the point of a racing game is trying to go fast. If "trying" is supposed to have a meaning, there must be obstacles which make going fast a hard thing to do. These obstacles have to slow the car down in some way, otherwise it´s unnecessary to dodge them or even steer. Now, in Burnout 3 crashing into obstacles charges a bar which makes you go faster than you can without crashing into obstacles. So the goal becomes hitting obstacles. This could be a challenge if obstacles were rare, as in racing through an open field with other cars that try to escape you. On a regular course full of traffic and boundaries colliding with raises your boost bar, THERE IS NO CHALLENGE.I don't see why Burnout 3 shouldn't be considered a racing game, unless rubber-band AI (of which Mario Kart and F-Zero are guilty of as well) is the main exclusion.. I mean, there is quite a bit more to the burnout series than the crash mode (though that crash mode is pretty damn fun)
The first Burnout game had a concept similar to Psyvariar, although being far too easy. Imagine the shield time in Psyvariar just a little longer, the bar charging just a little quicker. You wouldn´t even have to move the ship, because every bullet approaching the ship would create the shield, pass without harming the ship, giving score in the process. A completely wasted case of game design, and in racing form this is called Burnout.
You could also try playing RaidenDX on easiest difficulty where enemies don´t shoot at all, that´s about as meaningful.
