All of this is lost unless the game handles well, and here it performs admirably. Each style of vehicle (none officially licensed) has its own feel; the F-1 series especially changes the way you play the game. Weaving in and out of traffic is hardly a problem and you'll amaze yourself by some of the moves you can pull off once a rhythm is established. Sadly, the ability to save replays or change the camera angle has been cut, a strange decision for a game that relies on such visual thrills.

With the budget obviously increased thanks to EA's pocketbook, "Burnout 3" becomes the best looking racing game on the console. This is major praise with games like Rallisport and Project Gotham sitting alongside this one. Crashes look just stunning, the added spark particle effect being the most spectacular edition. Reflections on the vehicles are cleaner, more realistic, and the cities are just sprawling with detail. The frame rate never drops below 60 (except in split-screen mutli-player, but this is hardly a problem), a stunning achievement when the screen becomes filled with traffic and car pieces. Those with HDTV's get the full effect thanks to 480p support. If you still play games with either a RF unit or composite cables, you really can't imagine how much detail is being lost.

"EA Trax" fill the menus and races, though custom soundtracks are available. A mix of punk rock with a dash of metal, it will obviously not satisfy everyone, but it gives the game a fast paced beat to go along with the races. True audio buffs get superb use of 5.1 surround that allows them to hear opponents approaching from behind and traffic whizzing by. The included DJ on the other hand (who calls himself Striker), wears out his welcome within the first five minutes and should be turned off immediately after creating a profile.

The games largest flaw is, well, itself. Crashing is such an exhilarating experience, you will constantly find yourself aiming for a head-on collision with a tanker truck regardless of what position you may be in. Resisting this temptation is useless. Sometimes the crash junctions just don't do enough for bloodthirsty gamers. Adding in some sort of free-roaming mode in the obligatory sequel would be the perfect solution.

This is a game just shy of absolute perfection. Hardly any other title on the current market can test a player's reaction time like this one. Not a single new addition disappoints and the tweaks to the old ones only improve upon the concepts. "Burnout 3" becomes an instant classic immediately after the disc drive shuts on your console.