Burnout 3: Takedown is a video game developed by Criterion Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 console from Sony but also for the original Xbox. The title is classified as a racing and driving game which can be played from a first and a third person perspective.

As far as racing simulators are concerned, Burnout 3: Takedown, the third game in a series which still gets updates, more than seven years since release, is more on the arcade side. It bears some striking similarities to Test Drive and to Need for Speed. There is traffic in the game and the physics are coherent, even if a little forgiving towards the player.

The release offers a single player campaign as well as multiplayer modes. The third title in the series is more focused on aggressive driving and encourages the player to go out and drive on the wrong lane and slide his way around corners. Pick up trucks have been added in various intersections to provide an even bigger incentive for crashes as they provide a big explosion and big monetary rewards.

As the game progresses, the player can unlock 40 cars and 70 other vehicles, with highlights being European exotics, American muscle cars, mid-size sedans, sports cars, compacts, buses and semi trucks. The player can also get parts and custom paints together to create his own custom vehicle.

The game retains the Burn Meter from the first title in the series, basically a gauge that fills up as you perform stunts and as you race into the incoming traffic. If the meter gets filled, the car you are driving gets speed boost.

GAMEPLAY HINTS

Easy money in Crash mode

When you get to the main menu, go to "Single Event" and "Crash Mode". Select "Junction 19", "Tuk Down", and "Muscle type 1" as your car. Boost start at the beginning. Drift and collect either the gold or silver. Smash through the boxes avoiding the wall, into the boost and up evenly on the jump, avoiding the heart-breaker to your right.

Collect the x2 multiplier and after touch, making sure you try to land evenly without hitting any boxes. Slide into the Crashbreaker, and get to the x4 multiplier past the buses in aftertouch. If you get knocked out of the way by the buses, wait until you stop and press Crashbreaker. Aim in the direction of the x4 multiplier. If you miss, you always have the x2 as a fail safe. It is possible to get $1,500,000 to $1,750,000.

Repeat this, and do not select "Retry" as all the money adds up to the total score.

On Rampage

Go to junction titled "On-Rampage". The largest car you have will work best. Getting the boost start at the beginning is not required, but it does help. It is possible grab the silver or bronze pick-ups, then pick up the 4x multiplier and hit the car that is closest to the yellow strip on the road in the oncoming lanes. Use aftertouch to try to stay in the spot that you hit that car. Wait until there are two or three seconds remaining, then use your Crashbreaker to explode. Try to take out the gas tankers with the explosion. It is possible to get $1.8 million to $2.5 million.

When you have crashed into a Crashbreaker icon, try using aftertouch to launch your self through the air and hit an oil tanker. Note: This is difficult; you need to know where they come from in the level. Hopefully your Crashbreaker meter should have gone down. Press R2 to blow yourself up and the oil tanker.

Junction 100

Go to Junction 100 (a.k.a. "Crashed Out") and choose "Fire truck" as your vehicle. Get the boost start at the beginning and grab the boost pick-up. Steer clear of all three ramps and keep going the wrong way. Eventually you will see two semi-trucks heading toward you. Try to hit the one on the right. Use aftertouch and go to the other side of the freeway (try not to go downhill). When you use Crashbreaker you will make all three tankers explode.

Junction 40

Go to Crash Junction #40 in Single Event mode. Crash and choose one of the heavyweights. It should work with anything with at least five bars of weight. Start and get the boost. Avoid the walls and heartbreaker and slam into the semi. You should get a Crashbreaker almost immediately. Use it to drive down the other dirt path and get the 4X multiplier. If you hit it correctly, you should get at least $900,000 and also you may see small cars dropping out of the sky as a result of the Crashbreaker.

Here's a video: