The creators of the original Burnout titles are back at it, but how does it hold up?

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Growing up, if you hadn’t played Burnout you were the biggest loser in the area; and for good reason. Burnout 3 in particular, provided a lot of elements that made the game more than just a fun racing title. Watching a group of friends racing to the finish while they slammed each other off the roads made it feel new and fresh compared to all the racing-sims that we’ve become accustomed to prior. While the franchise is still incredibly fun to play, itself and other arcade racing sims have pretty much become a rarity; which should be a crime because of how much fun they offer. Luckily Three Fields Entertainment, a team made up of those who worked on the original Burnout titles, looks to bring back those joyful memories with Dangerous Driving; however, does it live up to the Burnout name they’re known for?

Dangerous Driving is an arcade racing title that offers a very Burnout-esque experience without the name. This includes the popular game modes the Burnout series is known for including your races, face-offs, eliminations, shakedown(burning lap), and road rage; and yes, the crashes are back! To traverse the various modes, you have the choice of six campaign specific vehicles to pick from.

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Gameplay

The name Dangerous Driving is more than just a name, but a precursor to how to succeed in the game. The key to winning is driving as dangerously as possible with crashing your opponents off the road, driving on the wrong side of the road, near misses, etc. As you play through the game you’ll unlock new game modes, and vehicle specific campaigns to jump into which ups the fun factor. The main problem with Dangerous Driving is unlocking these modes can be a chore; and not in a difficult way. While the game shines in the modes that focus on crashing, the more traditional race modes get incredibly stale after the first few as the courses are rather large. This is prevalent more so in the Face-Off mode where if you fall behind, the chances of regaining the lead are slim to nill; even if you completely deplete your burn gauge consistently. When you do unlock the new vehicles, it feels like a massive let-down as they feel no different than the vehicle you start out with. Luckily, modes like road rage and pursuit are incredibly fun and focusing on the beautiful art of crashing your opponents off the road as much as possible!

Presentation

Dangerous Driving isn’t the going to win any awards, however it isn’t a terrible looking game visually. Visually the vehicles look pretty nice, however the rest of the presentation doesn’t really stand out. The courses have little to nothing that make them stand out from the rest visually. If the game had a great audio presentation this could be overlooked, however that’s not the case. The game does not have any soundtrack, you have to pay to have a premium Spotify account for any in-game music. This idea would be awesome if it wasn’t the only way to get music in the courses. Knowing that audio is one of the most important elements in a racing game, to leave nothing in it’s place for those who don’t have Spotify seems like a cheap move.

Overall

Dangerous Driving feels like a game trying to revive the core Burnout experience, however it sacrifices elements that supplemented its success. While the gameplay itself is fun, certain game modes feel incredibly stale. With the lack of any in game music unless you pay for a Spotify service, it seems like a cheap move. Nevertheless, Dangerous Driving is a fun game to pick-up and play in moderation if you’re wanting to get a more modern Burnout-esque experience.

THE BREAKDOWN

PROS:

• Certain game modes offer the fun reminiscent of Burnout games from the PS2 era

CONS:

• Normal race modes feel bland and uninteresting
• The Spotify integration is a cool idea, but leaves an important element of the game missing if you aren’t looking to pay for it
• Selection of vehicles lacks any individuality to make them standout.