Burnout Legends suffers from one noticeable problem on the DS: It's called Burnout. If was named Generic Racing Game 1, it would have been tolerable. Sadly, slapped with the label from the best arcade racing franchise arguably ever, it's a disaster.
It's obviously going to suffer a little from the hardware. Within system limitations, the actual racing has been pulled off smoothly. The frame rate is perfect and the controls wonderfully tuned to suit the d-pad. It feels tight, and drifting around most corners is not a problem.
All of the usual race modes are included, from the fun eliminator to sometimes aggravating pursuit. Fans of the series will easily recognize these challenges and locales. There's nothing new to see (other than the toned down graphics engine) since the tracks are pulled from the first three games in the series.
Unfortunately for fans of the series, Crash mode is not near as fun as it used to be. On the DS, this is where things start falling apart. This sad representation of the best thing to happen to the racing genre in years is just abysmal. It seems like someone forgot to implement the necessary physics and watching the cars barely bounce off each other fails to convey the impact that makes this fun in the first place. The wimpy explosion that accompanies the crashbreakers is easily the funniest part of the game (unintentionally). There are a limited number of cars involved too, and gaining a gold is a matter of luck.
Problems there begin to infect other race modes too. Cars crash into walls almost at random; speed seems to play no role. During the replays, the vehicles clip right through walls with little debris accompaniment. The lower resolution plays a role, hiding oncoming traffic from view or making it difficult to see a curve just a few feet ahead.
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