...Burnout 2 will be powered by the Renderware platform, the general-purpose game engine created by the developer's sister company, Criterion Software. It's probably the most popular third-party middleware package in the market, and it's been used to develop a handful of high-profile games. Criterion is obviously in a position to eke the most out of it, and it shows with Burnout 2 -- it's quite simply leagues above anything I've seen the engine do, previously, from a graphical standpoint...
...Alex Ward, Criterion's creative director, was kind enough to chat with us about the game, and he had quite a bit to say about the technology behind it: "In terms of new tricks [in Burnout 2], we're obviously pushing a lot more polygons this time around. Driving around any of the stages in the new game, it's obvious to see that there is a LOT of detail on the screen… "
It all moves at a consistent 60 fps, and when you consider the comparatively-beefy textures in the game, as well as the barrage of special effects cycling through at any given time, it's no small feat. "Unlike some other competing titles, the Burnout Team always makes sure the game runs at sixty frames per second. We believe that is absolutely crucial to a racing experience. To us, there is only one framerate that is acceptable," says Ward.
...This time around, Criterion is focusing on a more North American feel, the idea being that an environment not unlike California would most effectively provide the sorts of geographical settings the developer wants to capture. As such, all the races will take place on a fictional peninsula, complete with mountain roads, long stretches of desert, and coastal tracks, on top of comparatively urban environments...
...Weather effects, too, have been implemented into this iteration of the game, and they will have a tangible effect on the gameplay.
...Burnout 2's magic number is 21, but in actuality, it's more like 14, plus some heavily modded versions of the original seven. It breaks down like this: there will be seven cars available at the outset, and they'll be comprised of the sorts of autos you see on the road every day, such as practical compact cars, gluttonous SUVs, "provincial" pickups, and even a student driver's car, complete with all the respondent signage.
Next up are the seven hidden cars, all of which were modeled after "The Golden Age of American Muscle Cars."
...The AI is pretty reactive, too, which is pretty refreshing given how prevalent "rubberband" routines are in racing games these days.
Pileups will result in AI racers and pedestrian traffic dodging and swerving, and sometimes even panicking right into the walls....
...One thing you should certainly be thankful for is that Burnout 2 will have a play mode centered specifically on crashing your car in exciting, wonderful ways. It's called "Crash for Cash," and, as Ward puts it, it's
a four-player party-based mode wherein players are awarded points for their craziness of their crashes. "There are some really cool things in this mode," Ward promises, "but I'm afraid that's all I can reveal at this time." Oh well. Aside from that, there'll be a championship mode, a training mode called "Offensive Driving 101" (which promises to make you the most unsafe of motorists), and the previous game's one-on-one mode, "Face / Off."
Finally, Criterion has seen it fit to include a Chase HQ-style pursuit mode. In it, you'll be put behind the wheel of a cop car, with your job being to ram your quarry into nonexistence. Once you get through all the "races" in this mode you'll be allowed to pit any two cars together, which Ward promises will allow "for some incredible match-ups, especially when some of the secret cars have been unlocked."...
...In any case, we're excited to see more of this one. The pre-beta version of the game that we played was already looking quite impressive...
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