Burnout 3: Takedown
Price: $49.99
Getting to the finish line first is good enough for most racing video games. Then there’s “Burnout 3: Takedown,” which puts a disarmingly enjoyable spin on the racing game: the bigger the wreck, the better.
Blending high velocities with jarring crashes, this new title from Electronic Arts offers a variety of racing styles on courses spanning the United States, Europe and Asia.
Mass destruction puts this one ahead of its competitors. You drive, slam and careen off ramps and into traffic to rack up as much destruction as possible. You can pick up special bonuses along the way that can push the damage into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Cause a suitably large pileup and you’ll get a “Crashbreaker,” an explosive bonus you can detonate for additional flying bits of twisted metal and flaming tires.
If only the daily commute could be this fun — sans the inevitable hospital visit, of course.
Excessive destruction runs rampant in this T-rated game for the PS2 and Xbox, but at least the smashing is limited to vehicles.