Burnout Legends (PSP)
Developed by: Criterion
Published by: EA

Oh Yippy! Yet another racing game on the PSP. As if the system didn’t have its fair share of racers already. Well… that would have been my initial reaction, but this is the next installment in the Burnout franchise — often imitated but never duplicated.

Burnout’s arcade style gameplay suits the PSP platform perfectly. It’s a game where you can pick up and play in short bursts and still you’re able to unlock bonuses and other rewards like cars and tracks. You can race others, smash into them to gain speed boosts, and play other modes where you purposely cause massive traffic pile ups. Certain tracks have hidden routes and if you smash someone a certain way, like into a pillar, you can also unlock snap shots which will keep you playing even longer. Every race rewards you with points to unlock even more things. Personally that’s what got me hooked, because there is always something to do in this game.

There are a few things I wish they could have included and excluded. I’m guessing it was a performance hit, but they left out that blurring effect for when you increase to top speeds. As for the music, I could have done without that generic soundtrack comprised of mostly crappy punk bands. Its sounds like music parents would listen to in order to impress their kids, trying to act hip. (Sorry I don’t feel like listing off the bands because I don’t have the list on me.) On the same topic of music, it is also annoying when the game switches tunes in the middle of the race because sometimes there is a 1 second pause in gameplay. This can be distracting and very annoying. It’s the equivalent of that one friend that doesn’t want you to win so they just randomly press the pause button to mess you up.

With all that said, I think it’s safe to say that Burnout is the best PSP game to date. It’s one of those games that push the capabilities of the system. The graphic are clean, frame rate is fairly decent and there is still that overwhelming sensation of speed, known in every Burnout game. The best thing is coming home from work after having to sit through traffic jams and dumbasses who can’t drive, then playing the game. It is always nice to be rewarded for smashing into things rather than rewarded with hefty car insurance rates in the real world. — Chian

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: Every Burnout game past and present, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, WipEout Pure

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