazine Score: 90%
- Mods Used: None
Burnout 2 took everything that was great about the first game, and made it better in every way. The concept is still driving dangerously through traffic, with you getting rewarded with boosts. The main element of that boost system is still here: you have to use all your boost in one go, and enough dangerous driving will completely refill the boost bar. Burnout 2 adds a few new ways to earn more boost: drifting and getting air.
The drifting is more important to Burnout 2 than it sounds, as the handling is now catered to this drift, which feels amazing. With one tap of the brake, you can glide around corners with ease. It’s the handling that defined the series, and it just makes the process of simply driving an extremely entertaining one.
Of course, the racing itself is still top-notch. It still has the extremely pointless checkpoint system (with a timer that you never have to worry about running out), but the roads you race on have lots of great segments. The game was designed with an entire consistent map in mind, with all the tracks connected, although limitations still mean that each track is its separate entity in terms of how the game functions. You will start to recognise certain sections, but will get to move across them in different ways. It’s interesting that Criterion were already trying to pull off this idea so early, as you can see the start of Burnout Paradise here.
The tracks vary massively in length and, as a result, it’s not a strict three lap affair, as the laps can vary from 2 to 5. There are even some point to point races. Another new addition is the pursuits, where you have to chase down an opponent and crash into him to unlock a new car, which eventually evolved into the takedown system of later games. There’s plenty of challenges to face and some nice cars to unlock, although sadly no silly ones like a bus this time.
On top of all this is Crash Mode. It’s a really simple concept, yet extremely satisfying. You set off approaching a busy junction and have to crash to cause the most damage possible. The traffic patterns are pre-set, which makes it an action-puzzle game where you have to work out the best collision point for the most damage. There’s a simplicity to Burnout 2’s Crash Mode that I love, and it’s my favourite version of it in the franchise.
Burnout 2 is a wonderful game that is still amazing to play now.
Fave
This is one game that really, honestly, deserves to be played in the first person, as the out-of-car view doesn’t put you sufficiently in the thick of things. The decision to make the in-car view low to the road also increases your pulse rate: you’re really there, aware of the danger involved in what you’re doing but also of the adrenaline pay-off that comes from dodging articulated trucks and school buses at 150mph. It’s tremendous.
Jes Bickham, NGC Magazine #80
Remake or remaster?
A remaster of Burnout 2 with all the skins (the Xbox version had some extra ones), plus the tracks and vehicles from Burnout 1. Perhaps throw in a few extra Crash Junctions from Burnout 1.
Official Ways to get the game
There is no official way to buy Burnout 2: Point of Impact.
Europe
Japan
North America
GameCube Games by Date
2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
I miss the Burnout series 🙁
The whole arcade style of racing game is a massive miss. It’s a genre that has died a slow death over the years.
You could say it… Burnt out
One thing I really like about the Burnout series is that every single game in the series feels distinct from each other.
Burnout 2 is much more of a “pure” racing game than any of its successors, which all double down on the carnage and car crashing aspect (not necessarily a bad thing at all, just quite different from Point of Impact). Unlike the later games (which actively reward hitting other cars), Burnout 2 wants you to “near miss”, without actually crashing. It encourages dangerous driving, but still rewards “good” driving over “bad”.
While I like all the games in the Burnout series, I do feel that the later games (particularly Revenge) perhaps go a bit too far in the direction of cartoonish explosive action; and do prefer the focus on actual racing. I also prefer the purer take on Crash Mode as seen in Burnout 2 over the ridiculous cartoonish nonsense seen in Revenge.
But really, all Burnout is good Burnout. And it’s a real shame that GameCube never got the later games…
I loved Point of Impact, spent more time doing the crash mode stuff than racing.