Smash and grab.

Ever since the team that founded Criterion spun off into their own development house, the gaming world has been anxiously waiting their return to the Burnout series. Three Fields Entertainment is a small developer with big dreams. They have already pumped out four games since their inception, two of which felt like prototypes for Dangerous Driving. Trying to recapture the Burnout magic they achieved at EA with Danger Zone 1 and 2. Both games were takes on the famous crash mode from the aforementioned series. Dangerous Driving attempts to be the culmination of that work and fill the void Burnout has left in our hearts.

Everything from the menus to the sound effects in Dangerous Driving feels like Burnout 3. The developers knew the cues to add in here, and it works. I felt like this was the latest in the series as soon as I booted it up. That doesn’t mean it comes without any baggage, but it was nice to finally feel that sense that a series I had grown to love was back.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99

Races are broken down into several different modes. Standard races are blistering, survival pits players against a clock, and pursuit has them chasing down and smashing a car. There is a lot here to dig into…everything except the fabled crash mode. That is relegated to Danger Zone, so to get the full Burnout experience players would need both. Thankfully Dangerous Driving does clock in at $29.99 so it’s not a massive ask.

Each set of races is separated by a car class. Earning gold medals in each race unlocks new events and cars. Nothing licensed here of course, just different models of car types such as sedans and SUVs. The thing that stands out the most though is a complete lack of music. There is one track on the title screen, and that is it. During races all I heard was the sound of the engines and metal crunching during a crash. There is an option to link your Spotify account to the game, but only for premium members. This is a huge bummer. Even generic royalty-free music would have sufficed. As it stands I do not have Spotify Premium and thus my races were devoid of any tunes.

The driving feels sublime though. Handling mimics the Burnout formula and turning on a dime feels just right. The speed is ridiculous, almost too ridiculous at times. Traffic comes up quick and with the removal of traffic checking, wrecks occur more frequently. I feel the camera is a little too awkward though. There are races where I feel like I cannot see far enough in front of me. Also the sun beating down on some tracks really drowns out the track.

In a weird trade-off the X and Pro versions of the game run at an uncompromised 60fps. However, for those with the original consoles the game runs at 30. That is simply unacceptable, a racing game like this that requires speed and pinpoint turning skills simply feels awful at 30fps. Sacrifice some visual fidelity or resolution first, do not compromise the frame rate in a racing game, especially a racing game that requires cat-like reflexes. If you do not own a Pro or X, I simply cannot recommend picking this game up.

Dangerous Driving feels like the little engine that could. When it works, it is a fantastic experience. It felt like Burnout never left. The lack of music and compromised original consoles though really drags it down a notch. I wanted to love this game a lot more than I did, but as it stands it is an incredible throwback to the glory days of Burnout racing. I hope Three Fields eventually gets to where they want to be and makes a true AAA Burnout clone. I would buy it day one. For now Dangerous Driving is the best alternative we have had in years.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Captures that Burnout feel
  • Runs great on X
  • Plenty of modes...
Bad
  • ...No crash mode
  • No music
  • Weird angle during races
7
Good
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.