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By Keith B (11th Jun 2007)

The Burnout arcade series has been around for years, but games in the series have seldom been as good as this one. In the realm of car racing, few games provide as much action and speed as does Burnout Dominator. The variety of modes to choose from and the intensity of the crashes make for a fast paced, action packed title. At the same time the gameplay is addictive, presented in such a manner that I found myself plastered to the TV throughout each level. <br /><br />
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The game’s primary mode, World Tour, takes the gamer to different places around the world where he or she must compete in a variety of different tasks. Signature to the game series, the gamer must successfully complete several tasks in order to unlock new cars, new tracks, and new levels in order to progress through the game. Burnout Dominator features a challenging array of dangerous driving techniques that keep the gamer on edge throughout the game. These include Drifting, Near Misses (nearly missing a crash), Maniac driving, Races, and of course, Burnouts. Each level may consist of, for example, a challenge involving all of the above tasks as well as different races that incorporate “Take Downs,” in which the gamer must take out opponent cars in order to gain speed boosters and win the race. At the beginning of such a race, the gamer is told that a certain number of take downs are needed in order to unlock a new car. Upon completion of the race, if the gamer has completed the take down series, a new car will be unlocked and available for future use.<br /><br />
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The most exciting part of Burnout Dominator is not just that fact that you can take out opponent cars or drive dangerously for points, it’s that fact that you can do so going upwards of 160 mph. The game features pristine graphics that would make any gamer feel as though they were actually driving the car. The game also features a function whereby if you crash, you can view the crash in slow motion or even take out opposing cars with your own crash. The cars in the game are pretty realistic and the game does well with the incorporation of high quality graphics in such a high speed race.<br /><br />
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Burnout Dominator also features a variety of helpful hints before, during, and after each challenge. After about an hour or so of play, these hints become rather repetitive and actually become quite an annoyance. The hints are helpful to begin with, however they seem to run together after you get the hang of the game. After about an hour of play, any player can easily figure out all the functions present in the game.<br /><br />
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The sound quality of the game is fantastic. The game uses sounds which accurately portrays the situation in a loud and clear manner. The music the game uses is also very good and quite fitting for the type of game. Rock music and beats that would pump even the lamest gamer up provide an adrenaline-filled racing atmosphere and intense gaming experience. The only criticism I have about the music would be that in about four hours of play, I heard Avril Levigne’s “Girlfriend” six times, three of which were in Spanish, and yes, I was counting. Maybe this song works for the gamer who is in touch with their punk feminine side, or is a girl (unlikely for the type of game), but I felt as though this song was completely out of place with the rest of the soundtrack and game. I did, however, find that a simple click of the L2 button changed the song.<br /><br />
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A few things in the game were rather confusing, misleading, and even annoying. The recurrent Helpful Hints frequently tell the gamer to utilize the “ramps” in order to maximize a jump. There are, however, no noticeable ramps aside from where the road drops out from under the car. If there are any ramps, I sure couldn’t find them while I was playing. Also, a quick and easy way to gain points towards a Boost is to drive on the wrong side of the road. Some scenarios seemed to switch which side was the wrong side of the road, at times even switching sides on the same track. This was not really that big a deal, but if you need points in order to stay in a race, there should at least be a consistent way to do so. <br /><br />
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Finally, the most frustrating part of the game was frequency of crashes. The other cars in the game (those who were not an opponent) seemed to be everywhere. This does provide for a high level of skill needed to be successful in the game, but it also creates a huge annoyance when you’re in the middle of a race and some car comes out of no where and takes you out of the race completely. These accidents occur all the time while playing the game, but the annoying part is how long it takes to recover. A simple crash takes several seconds and seems to take much of the excitement out of the game because it removes the gamer from the action currently taking place, thus breaking one's concentration. On the other hand, it is pretty awesome to watch your car slam into another car at 165 mph.<br /><br />
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Overall, this is a great game. The graphics, sound, and scenarios create an unbelievably intense atmosphere for anyone playing. Upon first glance, the game may seem as though it could get old rather quickly, but after a few hours of play, I found myself sucked into the madness. While the game has its flaws, the fun and excitement can not be suppressed. Any driving game enthusiast would easily love this game and it is definitely the type of game you end up playing for hours without even realizing it; it is the cure for at least an entire weekend full of boredom. With many special features to unlock and a high replay value, I recommend this game as an addition to even the most casual racing game fan's library.<br /><br />