Burnout 2 is a big jump in quality from the first game, and it’s safe to say that it only ever gets better from here on out.
Much of the original game’s foundation is still at the core of Burnout 2, but it is tightly polished. The controls and hitboxes have seen a substantial overhaul, which makes it feel more in line with later Burnout entries, which is what I have been used to. It also means that you will not crash from simply scrapping your car against another, most crashes in this game will absolutely be your fault as they only usually trigger if you hit the car directly.
The gameplay loop, a carryover from Burnout 1, is made more fun because of how quick and easy it is to fill the burnout meter, though there still isn't an onscreen effect when boosting yet. The burnout bonus from the first game is not only retained but has a visual in the HUD to indicate that you can chain your boosts once it depletes which helps fit within the tone of the game. If you play your cards correctly you can chain those suckers for a long period of time and in doing so you’ll feel on top of the world. The HUD itself is almost identical to the original but there are nice additions and QOL improvements. For instance, there is now an indicator pertaining to how far behind (or ahead) your opponents are every time you reach a checkpoint.
Two things that stand out in Burnout 2 are the brand-new Hot Pursuit style missions and of course, the Crash events making their debut here. The crash events are much more simplistic compared to Burnout 3 (no aftertouch or crashbreakers yet, just pure skill) but still a lot of fun. There’s also a great soundtrack composed by Stephen Root & Steve Emney, which already distinguishes itself over the original game. The music in Burnout 1 was the most “racing game” sounding music ever, and Burnout 2 addresses this by presenting variety whilst maintaining the dynamic nature that the original game attempted to accomplish.
It’s good to check back into the origins of specific franchises because you can either find something that noticeably needed improvement, or a relatively well-hidden gem. I consider Burnout 2 to be the latter. It’s no Burnout 3, but it wears the arcade racing experience on its sleeve very well, and it is the last game to really incorporate that formula as Burnout 3 would come in and overhaul just about everything!
Much of the original game’s foundation is still at the core of Burnout 2, but it is tightly polished. The controls and hitboxes have seen a substantial overhaul, which makes it feel more in line with later Burnout entries, which is what I have been used to. It also means that you will not crash from simply scrapping your car against another, most crashes in this game will absolutely be your fault as they only usually trigger if you hit the car directly.
The gameplay loop, a carryover from Burnout 1, is made more fun because of how quick and easy it is to fill the burnout meter, though there still isn't an onscreen effect when boosting yet. The burnout bonus from the first game is not only retained but has a visual in the HUD to indicate that you can chain your boosts once it depletes which helps fit within the tone of the game. If you play your cards correctly you can chain those suckers for a long period of time and in doing so you’ll feel on top of the world. The HUD itself is almost identical to the original but there are nice additions and QOL improvements. For instance, there is now an indicator pertaining to how far behind (or ahead) your opponents are every time you reach a checkpoint.
Two things that stand out in Burnout 2 are the brand-new Hot Pursuit style missions and of course, the Crash events making their debut here. The crash events are much more simplistic compared to Burnout 3 (no aftertouch or crashbreakers yet, just pure skill) but still a lot of fun. There’s also a great soundtrack composed by Stephen Root & Steve Emney, which already distinguishes itself over the original game. The music in Burnout 1 was the most “racing game” sounding music ever, and Burnout 2 addresses this by presenting variety whilst maintaining the dynamic nature that the original game attempted to accomplish.
It’s good to check back into the origins of specific franchises because you can either find something that noticeably needed improvement, or a relatively well-hidden gem. I consider Burnout 2 to be the latter. It’s no Burnout 3, but it wears the arcade racing experience on its sleeve very well, and it is the last game to really incorporate that formula as Burnout 3 would come in and overhaul just about everything!