Burnout Legends Review

9.0

Format PlayStation Portable

Developer Criterion

Publisher Unknown

Genre Racing / Driving

Here it is. The handheld game most of you have been waiting for and one of the top three reasons to get yourself a PSP. It's a Burnout you can take with you and play in public and everyone's going to want to steal your PSP off you when they see it - this is a stunning recreation of the PS2 game on that wide little screen.

But does it look as good as Burnout on PlayStation2? Well naturally not quite. Does it look good enough to get across all the speed, thrills and eye-melting joy of the race series? Yes! And that's the main point of Burnout Legends. It's mini Burnout, it's Burnout you can play in those 40-second gaps where you have nothing to do and no girls to look at, and it's all the best bits of the first three games of the series lumped together in one glorious package.

Shortly we'll be bringing you the review for Burnout Revenge on PS2 but this isn't like that. PSP Burnout Legends has more in common with Burnout 3 and the fantastic Burnout 2, which for many hardcore fans remains the pinnacle of the series. This is good news, as Burnout Legends takes the best bits of the first three games - your favourite tracks, cars and game types - and makes a very desirable package out of them.

Portable Burnout takes the enhanced Crash game from Burnout 3, complete with cash and boost icons and the Crashbreaker secondary explosion, which is dead good news because this is all better than the dodgy Target Car system used in the newer Burnout Revenge. Also back is most people's favourite Burnout 2 feature - Pursuit races. Everyone likes these for two reasons; you get to drive the cop car to ram other cars off the road, and secondly; you get to turn the siren on and off at will as you race. That's got to be one of the top five coolest things that's ever been put in a driving game. Now you can make people in public look around and think there's a police car outside.

From Burnout 3 you get the Road Rage races, where all you do is whack a target number of enemy cars into the barriers in exchange for points and medals. These races, and the Crash pile-up-creating games, are why Burnout makes such a great portable game - they're fun, uncomplicated and over in less than a minute. It's like sex. In short, energetic bursts, you get the best of all Burnout worlds in one package.

It looks good, but not quite amazing. Burnout Legends has a sharper, cleaner look, without the speed blur effect that hides the joins so well in other PSP racers. As such you're getting a cleaner-looking game, but the joins and edges are more noticeable. It's also slightly tougher to see exactly where you're going thanks to the shrinking of the scenery, but, for the most part, you'll be okay. It's still Burnout enough for you to remember how it all works and the familiar tracks will ease you into it well.

Behind the scenes, the game has been simplified, or at least made a lot easier to navigate, for PSP. The World Tour rates you on two criteria - Burnout points and the number of enemy-car Takedowns you've achieved - then gives you a running total at the end of each event. The more you score, the more you unlock. It's simpler, easier to use, the menus make loads more sense than the confused mess that was Burnout 3, and it's yet another example of how new, easily accessible Burnout is a perfect match with PSP.

In fact, Legends is exactly what you need on PSP - short, punchy, high-speed action presented in perfect style on the handheld wonder. It plays like a supercharged hybrid of Burnout, Burnout 2 and Burnout 3, features the best elements of each and goes like mad on the mini screen. It also makes you realise just how great Burnout 2 was. Not only does this take the best bits of previous Burnout games, it also shoves in network play for easy link racing. For quick thrills on the go, there's nothing better.

PSW Staff