More than three years without a true "Burnout" game? That's a crime! Sure, Criterion brought their car-crashing know-how to "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit," my favorite in the series so far, but it's not the same as "Burnout," where crashing is the primary objective and racing takes a back seat. We still don't know when we'll be getting a full sequel to "Burnout Paradise," but there is a downloadable game in the works: "Burnout Crash."
As you can see in the above screenshot, "Burnout Crash" plays from a top-down perspective, akin to the angle of the old "GTA" games. Rather than focus on racing modes, "Crash" is limited just to Crash Mode. The objective, make the most destructive car pile-up imaginable within a short span of time. It's actually the mode that was disappointingly absent for "Paradise," so it's nice that Criterion hasn't forgotten about it.
Despite the different camera angle, the translation from previous Crash Modes is pretty faithful. You start each level driving peacefully into an intersection, but, when the time is right, you can hit a button to explode your car. While it's flying in the air, you can shift the momentum to lead it into other cars, thus filling up your power meter for another explosion. Certain cars will award you with more points, but it's safe to assume that destroying as much as possible remains your primary goal. There are multiple modes, however, so expect some interesting multiplayer variants.
The game will support normal controllers on the PS3 and 360, but, just for kicks, it'll also have Kinect support for steering. And when you want to blow yourself up? You jump up and down! Yeah, I'll stick with the controller, thanks.
"Burnout Crash" is planned for release this fall on XBLA and PSN.