G-pinions

So I wouldn't be a very good G-Pinioneer if I didn't take some time out of my busy first day of owning Burnout 3: Takedown to tell you about it. Plus, my fingers, brains, and eyeballs could use a rest. I've been held to a minimum of thought and blinking for about three hours now, and I don't regret a second of it. Lord, this game is good. Is it the best game this year? So far, no question. Ninja Gaiden is surely as awesome as can be, but it's not miles ahead of other action games. It looks a lot better, but the gameplay isn't exactly revolutionary, just lots of badass funnery. Burnout 3, on the other hand, makes every other racing game, ever, look like a slow, methodic, ugly, boring pile of puke (how's that for hyperbole!?). Seriously, it's the closest I've seen to a perfect game in a long time. And does anyone really disagree? After 114 reviews it's got a 94% going at Gamerankings, so I would venture not. Granted, I've only played a couple of hours worth, but they've been some of the best gaming hours, online and off, that I've ever had. Hell, they've been some of the best plain 'ol reality hours that I've ever had. Maybe I should talk about the game?

For starters, as awesome as Burnout 2 was, I'll never be able to play it again. This game improves on pretty much everything (the load time seems about three seconds slower per restart, but that's the only thing that's worse so far), and everything new kicks ass. The sense of speed, and the fact that you can successfully dodge cars at that speed, makes you feel like a zombie Dale Earnhardt (dead, but highly skilled). The crashes are even better than I could have hoped for, and all feel realistic, unlike some of them in the second game. The Aftertouch system (adjusting your trajectory mid-air after a crash) is great, and makes crashing as fun as it is devastating. So actually, every second spent racing is entertaining, even when getting your ass kicked by traffic. And you do get your ass kicked. Overall, so far at least, the game feels easier than the first one, but I still spend a good forty-five minutes trying to get a gold medal on the second speed trial. The online play is also the most fun I've had online yet next to Socom 2 (which is incomparable), with no lag, plenty of crazy fun modes, and incredibly balanced and flexible matches. I'm ranked about 850th right now, but that's not going to last (I'm sure by the end of the week they'll be a good 50,000 players). I kinda wish I wasn't getting Fable for another couple of months now, because this game is plenty until Halo 2 (and even then, it will be a tough call...). I'm sure I'll talk about it loads more later, but for now, I feel the need for ridiculous speed.