There are some games that you can tell rock hard. Simply put, Burnout: Legends rocks hard. Yes, this is the type of experience that PSP owners everywhere have been looking for. While not 100 percent perfect, it's pretty close. The Legends suffix may be a puzzle to some gamers. All it means is that all the best elements from all the previous Burnout games are miniaturized and crammed into the PSP like Willy Wonka shrinking a candy bar into the TV. Before the love fest continues any farther, let's break down the game.

Graphics

It's really impressive to see PSP games look so good so early in its life. The cars have a shiny look that isn't over done and most of the textures look clean. When the cars crash, they show signs of being banged up and on the verge of destruction. The smashed look does not affect how well the car will perform, it's just a graphical change. Semi-humorous signs that beg drivers to “Slow Down” litter the tracks if you are not paying full attention to the race. Nice touches like that make the game feel more complete. The tracks look gorgeous and diverse, from busy city streets to more mountainous passes that add to the visual eye candy that. The best part is that the PSP is capable of handling these kind of graphics and it runs at a constant 30fps. No slow down, not a single ounce. There were some compromises made to keep frames at a solid rate. For instance, there isn't a fish eye lens for the camera when you burnout but that is a small concession. It is sometimes too difficult to see oncoming traffic and that will cause some unwanted accidents.

Sound

In game sound is decent, it's clear but something just isn't right about it. The car sounds almost like a tin can, not a high-preformance street monster. The EA Trax feature helps out because otherwise the tin can-sounding car effects would be annoying. This way there are some tunes to drown out the sound. There isn't a whole lot of music variety in the game, so if you aren't a fan of rock music that could be a problem, but it shouldn't be seeing that the style of music fits with the nature of the game.



Controls

Straight forward, logical controls are the default setting. Not a bad setting. X is gas, break is the square button, and the R trigger is the 'Burnout' juice. Anything more complex than that, there are prompts on the screen to tell you what happens next, like a crash breakers for instance. The ability to steer the car with the analog nub or the D-pad was brilliant. It doesn't alienate gamers that favor one of the movement methods over another, and both are very tight and responsive. That is what you need in a game like this. Otherwise, crashing into traffic every other five seconds would not be fun.

Gameplay

You know that feeling when watching a well done scary movie? That edge of your seat, not knowing what is going to happen next, anything goes feeling? That is precisely how Burnout: Legends plays. Putting the pedal to the metal and jetting towards the finish line is an exhilarating experience, still after many sequels and retoolings to the game mechanics. When racing circuit mode, there are only four spots to finish in so placing and getting medals isn't as tough as the console versions. Cars sometimes pop into view when it's too late. That causes unwanted collisions and also unwanted frustration.