On a whim, I decided to check out Dolby's booth at the 2006 CES just because I wanted to see what the company had to offer in the way of next gen audio, and while its lossless surround sound really impressed me so did the playable demo of Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360. It caught me by surprise but I didn't remain shell shocked for too long, because in a matter of seconds I leapt onto the comfy white couch, snatched the controller from one of the cushions and prepared to immerse myself in Criterion's incredibly enjoyable arcade racer. But as I impatiently waited for the track to load some questions floated through my head. Is this really the same exact game, and does it look better than its Xbox counterpart? I cleared my brain of all thoughts and allowed my body to sink into the very plush seat, but thankfully, I didn't remain that way.

It's really impossible to be chill while playing the Xbox 360 version of Burnout Revenge because the game's so damn fast and intense that relaxing means certain death. I learned that the hard way after wrapping my sports car around a divider, and it was at that point when I realized that this isn't last year's Burnout Revenge. In a way it certainly is, because at first glance it bears a striking resemblance to the other games, especially with the included content, which is almost exactly the same, so don't purchase it thinking that you're receiving all new courses because you most certainly aren't. But Criterion has included ten brand new crash junctions (that weren't available in this very brief demo) as well as some very slick online features that will no doubt keep this title popular among the Xbox Live crowd, the most appealing being Live Revenge, a feature that keeps track of all of your stats (including who's taken you out and vice versa) and it'll actually notify you when rivals are online and racing with you, so you'll be able to continue to destroy them. Lastly, there will be some new cars in the game including a Dolby stock car, which makes lots of sense considering that the game was being displayed at Dolby's booth. Coincidence? I think not!

New cars and crash junctions are fine but my biggest concern was that the game would look and feel exactly like the Xbox version that my brother purchased a few months ago, and if that was the case there would be no way in hell that I'd blow $59.99 for a port, but thankfully, it's improved just enough over its cousin to warrant a purchase, in part because Criterion's kicked the intensity up a few notches. Graphically it looks almost the same, though the cars are a lot shinier and the draw distance is amazing, but the game separates itself from the competition once something crashes or explodes. Then I started to see the dramatic difference. Paint scrapes off cars, hubcaps fly off wheels, numerous other bits are launched from wrecks, and all of this extra stuff just makes the game a hell of a lot more intense. In fact, even new perspectives have been added. I once launched my car off a cliff and the camera attached itself to the driver side mirror, which allowed me to get a different look at the devastation. It was so crazy that it almost took my breath away, which is something I can't say about the Xbox/PS2 version of the same game. I was just left staring at the screen, thinking about the carnage, the fatal mistake that led to the crash, and the adrenaline coursing through my entire body.

I went into Burnout Revenge not expecting to like it all that much but EA and Criterion have convinced me that I absolutely need a copy when it's released sometime this March. I'm not all that thrilled about the fact that it contains the same content, but it's by far the best version of the game and it's worth owning, especially if, like me, you or your sibling sold the older game back to EB for store credit. However, if marginally improved visuals and a few new crash junctions don't light a fire under your ass, you won't go to hell for not buying it.