I tried the demo for a few minutes. My first impression was...uh, well, it was OK. Your car drives up the road automatically, you steer into an opposing car, and then crash. After that, you ignite your Crashbreaker and try to catch other cars in your explosion and/or use the force of the explosion to influence them in the direction of other cars or roadside obstacle. It's simple, but still somewhat fun at the core.
The graphics really aren't anything special. I know it's an overhead view game, and it's suppose to have a bit of a stylized look to it, but even with that in mind it's still rather plain looking. It's really surprising coming from Criterion, who have demonstrated their graphical prowess many times in the past.
The sound, though, is absolutely a hoot. There are lots of funny voice samples and sound effects, along with cute but appropriate musical cues. Again, being a Criterion game, you'd expect the visuals to take center stage, but it's the audio that manages to surprise here.
I noticed I my score of a little over $14,000,000 just edged out that of a friend who was playing the demo at the same time. About a minute later, the Autolog refreshed, and I noticed he had now topped my score.
So, I tried a second time, and reclaimed my spot the top of the scoreboard.
Then I noticed that he beat it again. Naturally, this inspired me to put in a third attempt--and finally the gameplay clicked with me, as I was figuring out more ways of racking up points. With a score of over $44,000,000, I was now over double his score.
Now that I understand how the game works, I'm kind of tempted to get it! I just wish they gave you more than just one scenario to play in the demo. If they had at least one or two more levels to show off the variety, then I could really get a better idea of if it's worth my money.
It only plays somewhat loosely like the Crash modes in previous Burnout games, and the concept is actually kind of ridiculous. If you go in with the mindset of expecting a true Burnout sequel, then you will be hugely disappointed. However, if you look at it as some strange yet silly skill-based puzzle game that happens to use cars and the name "Burnout" in the title, then you just might have a good time with it.
