More than just a Burnout successor?
From the creative talent behind the genre-defining Burnout series, Dangerous Driving puts aggression back into the racing genre, recapturing the spirit of the past and taking it to a new place. Dangerous Driving is a game about real driving. The sort of driving you want to do when no one else is looking. The sort of driving you’d love to do if only everyone else would get OUT OF THE DAMN WAY! This game gives you the chance to live out that fantasy. To floor it in everyday cars, at high speeds, weaving in and out of traffic and slamming the other cars right off the road. This is a game built in the spirit of the classic arcade racing games of the 80’s and 90’s. It’s about speed, driving skill and beautiful powerslides around epic corners. It’s also about all out aggression, instant retaliation and sweet, sweet revenge. The more dangerously you drive, the faster you can go.
I’ve loved the Burnout games since the original and it just doesn’t feel right that there hasn’t been anything like it on the market for what seems like an age. Three Fields Entertainment was put together by original staff members and have tested the waters with a few games that have all been leading upto this, a true spiritual successor to Burnout.
Danger Zone and Danger Zone 2 were good games in their own right, but it’s clear that it was merely the testing ground to see if the audience was still there for a game like Burnout with it’s takedowns and fast arcade action. It’s clear that there was a good enough response to push for a game that wasn’t just it’s version of a Crash Mode, but one complete with takedowns and high-speed and that’s exactly what we get with Dangerous Driving.
Handling will feel very familiar to those who have played Burnout in the past, for those who haven’t…well, buckle up as you’ll be going insanely fast (Not F-Zero fast, but still pretty fast) as you trade paint with rival cars, taking them down or trying to get a decent lap time. The layout of events are fairly basic but it works and works well, having said that you get the feel that the game was made with way less budget than Burnout.
The game handles well, but there are a few niggles in quality. There’s also next to no music unless you hook up a Spotify Premium account, which is far from ideal. I personally just blasted music out through my Bluetooth speaker instead, but it does seem odd overall. There’s also no online play at launch other than leaderboards, but I’ve read that it will be added later on.
Visually, Dangerous Driving looks amazing and runs smoothly. Load times are sometimes hit and miss, especially if you just want to restart an event after a dodgy start, but overall the game looks great and very rarely dips in quality. The sound effects of the cars are also pretty nice.
The Verdict
Finally, a game worthy of following Burnout. Having said that, there are issues with quality and the lack of online at launch. Despite this, the game is still highly addictive and fun, plus it’s also relatively cheap at £25. Definitely one for the fans.