[Ghoulish Delight]

Oh, it's been so long since I've allowed myself to get sucked into a game, but I've found a good one. Nay, an awesome one.

Burnout 3: Takedown for XBox

I first played it when CP's brother came to stay with us for a few days and I got hooked, so I ordered it immediately after he left. The three of us had spent over 4 hours playing in one night, and got through nearly the entire "crash" portion of the game. And yet, I knew I could play for hours on end longer.

It's my favorite type of game in that it's got several different, and distinct, game modes. Like I said, that first night we exclusively played the crash mode, arguably the most fun mode. Basically, you drive as fast as you can into a busy intersection, start an accident, and attempt to do the most ammount of damage possible. Good old fashioned, straight forward car smashing action. And, because it's fun, once you smash your car, you get to slow time down and "steer" your wrecked car to aim for bonuses or other cars. Completely unrealistic, but it makes for some spectacular smashing!

So now that I own the game, I've started focusing on the race modes. Holy crap, they're awesome! To get speed and bonuses, you have to exhibit risky driving behavior (driving on the wrong side of the street, skidding around corners at full speed, narrowly avoiding accidents). You're encouraged and required to take out your opponents, with bonuses for doing it in specific areas. And within the race mode, there are several different race types. There's a standard race, where you go a few laps dodging traffic and trying to beat your opponents to the line. There's an elimination race, where each lap, the last place car is eliminated (no hanging at the back of the pack for a last-lap move). There's one where you just need to take out as many opponents as possible in a set ammount of time. And there are several more. Each challenging in its own way.

Since I received it, I've already played another 6 hours or so and haven't even returned to the crash mode! And there are multiplayer options too that I haven't even explored! Oh yeah, I'm happy with this one.

So what are you playing?