Never before in the history of video games has a series improved like Criterion's "Burnout." The original was a nice but unremarkable arcade style racer, while the sequel added in addictive qualities with the spectacular crash junctions. Now published by EA but developed by the same team, "Burnout 3" is the best racer this week, this month, this year, this decade, and possibly of all time.

Instead of just selecting various modes from the start-up menu, everything now takes place in the World Tour (though you can tackle each mode individually, most of the game remains locked until it is completed in the main game). Blending together all the featured events, players tackle what is as close to a career mode as this series will come. As events are passed, players will earn various awards and cars, some of which will take months to unlock, significantly adding to the replay value.

There are a wider variety of race styles this time around. "Road Rage" requires players to knock off as many opponent cars as they can within a set time limit. "Face Off" is a player versus AI race with the opponent's car on the line. "Burning Lap" is a like a trial run for the course where points can be earned and the "GP" is a set of races, much like a mini-tournament between four opponents.

Much like the first sequel, it is once again the crash junctions that steal the show, though things have changed since we last visited. Power-ups now litter the track to increase your score, double or quadruple it, blow your car up (causing an insane amount of damage), and there is one that will even decrease the end level score if you run over it. There are other ways to blow the player-controlled car up than just an icon on the track. Should enough cars meet their fate (this number is determined on a stage by stage basis), the unfortunate soul inside the car will end up as a pile of ashes along with the surrounding vehicles.

New not only to the crash mode, but in every other style of play as well, is the ability to maneuver the car after the initial accident (though they are not always accidental in "Burnout"). The idea behind it is not only to cause more damage, but also to intercept opponents in races so they don't gain a huge lead. It seems like such a minor tweak to the gameplay engine, but its essence adds another layer to an already deep racer. Keep in mind that just about every mode can be taken online, including the crash mode that lets multiple players attempt to rack up a larger damage amount.

Key to just about every race you enter is boosting, something which has remained with the series since its inception. Driving recklessly fills up the meter, which lets players achieve an insane amount of speed, but also increases the risk and fun factor. New to this edition is the ability to actually lose a section of the bar, caused by opposing drivers crashing into the player's vehicle. It can of course be gained back by slaughtering the AI in various ways. Slam the same driver that caused your wipeout and earn revenge points, the games largest boost increase.