PS2 Xbox

Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Racing

Time to beat: about 8.6 hours
Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Burnout 2: Point of Impact is a 2002 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Acclaim Entertainment for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. It is the sequel to the 2001 video game Burnout and the second title in the Burnout series. It was the last Burnout game to be released on the GameCube and the series would not see a release on a Nintendo platform until the release of Burnout Legends in 2005. The game also marked Acclaim's last entry in the Burnout series, as Acclaim would go bankrupt in 2004; the rest of the series would be published by Electronic Arts.

The goal of Burnout 2: Point of Impact is to race circuits around a track, either alone, against the game artificial intelligence or human opponents. The tracks feature traffic, complex junctions and obstacles which can make driving at high speeds difficult. To travel faster, the player needs to accumulate Boost. This can be done by driving down the wrong side of the road, drifting around corners at high speeds, swerving to avoid traffic and hitting jumps at speed to gain air. Colliding with traffic or scenery at high speed causes the car to lose control and crash.

The game also includes a "Crash" mode, in which the player(s) earn points by causing damage to other vehicles. Crash mode is generally seen as the "puzzle" aspect of Burnout, as each scenario's vehicles are not randomised. This adds a layer of strategy, as well as trial and error, to determine which angle, speed, and point of impact is required to obtain maximum points. The points are given in cash (dollars).

Burnout 2: Point of Impact received "favourable" reviews on all platforms as reported by video game review aggregator website Metacritic.