Simultaneous Crash

Burnout® 3: Takedown™ is a whole new experience on Xbox LIVE®, especially with its multiplayer Crash modes. While you can compete against up to six other drivers in most modes (seven or eight in Party Crash), there are two Crash modes that are strictly for two players, the cooperative Team Crush and the competitive Double Impact.

Both of these game modes put two drivers on the same crash junction, turning them loose at the same time. The goals is to simultaneously wreck as much machinery as possible, but both players have a limited number of scoring and boost pick-ups to share (or hog to themselves).

Fly Burnout Airlines.

Feel the Crush
Team Crush is the cooperative way to crash simultaneously. You and one friend both choose your own vehicles and head out into traffic at the same time. You're a team, and you have to make do with the pick-ups provided to draw as many innocent vehicles into your crash as possible. The game tracks who caused what damage, but at the end, both scores are added together. Perhaps the most important detail to remember is that both team members have to hit a 2X or 4X pick-up for the scoring bonus to count. If only one of you gets it, your score will not be increased. Heartbreaker icons (the ones that cancel all multipliers and halve your score) still count, even if only one of you touches it, so work extra hard to miss them.

As a team, the most important thing is to agree on your approach. One member should have a light vehicle to get maximum air off ramps and Aftertouch mobility. The other teammate should pick something heavy to punch through any obstructions en route to the big bucks. You can always play it safe and both go for something medium heavy and medium quick, but unless you know the map ahead of time (and which car works best on it), you'd be wise to have both ends of the vehicle spectrum covered.

Without a basic plan (for example: you keep left, and I'll keep right), you will interfere with each other and probably crash long before you get a shot at any traffic or pick-ups. Always send the lighter car up on the ramps and keep the heavier vehicle on the ground. Watch the pre-crash fly-by and get your priorities straight. Decide who's going to go for which multipliers and how you're going to get there before the countdown starts.

A good start.

Double Trouble
Double Impact is the competitive simultaneous Crash mode in which you want to claim all the high-value repair bills and most of the pick-ups for yourself. You'll be fighting for each boost, each multiplier, and each cash bonus in an effort to score higher than your opponent.

Never underestimate the power of a small, fast car in these contests. Not only will you get to the valuable pick-ups first, but you can also skirt around obstructions to make it to the high-scoring icons farther down the road. This is especially true on ramped crash junctions, as the heavier vehicles absolutely need a boost pick-up to get the air they need. Snatch away the boost icon, and they're ground-bound for the rest of the crash.

Double Impact is also the only game mode to feature the score-swapping icon. Some call it the Swapper or the Switcher, but I call it the Stealer. This blue icon with two arrows forces both players to switch scores once the crash is done, so if you miss the boost or the 4X pick-up, just head for the Stealer to make your opponent work for you. It's especially satisfying to hit a Heartbreaker as well as the Stealer, so that the score you're giving away is as meager as possible. You can surprise a lot of drivers by avoiding high scores and just heading for the Stealer because, by the time they figure out what you're up to, they're already committed to their own crash. It won't make you a popular online player, but it is an effective way to win.

Fast car go boom.

Each of the 100 crash junctions has its own challenges and its own built-in strategies. Whether you tackle these maps with a cooperative friend or a competitive foe, you can make the most of your online experience by paying attention, precisely applying Aftertouch, and using some solid strategy. After that, it's just a question of putting the pedal through the floor and aiming as best you can!

Article by J.N. Cobb