What is the first thing that comes in your mind when you think of a Burnout game? That’s right, crashes. In Burnout Crash you get an overdose of crashes, as the name implies, of course. So, what is Burnout Crash? Well, in this game, the car is your weapon. It is fitted with a rechargeable explosive, which you can use to destroy other vehicles. Cause as much mayhem as possible. It’s called the Crashbreaker and you’ll love it in this game. All you have to do is blow up as many cars in a busy highway, and make sure that they do not escape, and if 5 cars do escape, it is game over. It’s simple really.

Crash City, as the location is called has 18 highways or intersections for you to cause carnage and also features 3 game modes. The graphics are quite average, in fact, this is the most disappointing part of the game. Considering there is nothing demanding here, they should have at least made it really pretty. The explosions look really good, though. It is somewhat satisfying seeing all the $ signs popping up in front of you, when you execute a proper move. The audio effects, however, really shine here. There are some amazing tracks that you can hum too in the game. So, if you have a good audio system, let it go wild.

As I mentioned earlier, the main objective of the game is not to let the cars escape and score enough points to unlock the next car/stage. The thing about the game is that, EA’s Autolog feature makes it in here in this game. Autolog is one of the best things to happen to the racing genre. You can compare times with your friends and it also increases the competitiveness factor of the game. It is addictive trying to beat your friend’s score, and will probably make you replay a same section a lot of times.

It’s a top-down game which makes it easier to see the entire gameplay area. You can guide your car to block the road or cars from passing through and execute a nice timed explosion to take them all out. And if you pull it off properly, the chain reaction will be amazing. Burnout Crash isn’t a complicated game, in fact, it is quite simple to learn. There are a lot of in-game cues that show you what to do, which car is escaping so that you get enough time to act fast.  It’s a good example of game design. Although, it is easier to see the game over screen fast because of the 5 car limit at your disposal.

If you are new to the game, prepare to have a few disappointing games early till you master the gameplay mechanics. You can also play Rush Hour where you get a 90 second timer to destroy everything you want, and you don’t have to worry about the cars passing through. The Xbox 360 version has Kinect support but since I played this on PSN, unfortunately couldn’t test it out. Move support would have been nice, because it looks totally playable using the Move. Most of the times, the most attractive thing about the game is beating your friend’s score, and it is the Autolog system, that makes this possible.

Autolog is the best thing about the game, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in the gameplay mechanics or the ability of the game to make you keep playing. Also for Autolog you need a lot of friends playing the game to enjoy it to the max. if you are the only person buying this game, then it will be the worst purchase you ever made.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Burnout Crash is now available on PSN, and will be out on Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow. You can download the game for $9.99 USD or 800 Microsoft Points on PSN or XBL respectively.

Here’s some info on the game as given by the devs:

Burnout CRASH! reinvents Criterion’s fan-favorite crash mode, offering accessibility and compulsive fun for those new to the series and gameplay depth for franchise veterans. There are three exciting game modes available across six unique locations and 18 crash junctions, each requiring different skills and strategies to maximize damage, debris and points. Gamers can also express their road rage with their whole body using the optional Kinect controls. With Kinect Party Play, up to 14 players can split into teams in turn-based gameplay and use gestural controls on one television to crash and burn in an all-out battle!

Burnout CRASH! is a crazy mix of pinball arcades, TV game shows and 80s pop music. Featuring EA’s revolutionary Autolog technology, players connect, compare scores and face off against friends for endless competitive gameplay and challenging fun. In addition, the all-new Autolog Challenges feature lets players up the ante by sending direct head-to-head challenges to their friends.

EA have confirmed that the upcoming PSN and XBLA arcade racer Burnout Crash will be available next month.

“Burnout Crash is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows,” said the game’s creative director Richard Franke.

“We’ve evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform.”

Burnout Crash is also EA’s first Xbox Live Arcade title to feature a game mode designed exclusively for Kinect, in which two teams use gestural controls to play on one television in a party battle.

Sounds interesting, though I doubt the usual Burnout crowd will be too impressed by the idea of a Kinect mode.

Check out EA’s Burnout Crash page for more info.

The first gameplay footage has shown up for Criterion’s upcoming Burnout Crash, and it isn’t quite what you might be used to.

The game plays from a top down perspective, with players being rewarded for creating as much traffic based mayhem as possible.

The game will feature “three game modes available across 18 crash junctions in six unique locations, each requiring different skills and strategies to maximize damage and destroy everything in sight,” it adds, “with a variety of player vehicles to unlock, high-value targets to seek and destroy, and surprise features to discover”.

Sounds interesting, though I’m not entirely convinced yet.

The game is set for release on PSN and XBLA later this year.

US ratings body the ESRB has revealed a number of new details about Burnout Crash.

The game is rumoured to be an XBLA and PSN downloadable title, but will apparently also include “oversized airplanes, tornados, lobster monsters, and UFOs”. It seems like the best things do come in small packages.

The full description reads:

“This is an action game in which players earn points for creating traffic pileups. From a top-down perspective, players initiate crashes by driving ‘cartoony’ vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, vans, buses) into busy intersections; multiple crashes trigger score multipliers and rack up large ‘bills’ of property damage.

Each level is accompanied by crashing sounds, small explosions, and vocal encouragement (e.g., ‘Cool,’ ‘Maximum Carnage!’). In some levels, players are instructed to crash into police cars (e.g., ‘Crash them before they bust you!’); in other sequences, oversized airplanes, tornados, lobster monsters, and UFOs slide across the screen, destroying any vehicles in their path.”

Check out the ESRB rating for more info.