Burnout: Championship Drag Racing
1998 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burnout: Championship Drag Racing, also known as simply Burnout, is a video game developed by MediaTech West and published by Bethesda Softworks for MS-DOS, released on March 20, 1998.[3][4][5] A Player's Choice Edition was released in September 1998[6] for both DOS and Microsoft Windows. Burnout was licensed by the Hot Rod magazine. Although the name suggests otherwise, the game is not a part of the Burnout series, which would begin 3 years later in 2001.
| Burnout: Championship Drag Racing | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | MediaTech West[1] |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks[2] |
| Designer | Brent Erickson |
| Engine | XnGine |
| Platform | MS-DOS |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Racing video game |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
Burnout Championship Drag Racing is a game of 40-second races, involving a meticulous pre-race setup of each vehicle. With over 60 adjustable components, from suspension and tires to transmission and brakes, the game demands precision tuning to shave off mere fractions of a second. Far from an arcade-style experience, Burnout is a hardcore simulation, designed for players who savor technical depth over flashy gameplay.[7]
Development
The game was developed by Washington based MediaTech West, the same team that did XCar: Experimental Racing[8] in conjunction with Hot Rod Magazine.[9][10] The game utilizes Bethesda's XnGine[11] It was originally scheduled to be released in November 1997.[12] The game went gold on March 13, 1998[10] Burnout was released on MPlayer.com in June 1998.[9][13]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 68%[14] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| CNET Gamecenter | 8/10[15] |
| Computer Gaming World |   [16] |
| GameRevolution | B[17] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[18] |
| Next Generation | [7] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 88%[19] |
| PC Zone | 52%[20] |
| The Cincinnati Enquirer |  [21] |
| New York Daily News | [22] |
The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[14] GameSpot said, "Burnout has such a refreshing feel and intense bursts of white-knuckled action that it's really worth sticking it out for a while."[18] Next Generation found that "The single race is nice for a quick, visceral moment, but the real game is competing in a season or going head-to-head with someone over a network – by far the most adrenaline-pumping way to play."[7]
According to Pete Hines, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Bethesda, the game is the best-selling drag racing game of all time.[23] According to Tony Sciascia from Sega Dojo, the game sold over 300,000 copies.[24]