Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Xbox

Is Burnout 2: Point of Impact the fastest driving game around? We think so. Having played the PS2 and GameCube versions until our heads hurt, we looked forward to the Xbox version with some glee. A few extras had been promised, and surely Microsoft's powerhouse of a console could deliver the goods velocity-wise…

Well, there are extras - just not as many as we were expecting. It adds up to 15 extra 'crash for cash' junctions - you know, the part of the game where you smash into traffic and rack up the insurance money, and hopefully tip a bus or a juggernaut onto its side. Big payout! Other than the augmented Crash mode, Point of Impact is the same game as before, and if you haven't played it already, you better buckle up boyo, 'cos this one goes quickly.

Before you can get into the real meat of Burnout 2's gameplay, you have to go through the promisingly titled Offensive Driving 101 course. Here, you'll find out about the basic skills you'll need to succeed in the competition. Driving as closely as possible to other vehicles without hitting them, drifting around corners at speed, and getting some air as you hit the humps in the road all helps toward filling the Burnout meter, and when that happens, everything gets louder and faster. Offensive Driving 101 is over before you know it. Basically it's a matter of driving fast and having as many near misses as possible. After OD 101, things get competitive, whether you're on your own or playing against friends.

In regular Championship mode, you race through a series of courses, unlocking tracks, modes and vehicles as you progress. Then there's the Custom Series Championship where the vehicles are specially modified, race-tuned monsters: fast and furious, to coin a phrase. Progress in the aforementioned modes means that anything you've unlocked can be used in the Single race and Time Attack modes. Then there's pursuit, unlocked through progression in the Standard Championship, in which you chase a target car and try to run it off the road within a certain amount of time. We're not done yet…we mentioned Crash mode earlier, and it's bigger and better, and the most time-consuming part of the game. We mean that in a good way too! Just pick a car, head off down the road as fast as you can, and run into the traffic. It's bonkers, but it's probably the most consistently entertaining part of the game, as you go for the gold awards and try to better your own or a friend's score. Consider all these different game modes, and take into account the multiplayer aspect, including a four-player Crash Tournament, and there'll be a few late nights in the company of Burnout 2: Point of Impact. Trust us, we've been there. more