Burnout 3: Takedown

 Xbox
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 214 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 162 out of 214
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 214
  3. Negative: 32 out of 214
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  1. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 17, 2023
    10
    Super fast, gorgeous to look at and thrilling to play. The ultimate arcade racer on the Xbox.
  2. RTCWFAN
    May 10, 2023
    9
    One of the best racing games ever released. It's fast, crazy and has a cool soundtrack. Only the difficulty is a bit too high. Overall rating: 9.0.
  3. toonsem
    Jan 4, 2023
    10
    With an emphasis on reckless fun at insane speeds, no other game makes player aggression feel this good. It is easily the greatest arcade-style racer of all time, and it’s a shame nothing has topped it since.
  4. SideOrderoLemon
    Dec 15, 2022
    8
    Burnout 3 is a racing game that is fun for fun's sake. It's extremely addicting and has better control that most modern day racing games. There are so many challenges to do in this game that you begin to simply fade away into the carnage of mashing cars into each other. Crash mode is one of the most fun and cathartic modes in a game, trying to get as many points by crashing into other carsBurnout 3 is a racing game that is fun for fun's sake. It's extremely addicting and has better control that most modern day racing games. There are so many challenges to do in this game that you begin to simply fade away into the carnage of mashing cars into each other. Crash mode is one of the most fun and cathartic modes in a game, trying to get as many points by crashing into other cars and exploding. Soundtrack is a bop also, but in later races, the quality starts to stagnate, and borders into unfair territory, but still a perfect game to play with friends.… Expand
  5. FatzDomino
    Oct 3, 2022
    1
    I had to create an account on here to warn anyone that thinks about playing this game.

    DON'T! Don't be blinded by fanboys on their nostalgia trip because this game is truly sh*t. 1. The camera. Half of the time your car blocks the view (especially on a steep road) of what's in front of you which results in unnecessary crashes. But the worst thing about the camera is when it NEEDS    I had to create an account on here to warn anyone that thinks about playing this game.

    DON'T!

    Don't be blinded by fanboys on their nostalgia trip because this game is truly sh*t.

    1. The camera. Half of the time your car blocks the view (especially on a steep road) of what's in front of you which results in unnecessary crashes. But the worst thing about the camera is when it NEEDS to show you absolutely every f*cking useless, mundane takedown in slow motion while your car continues driving off into god knows where (because you can't see it). So it basically results in you getting crashed 50% of the time because your car drove off into a wall or into some random car in the traffic, which brings me to my second point.

    2. The traffic. I don't know if the game designers intentionally programmed it to be this way, but it seems that every time you hit a curve there is always some bus or random car right in the center of the trajectory of the path of your turn. Half of the time you can't even see the cars in the distance because they all get mixed up with the game's background graphics. You can especially see that on Europe's snow maps. Everything is white and all of a sudden you got crashed into a car because you didn't see the head lights.

    3. Graphics. Anything that's beyond 10 feet is unrecognizable... kinda problematic for a fast-paced racing game where you NEED to see the upcoming traffic but can't even differentiate the cars from the street so in practice you're crashing into a car that seems to have appeared out of thin air because they had the same color as the tarmac.

    4. AI. Now I know how unfair racing games' rubberband AI can be but this game seriously takes the cake.
    Let me describe the AI with one word: brutal.
    Especally evident in the second half of the game where a lap takes 2-3 mins to complete and god forbid you crash only once or twice during the race. You have a better chance of restarting it than catching up to the enemies. Let me put this straight: you can drive the fastest car of your class while the enemy drives a lesser car and he's still gonna be faster than you. Oh and while the enemy only needs to chafe you for you to crash, you will need to batista bomb his *ss in order for him to crash because otherwise they'll drive on like you were just some annoying mosquito.
    But the worst thing about the god awfully unbalanced AI is: You can take them down 4 times in a row and they'll still be back on your *ss in a split-second. BUT if you crash just twice, do you know how far behind you're gonna be? 7-10 seconds (about 3 seconds if you crash once). Have fun catching up to that sh*t with a car that's statistically faster but slower in practice than your enemies' cars.

    5. Controls. I'll keep it short. Have fun steering as soon as you press the boost button.

    I've said enough. If you've read it all - thank you for taking the time to read my rant.
    To the game desgners: A royal f*ck you from me for creating this abomination of a "racing" game.

    TLDR: Worst camera in a racing game. Brutal AI that leaves absolutely 0 room for error in races that last for 6 mins. You can't recognize sh*t from a short distance because the graphics suck. And the traffic is programmed to always take appear in your trajectory in order to take you out but never the enemies.

    Verdict: 1/10 because the music is kick *ss. But I'd recommend to listen to the music on spotify rather than playing this pile of steamin' sh*t.    … Expand
  6. Untitled94
    Jul 15, 2021
    7
    I like Burnout 3, but I kind of prefer Burnout Revenge more. Burnout 3 is considered the best in the series, but I guess I might feel the same way if I had grown up with it. Don't get me wrong on all this, I still like the game. it's one of the best Burnout games, but even though Revenge was just an expansion of this game, I still like it just a bit more.
  7. vGuy
    Apr 6, 2021
    10
    this game is amazing with well-aged yet still old-school graphics, amazing music and now-classic race tracks. 10/10
  8. storygamer
    Oct 21, 2020
    9
    Burnout 3: Takedown is still one of the best racing experience ever. The big difference between the Burnout series and games like NFS or Gran Turismo is the craziness. You can feel the incredible speed and the crashes are pure fun! This game is filled with great content and the multiplayer is just incredible. This is what I call a great quality game!
  9. DiegoGamboa
    Oct 4, 2020
    10
    For me this game will always be the best racing game ever. No other racing game has ever given me as much fun as Burnout 3. That's it 10/10
  10. Ppontes64
    Dec 7, 2019
    9
    The sense of speed and adrenaline-charged spectacle hasn't aged a day. The AI can be bone-crushingly rubber-bandy, but every last moment is engaging to the highest extent possible.
  11. RBLX750
    Jul 1, 2019
    10
    After 15 years since release, this is still by far my favourite racing game ever. Everything about the game is done so well, the way career mode progresses, the racing itself, the detail, you name it. It's impossible to get bored of it, and if you fancy a break from racing, you can just go onto crash mode and launch your car into varying amounts of traffic for fun. The soundtrack is alsoAfter 15 years since release, this is still by far my favourite racing game ever. Everything about the game is done so well, the way career mode progresses, the racing itself, the detail, you name it. It's impossible to get bored of it, and if you fancy a break from racing, you can just go onto crash mode and launch your car into varying amounts of traffic for fun. The soundtrack is also fantastic, it will forever be an absolute must play. If you haven't, get hold of an original xbox, and get this game.… Expand
  12. baztakedown
    Jun 1, 2019
    10
    favourite game from childhood. soundtrack is one of the best in any game. man, the memories of this.
  13. evolution98
    Sep 17, 2018
    9
    THE best racing game ever. The original Burnout was a decent attempt for Acclaim to challenge the Gran Turismo series but didn't age well. Burnout 2: Point of Impact improved on everything over the original but then Burnout 3: Takedown was the magnum opus.

    The graphics for the environment and the courses looks astounding and pitch perfect to their counterparts. I loved many songs from    THE best racing game ever. The original Burnout was a decent attempt for Acclaim to challenge the Gran Turismo series but didn't age well. Burnout 2: Point of Impact improved on everything over the original but then Burnout 3: Takedown was the magnum opus.

    The graphics for the environment and the courses looks astounding and pitch perfect to their counterparts. I loved many songs from the soundtrack. I love the realistic car models and the takedown/crash physics. The gameplay was amazing. Crash mode was somewhat fun.

    The only problems were that the soundtrack wasn't really that great and that the game could be beaten within a few hours or days.

    A must buy.    … Expand
  14. erp01
    Dec 29, 2017
    10
    It has been over 13 years since this game has been released, and it has stood the test of time. It remains one of my favorite games throughout my entire life. I did take a break from it, what with the new consoles and such coming out and me not having room for my old Xbox, but I finally bought a monitor, AV to HDMI converter, and some speakers, and now I'm back into it. To sum it all up,It has been over 13 years since this game has been released, and it has stood the test of time. It remains one of my favorite games throughout my entire life. I did take a break from it, what with the new consoles and such coming out and me not having room for my old Xbox, but I finally bought a monitor, AV to HDMI converter, and some speakers, and now I'm back into it. To sum it all up, this game is fast, fun, and will remain unrivaled for years to come.… Expand
  15. RobertTheGreat
    Jun 1, 2017
    9
    Just A Nice Racing Game Full Of Destruction! And The Game Feature The Perfect Opportunity Of Road Rage, And A Lot Of Action, I Have To Get It, But I Do Not Have An Xbox.
  16. bilbyc0m
    Mar 8, 2017
    10
    One of, if not - the most innovative racing game of all time. The burnout series introduced a fun, fast paced game engine with the introduction of the takedown - ability to takedown your rivals with various car maneuvers. As well as a refined career mode, crash mode and online mode. This is the definitive racing game of the 6th generation. Fun, fast, smooth, intense and cool are allOne of, if not - the most innovative racing game of all time. The burnout series introduced a fun, fast paced game engine with the introduction of the takedown - ability to takedown your rivals with various car maneuvers. As well as a refined career mode, crash mode and online mode. This is the definitive racing game of the 6th generation. Fun, fast, smooth, intense and cool are all feelings and vibes I got from Burnout 3: Takedown. I also discovered some of my favourite bands from the soundtrack of the game. Burnout 3 is by far the most beautiful looking game of the 6th generation and should be looked to as the benchmark for pure fun. The online community continued until the close of the xbox original servers and holds a special place in the hearts of Burnout fans.… Expand
  17. msg78
    Dec 7, 2016
    10
    This is one of the greatest racing games of all time without a doubt. The crash mose is genius and I've spent more time playing that than actual racing.
  18. RacN
    Oct 17, 2015
    10
    Burnout 3: Takedown is a masterpiece, even though it's eleven years old (in 2015.) Its so fun and racing is fast and furious (pun not intended.) But the Crash events really stand out. Plowing you're expensive supercar into trucks and buses intentionally to cause as much damage as possible is good fun, quite funny and even challenging at some points. Play this game if you love arcadeBurnout 3: Takedown is a masterpiece, even though it's eleven years old (in 2015.) Its so fun and racing is fast and furious (pun not intended.) But the Crash events really stand out. Plowing you're expensive supercar into trucks and buses intentionally to cause as much damage as possible is good fun, quite funny and even challenging at some points. Play this game if you love arcade racers, it's a blast to play!… Expand
  19. high_gamer
    Apr 3, 2015
    9
    17 hours it took me to finish this(didn't care about the golds). Dang that's good. The world tour is split into 2 parts: Race events and crash events. Crash is simple and fast and you're give a small intersection of part of road where you gotta drive up as fast as possible and crash into traffic causing the most collateral damage and picking multipliers. Very fun stuff. You also get you're17 hours it took me to finish this(didn't care about the golds). Dang that's good. The world tour is split into 2 parts: Race events and crash events. Crash is simple and fast and you're give a small intersection of part of road where you gotta drive up as fast as possible and crash into traffic causing the most collateral damage and picking multipliers. Very fun stuff. You also get you're race events going from simple races to trying to takedown tohe most racers in the alloted time.

    Good sense of progression with cars mostly being unlocked in categories such as musle, sport, super classes. But at the end of the day it's all about speed and the ragdoll car physics. The game rewards you by driving dangerously and crashing in this game is a thing of glory. Your car will simply flip out sometimes 30 feet in the air and with a press of a button you can control your fall in slo-mo.

    Seriously it's hard to beat this franchises for a rotation game in between more serious fare. It's perfect escapist and fully worth any price given what it gives back. I will review the other titles in the franchises so look'em up to see which the best in the end.    … Expand
  20. TehBwitzie
    Feb 2, 2014
    10
    A beautifully made game. The takedown is flawlessly implemented with endless variations, addictive gameplay with controls that try to be the opposite of NFSU2 (and does it well), Tons and tons of different car choices, and crash mode, in which take out entire freeways of cars with only your own. It's hard to describe how fun this is, just play it yourself. 10/10
  21. Steeliosis
    Jan 2, 2014
    8
    Burnout has come a long way since the good ol' era of "racing around a track with little else to do other than avoid totaling yourself". Burnout 3 was the turning point, and the true evolution between what Burnout used to be, and what it would become for years onward.

    Burnout 3 introduces new mechanics, the main being the new "takedown" feature, in which you may smash opponents to    Burnout has come a long way since the good ol' era of "racing around a track with little else to do other than avoid totaling yourself". Burnout 3 was the turning point, and the true evolution between what Burnout used to be, and what it would become for years onward.

    Burnout 3 introduces new mechanics, the main being the new "takedown" feature, in which you may smash opponents to pieces in order to score a takedown. This also spurred up the new and interesting way of steering your car once you have crashed, through a slow motion view. Known as aftertouch, these allow you to score "aftertouch takedowns", effectively steering your wreck into other racers to batter them up.

    The involvement of aftertouch also seeped it's way into the new and improved crash mode, where you must damage as much traffic as possible. This game mode makes it's way from Burnout 2, where it originated, and manages to add upon it, with pickups and, of course, aftertouch being the main improvements. Whether this game mode is better than it's predecessor is down to opinion, but I found that the original crash mode was more raw, and felt more devastating when you hit down upon the traffic. Also, having no control made it feel like a true crash, rather than one that seems as though it was just designed to be as arcade style as possible.

    In terms of collectibles, the game is plentiful; lots of postcards, signature takedowns and vehicles to be earned. This game has a lot to do, and the crash mode is just as expansive as the race mode.

    Ultimately, this game is legendary; it seems to have been widely considered as the best Burnout game, and has earned itself a large following. I, however, still prefer the raw feel of burning along the road, dodging traffic, and hoping to stay as far ahead as possible. Some of the new features just take this full adrenaline rush away from me, and unfortunately, I can't give this game a perfect score. Very respectable, but far from perfect.    … Expand
  22. RealGameReviews
    Dec 30, 2013
    10
    Best racer ever seriously just buy it. buy it now. So much destruction but i wonder if people in other cars die that would be sad but i like racing the car and there are a lot of variety in them
  23. loganbutler
    Dec 27, 2013
    10
    Best racing experince on the the oringal xbox.

    This game is filled with tons of content. It has a classic racing mode, time trials, and crash mode which is my personal favorate). In crash mode you just crash your car and try to cause the most damage possible. In this game there are hundreds of unlockables to go for, The graphics for this game would be considered dencent in decnct    Best racing experince on the the oringal xbox.

    This game is filled with tons of content. It has a classic racing mode, time trials, and crash mode which is my personal favorate). In crash mode you just crash your car and try to cause the most damage possible. In this game there are hundreds of unlockables to go for, The graphics for this game would be considered dencent in decnct 2013. That is amzing considering it's nearly 10 years old. If you have a xbox or a ps2 this is a must buy.    … Expand
  24. sergiomach5
    Aug 6, 2013
    10
    great, simple concepts executed perfectly, with little in the way of unnecessary additions. Race with an insane sense of speed to the finish, but not before your opponents crash into pieces, while your custom soundtrack plays in the background. Arcade racers dont get better than this
  25. amenic
    Jan 11, 2013
    9
    6.5 user score? You are kidding right? This game is hands down the BEST arcade racing game to ever grace a console!

    Risk = Reward Music score is perfect for this kind of game and seems to have been very well thought out. The game immediately grabs you and is hard to put down. It's exactly what an "arcade" style racing game should be.. FUN! The game isn't without flaws but    6.5 user score? You are kidding right? This game is hands down the BEST arcade racing game to ever grace a console!

    Risk = Reward
    Music score is perfect for this kind of game and seems to have been very well thought out.

    The game immediately grabs you and is hard to put down. It's exactly what an "arcade" style racing game should be.. FUN!

    The game isn't without flaws but most of them are very minor.

    I tried to buy this game on XBLA (re buy) and unfortunately my save game slots became corrupt and are now unrecoverable and there's no support :(

    So now I cannot even get the game to load up despite my best efforts so I'm stuck so I guess I'll have to look to playing it on my PC some how in order to relive the awesome.

    Seriously though if you are looking for a fun no so serious racing game that is FAST and a lot of fun - this is it - I still haven't found anything to replace it.....    … Expand
  26. SuperRater
    Jan 5, 2010
    10
    This game takes the racing to a whole new level. With the new added gameplay like Road Rash this game really delivers. You take a fast, high paced game and add crashing to the mix then you get an amazing game. Defenitly worth the money!
  27. Andrew
    Dec 1, 2007
    10
    My friend and i often tire of first person shooters so we switch to this, and we end up playing for 4 hours. The best racing game money can buy.
  28. JamesS.
    Aug 17, 2007
    10
    This it the best game i have seen in my life the crashes are nice so are the explosins music is good if u like rock so overall the best game.
  29. NatashiandB.
    Jul 24, 2007
    8
    WHY this game is worthy, is bec of HOW IT CRASHES. during and after crashes, you are always alive and well, and your car may lose important bits and pcs , but you go on at FULL SPEED. this is pure comedy in black humor action man.
  30. PaulM.
    Feb 22, 2007
    10
    Absolutely amazing. Best soundtrack for a game in many years. Intense gameplay, nearly 200 events, and never-ending car destroying fun, make this game the best to hit shelves in a loooong time.
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Xbox Game of 2004
5
#5 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004
3
#3 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 76
  3. Negative: 0 out of 76
  1. VGPub
    95
    My jaw also hit the floor when I had my first crash. In many racers cars just get a ding or probably no scratches at all. In Burnout 3 your car comes out looking like one of those high school driver's education videos.
    Read full review
  2. Next Level Gaming
    94
    This game does for the arcade racing genre what "Rallisport Challenge 2" does for the rally section. It's just that good.
    Read full review
  3. Xequted
    94
    Perhaps one of the most enjoyable racing games we've ever been given the chance to play, mainly owing to the immense rush you get from the sheer velocity of game play.
    Read full review
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