GameCube

Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Game Cube fans have needed an arcade racer of this type for a long time and finally, we have the game to beat. Nintendo's box never had the racing to game to beat; now it's Burnout 2. You simply cannot go wrong with this title.

Despite its rare game freezes, it’s hard to complain about a racing title as entertaining as this one. The game just makes me feel home again, as its roots obviously came from Ridge Racer. Burnout 2 is the most replayable and enjoyable racing game experience available now on the Nintendo GameCube. If you were tired of playing it too safe with Gran Turismo, I’d highly recommend checking out Burnout 2. It takes impact driving to a whole other gear.

So, now that you’ve heard what we have to say about the complete marvel that is Burnout 2 why in the hell are you still sitting there? If you already have it you should be experiencing the adrenaline rush once more and if not you should be down at GAME buying it.

There is so much more to this game than can be mentioned here. The police pursuit mode, custom series cars, two-player races, four-player Crash mode, and some of the most hair-raising close-calls you’ll ever see in a game. You’ll be so addicted that it will get you thinking of doing all this stuff in your own car (which the game dissuades). If you’re into racing games at all, this game must somehow find a spot in your collection, because it’s about as perfect as an arcade racing game can be. Go buy it now!

Possibly the best arcade racing experience on a home console to date, Burnout 2: Point of Impact is a near-perfect blast for speed freaks, especially if you own a genre-starved GameCube. Criterion Studios and Acclaim went more than the extra mile to improve this sequel over the previous Burnout, which was born from the excellent and highly underrated Vanishing Point (Dreamcast, PS One).

The most dangerous driver on the road is back on the GameCube and it’s prettier, faster, and smashier than before. Burnout 2 made its debut on the PS2, but a game this good can’t be contained on just one platform. The GameCube version cranks up the fun and adds some neat perks that Nintendo race fans won’t want to be without.

Burnout 2 übertrumpft den guten Vorgänger in allen Belangen, so dass kein Rennspielfan um dieses Game herumkommt. Insbesondere die zahlreichen unfairen Crashs haben sich drastisch reduziert und man kann nun sogar an ein vernünftiges Zeitfahren denken, ohne direkt in den Gegenverkehr zu rauschen. Außerdem gehört das Spiel zu den umfangreichsten Rennspielen auf dem GameCube und es gibt massig Strecken und Autos zu erspielen. Ich stecke jedenfalls im tiefsten Rennfieber!

The meat of Burnout 2 is played in the championship mode where you'll need to race against CPU-controlled drivers. Win races and you'll unlock more features, cars, and challenges. Participate in cop car chases, race in and around six new locales in the United States, and you'll be on your way to unlocking the seven hidden cars. Some of the challenges are point-to-point races while others are lap-based. No matter where the action is, Burnout 2 provides some of the tightest, fastest racing gameplay out there.

With the big bully of the racing block (Gran Turismo) still missing in action, strong driving games have been popping up like weeds in the last year. After finally getting a chance to try Burnout 2, I’m adding this franchise to my list of recent favorites, alongside Pro Race Driver, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, and Apex. Hardcore sim fans won’t be too impressed, but I would argue that this game’s balls-out mayhem is just what you stodgy, gear-ratio-calculatin’, downforce-tweakin’ fools need.

Burnout 2: Point of Impact has a lot of what I clamored for last year. It has more tracks, more vehicles, a thicker single-player mode, extra modes to die for such as Crash and Pursuit, different weather conditions, pretty visuals, and a more impressive sound package. Plus, the GameCube version is better than the PlayStation 2 version with more crash junctions and an enhanced engine. The reason for the slightly lower score than our sister-site, IGNPS2, is because I didn't feel Burnout 2: Point of Impact was balanced in terms of skill and fun factor. The score should not imply that the GCN version is worse than the PS2 version.

The crash mode alone makes this game worth seeing, and the inclusion of the well-done championship and multiplayer modes makes it a must-own for fans of arcade racing.

If you're like me and thrive on destruction, you'll really appreciate the addictive new "crash" mode. The idea is to cause as much damage as possible by plowing into crowded intersections, causing devastating domino-like chain reactions. This mode in of itself is worth the price of the game. Another new mode is "pursuit", where you try to cause another car to crash. We've seen this before in other games (Need For Speed comes to mind), but never done this well. Burnout 2 is one of the best racers of the Gamecube, and a must-have if you prefer arcade action.

Plus qu'une simple suite, Burnout 2 : Point of Impact reprend avec brio le flambeau de son prédécesseur tout en apportant son lot considérable d'améliorations. Graphismes de qualité, vitesse ahurissante et modes de jeux revus à la hausse sont autant de qualités qui devraient permettre à ce titre de s'assurer les faveurs d'un large public, expert en la matière ou non. Tout le monde peut s'amuser très rapidement avec Burnout 2, un titre qui mise avant tout sur des sensations de conduite et de vitesse qui répondent à l'appel de fort belle manière. Une réussite donc, maintenant aussi disponible sur GameCube et Xbox, même si on pourra peut-être regretter sa relative facilité.

Burnout 2 est une petite merveille de jouabilité et de fun. Le titre de Criterion est certes répétitif malgré plusieurs modes de jeu mais dieu que c'est bon !! Un pur jeu d'arcade avec tout ce que cela implique : un gameplay non prise de tête, des sensations extrêmes, un plaisir de jeu immédiat. Vivement le troisième épisode tiens.

Even so, in the long run it's hard to get past the fact that Burnout 2 is a game built solely upon a gimmick. This game is all about the crashes. Once you tire of that gimmick, and you will, what's remaining just isn't enough to warrant extended play. Burnout 2 is a great demonstration for the capabilities of the cross-platform Renderware middleware, but as a full-fledged racing game it falls flat.