'Burnout 3' excels at putting pedal to the metal -- literally

By TOM HAM
SPECIAL TO WASHINGTON POST
"Burnout 3: Takedown" (Electronic Arts/Criterion), an aggressive-driving-required racing game, makes an outstanding antidote to freeway commuting -- as long as you don't try to apply the game's techniques on real-world asphalt.
The goal is to win each race, of course, but it's not enough to finish first; you also have to take down your opponents' cars, usually by forcing them to crash into buildings, oncoming traffic and medians.
A complex Takedown System rewards all the destruction you cause with an increase to your Boost meter, which can mean an extra jolt of speed to rocket past your opponents or extra force when you shove one of them off the road. Players can also earn Boost by driving on the wrong side of the road or almost hitting other cars -- the more reckless you are, the better.
Graphics
The graphics (smoother and faster on the Xbox) go over the top with each crash; a car will splinter into hundreds of pieces. Between those highlights, details such as the sparks that fly when cars sideswipe and the skid marks they leave on the highway make the game a pleasure to watch, not just play.
Among "Burnout 3's" nine racing modes, World Tour, which sends you to racing events around the world, will eat up the most time. But Crash Mode, in which your score reflects the carnage you can create, is the most gleefully addictive of the bunch. Up to six players can compete online as well.
X"Burnout 3: Takedown" is for PlayStation2 and Xbox.