Racing and action go hand in hand, but Burnout games took it further. Being someone who enjoys simulation-style racing games, arcade-smashers weren’t really my cup of tea. However, Burnout 3: Takedown was the game that completely changed my perception of the genre, almost instantly.
I was so hooked on its action-packed delivery that I fell in love with this masterpiece. This is the type of game that evokes hundreds of memories when it’s mentioned, so let’s take a trip down memory lane together.
The First Takedown Feels Like A Revelation
As I mentioned earlier, I live for motorsports and real-life iconic automobiles, so these arcade car-smashing racing games aren’t really my thing. However, I was just a perfect takedown away from falling in love with the whole Burnout franchise. Once you take on an opponent, it becomes an addiction.
The sheer drama you witness on your screen as you slam into your opponent, turn them into busted metal, and take their place — is more than just a gameplay moment; it feels like a revelation. Each installment under the Burnout umbrella is just as wild, but for me, Burnout 3: Takedown takes the cake.
Chaos Is The Star Of The Show
With Burnout 3, you can’t race normally. The real star of the show is not just the leader, but the one who shunts into his competition, destroying anyone who tries to overtake. You either take down or get taken down, as simple as that. Chaos is such a big highlight in this game that it not only racks up your points multiplier in modes such as the Crash Mode but also refills your boost meter so you can get even crazier.
While ramming others is fun, getting rammed into doesn’t mean game over. Thanks to the game’s iconic Aftertouch mechanic, players are given a second chance at chaos, allowing them to move their busted chassis towards their opponents and lead them to crashes. This way, taking someone down is still possible before you respawn. In Burnout 3, the streets aren’t for the regulars travelling from point A to B; they are for the maniacs!
Why No Racing Game Has Matched This Energy
Nearly two decades later, it’s not like chaotic games like Burnout 3: Takedown don’t exist. They do, but they fail to match that typical raw and aggressive racing energy. We’ve got BeamNG, a driving sim with realistic crash physics, Wreckfest 1 & 2, where you are bound to ram in a closed circuit. But they don’t combine raw speed and destruction quite like the legendary Burnout 3: Takedown. The Aftertouch mechanic, Crash Mode, and the perfectly paced World Tour campaign set a standard so high that this game still reigns supreme in the crash-racing genre.
For me, Burnout 3: Takedown will forever be a masterpiece. While we got something close to it, in the form of Burnout Paradise, it couldn’t evoke the same emotions. Burnout 3 was something special, something raw and unfiltered. I still remember playing it on the PlayStation 2 with my brother, blowing up each other’s cars to shreds, and that’s a feeling no other game has replicated.
Published: Aug 26, 2025 04:47 pm