By 2005, the dawning of a new era in gaming was approaching. Microsoft, who a few years earlier entered the console video gaming world, was preparing to release its second video game console hardware – the Xbox 360. But before there was an Xbox 360 in my home, Sony’s Playstation 2 guided my gaming hobby with a plethora of fantastic franchises spanning various genres including racing games. “Midnight Club 2”, “Need for Speed Underground”, “Gran Turismo 4”, and “Burnout 3”. The latter proved to be one of the greatest surprises for yours truly during gaming’s sixth generation as “Burnout 3” surpassed its predecessor in almost every way by providing genuine racing action and insane stunts courtesy of the game-defining “Crash Mode”. The same year I purchased an Xbox 360, Criterion finished developing what is at this point the final entry in the “Burnout” franchise with “Burnout Paradise” – a game that was remastered & released last year on modern day consoles. Rather than let their most celebrated creation lie dormant, Three Fields Entertainment (several of the minds behind the original “Burnout” franchise entries) went about giving long-time fans a taste of the past with updated graphics and the need for speed unlike anything else on the market. Though the promise was there, I wondered if they could truly recapture figurative lightning in a bottle.
Did I Complete “Dangerous Driving”?
“Dangerous Driving” is closer to the original two entries in the “Burnout” franchise with a variety of mode options including simple races, time trials and, of course, “Road Rage” where the player needs to slam, bash & knock opponents off the track to create takedown situations. Featuring six categories based around car types including sedans, SUVs & Formula DD/1 racers, the player has to complete all of the modes in every car category with some being incredibly difficult thanks to the rubberband AI, finicky physics, and overall technical issues both minor & major including full game crashes during races in regards to the latter. Slowly but surely I’m making my way through the multiple modes, getting closer to the Formula DD/1 class that will undoubtedly be too fast for the game to handle. For those looking to complete this with a good amount of luck by their side, players will spend ten to even twenty hours speeding through a world too slow for the driver’s lead foot.
Did “Dangerous Driving” Live Up to the Hype?
“Dangerous Driving” had a pretty arduous task of trying to make a new “Burnout” game without the license or a lot of money to make it feel & look better than its spiritual predecessors. The player will immediately discover that the game is rather barebones with an old school way of progression being offered. The player starts off with a simple race inside a generic sedan that, with the attaining of a gold, silver or bronze medal, unlocks other modes and, potentially, other cars in the category. The mode offerings are plentiful & varied. For every simple race or “Road Rage” event there are modes where the player must keep their finger on the boost button to create a dangerously fast series of “Heatwave”-induced sequences with driving on the wrong side of the road or avoiding crashes being the only way to gain more nitrous. Gamers will have to take part in “Eliminator” mode where the person in last place of each lap is eliminated (though the vehicle doesn’t leave the track after the elimination – potentially causing crash hazards), one-on-one “Face-Off” battles where the player “wins” the loser’s car, and even a Grand Prix series of three races that are too lengthy for their own good. One of the game’s highlight modes is “Pursuit” – a “Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit”-inspired offering where the player must hit their target or targets repeatedly in order to stop them. With a time limit against the player, “Pursuit” becomes one of the most gratifying experiences in the game.
One of the main reasons the other modes doesn’t have the same level of fun attached to them as “Pursuit” is the AI. In regular races against one or more opponents, the AI has the ability to drive with a speed unavailable to the player even when the AI isn’t boosting; causing moments where the AI will easily catch up and potentially pass the player without much effort; not to mention AI’s acceleration speed is always greater than the player’s even though both are using the same car. With no ability to modify a car, the player is stuck with the vehicle’s base settings. This difficulty problem is made worse by technical issues including framerate drops and camera offerings that are either too close to the back of the car or the equivalent of being placed on the end of a car’s hood. Vehicular crashes are both impressive and underwhelming. Some crashes prove to be incredibly epic, though short-lived in presentation even with the addition of “Burnout’s” “Aftertouch” technique where the player can slow down time and potentially create a collision scenario for a nearby opponent (though the time available to complete said “Aftertouch” crash is very small). Then there are other instances where the game will catapult the car grinding near or on a guardrail, or a civilian vehicle will suddenly appear very close to the speeding player. There are also crash camera cuts that can prove to be pretty jarring for the player as an opponent crashing will have the player’s vehicle still moving during the replay and when the camera returns to the player’s car the car will be a very different spot on the track.
There are two missing necessities to truly make a “Burnout” experience no matter the name: multiplayer and “Crash Mode”. In a racing game made for outrageous moments and clutch victories, there’s no way for two arcade racing gamers to play together locally or online; taking away a great amount of shine from the game’s overall enjoyment. The developers promise to bring online multiplayer to the game in the near future, but lacking such a necessity in the racing genre is ridiculous. The infamous “Crash Mode” associated with the older “Burnout” game isn’t actually a part of the title, but can be attained through another Three Fields Entertainment game, “Danger Zone 2”. Like “Crash Mode” before it, “Danger Zone 2” places the player in an environment where the player must crash their car in a particular zone to cause as much monetary damage as possible. Unfortunately for digital buyers, “Danger Zone 2” is only packaged with the “Dangerous Driving” disc version – meaning if digital-only “Burnout” fans want a dumbed down version of “Crash Mode” they will have to shell out another twenty dollars.
One of the biggest positives of almost every “Burnout” game is the soundtrack. With this being an independent title, the soundtrack is none existent without counting the menu music. Players with a premium Spotify account can link their account to the game and player their personal playlists – something players have wanted from other games this generation.
With the promise of being this generation’s true “Burnout” experience, “Dangerous Driving” is an example of good intentions meeting flawed execution to create something that won’t revitalize the arcade-racing genre.
Should You Play “Dangerous Driving”?
“Dangerous Driving” proves to be a true example of a game somewhat stuck in the formula crafted over a decade ago without the financial backing or support of a major studio to help it reach its potential. “Burnout” fans will enjoy what’s here, but that joyous nostalgia won’t last long especially when it becomes a grind to unlock everything. Thankfully the base game is half priced with the disc version costing an extra ten dollars. Even at the asking price it feels like “Dangerous Driving” should be ten to twenty dollars cheaper in its current form. “Burnout” fans will get the rush of blazing through a track only a game from the franchise can offer, but the feeling is fleeting like so many “Heatwave” bars.
