Burnout Legends Review

Even though this game was released in 2005, in my opinion it still is one of the best racing games you can get for the PSP.

Burnout: Legends takes the best of the previous Burnout games and melts them into one superb, addictive game. In this version you get to race the traditional ‘Circuit Racing’ and ‘Time Attack’ modes but with the addition of other modes like ‘Crash’, ‘Eliminator’ Racing, ‘Face-Off’, ‘Road Rage’ and ‘Pursuit’ (both available in ‘World Tour’ and 'Single Event' modes).

The main difference with this game from its predecessors is that you are allowed to knock about your opponent and you are encouraged to do so as it will earn you bonus points, power ups and additional extras. But watch out as your car can get damaged in exactly the same way. The bonuses for causing your opponents to crash (called ‘Take-downs’) can earn you cars, rewards like trophies and instant extra boost for every take-down (max of 4 in a row but this can be lost when you crash).

Beyond a doubt the best game mode is the ‘Crash’, where the aim of the game is to achieve a targeted money amount (each car/truck/bus/coach is worth a set amount). For every crash location you can get either a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal (and getting all Gold medals also unlocks a hidden award).

The Game

Like most of EA fabled Burnout games, there is the single player mode called ‘World Tour’, and a ‘Single Event’ mode. Both of which give you access to all the racing modes above but the ‘Single Event’ mode allows you to race with the awarded cars and tracks from the ‘World Tour’ mode. There’s also the Multiplayer mode where you can play against opponents via the inbuilt WiFi of the PSP, but this is just for the racing game modes.

The ‘World Tour’ mode guides you through the different classes of cars allowing you to play a mixture of the game modes, each being more challenging than the next as the game progresses. The only exception is the ‘Crash’ mode, which is separated off into an independent section of the ‘World Tour’, and is accessible at any time (in every class of car) with the Square button.

‘Circuit Racing’: “Does exactly what it says on the tin” You race against 3 other opponents in different locations, and you get either a Bronze (3rd place), Silver (2nd place) or Gold medal (1st place). If you can collect all the Gold, you get another bonus.

‘Time Attack’: Two types of this, in ‘World Tour’ you get 1 lap to go as fast as you can, time being the decider on the medals. In the 'Single Event' you can keep on going around and try to shave off seconds improving your knowledge of the tracks.

‘Crash’: As explained before, try to cause the biggest explosive crash possible!! The more money damage caused the better it is and money is the deciding factor on the medals.

‘Eliminator’: Just like the ‘Circuit Racing’ mode yet you loose the last place opponent on each lap until there’s only one left, creating a simple yet fun knockout race.

‘Face-Off’: like ‘Circuit Racing’, you have several laps to try and beat your opponents, except this time there is only 1. If you win you get his car!!

‘Road Rage’: Second to ‘Crash’ for its shear enjoyment! ‘Road Rage’ gives you three laps and simply wants you to crash as many opponents as possible, bearing in mind your car takes damage as well. The targeted Take-downs determine the medals awarded, and when you have to take down 40 in 3 laps, perfecting the P.I.T maneuver can become second nature.

‘Pursuit’: Taking on the role of the Cops, you have to chase and takedown a bad guy’s cars, but there not as easy to take down as the ones in the races. These cars take finesse and the time it takes to get them decided the medals.

• Tip: If one bad guy is hard to get, try crashing in front of him and using the Aftermath take-down mode to win (That slow motion thing!!).


Graphics, Game play and the Music Score

The graphics of the game are nothing short of what you would expect from EA, detailed and full of extras like streaking scenery and flames when enabling the boost. The overall look of the game is clean and well presented, even the menu system is well thought out.

The controls are simple and easy to use, with the availability of using either the analogue stick or the arrows to control the cars. There’s no complicated multi-button pushing, no sequence of keys to make extra points, just the skill of driving the car.

The Music Score for this game is something you would expect EA to excel at, and trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed with the selection. The songs match the game play and ferocity perfectly, charging you up to try and beat the opponents. I found some of the songs would help with different modes, and since you can customize what song is played in what mode you can use it to your advantage.

Conclusion

Overall Burnout: Legends is a fast paces, action packed racing game with a few twists and quirks to mix it up. One that is in many opinions, still the best racing game to be out for the PSP.