I have a new addiction. It is called Burnout Revenge. Smashing through rush hour traffic, slamming opponents, and zipping through shortcut alleys while dodging obstacles at maximum possible speed, I found myself rewarded time and time again for my mediocre driving skills. To increase my lowly moniker of “Harmless” and gain the prestigious title of “Unsafe”, I merely learned how to push the gas pedal.

Rejoice if you are bad at video games and are no fan of racers. This is the game for you!

My son Mackenzie and I were introduced to Burnout 2: Point of Impact when we were at SeanMike’s house a few years ago. Back then Burnout was merely a fun street crashing game for us. Now in its fourth iteration, it is a racer with visceral steroidal action, and we love it.

Slamming through rush hour traffic at critically dangerous high speeds, the more destruction you deliver, the faster you go and the higher you rate. I immediately discovered the best way to completely destroy my car was to drive into the rear end of a slow-moving lorry meandering through traffic. But I also learned that one of the sweetest ways to destroy your opponent’s car is to give him the cop tap on the left rear bumper. However, the bad guy can also deal the same violence, ending my glorious race in a replay of death filmed by slow-mo camera on chronic.

This game is not only about destruction but about revenge, as my son quickly learned. After being repeatedly bullied and batted into the walls by the bad guy in the black Lamborghini, Mackenzie went on the warpath. He unlocked the modified R185DX within his first hour of play and steered into fury. What do you get when you bounce traffic off the wall and into your foe? REVENGE.

There are three main play modes. In the burning lap mode, you are intent on reaching the goal as fast as possible, beating that clock. Destruction is the main course in road rage mode in which you ensure that you turn everyone into a giant twisted pile of smoking wreckage. The third mode is the standard race mode where you simply want to finish in first place, taking down rivals as you go. Of course, this is Burnout, and in every mode the more you destroy, the faster you go and the better you feel. Chain reaction wrecks are the key to success in all situations.

I found Crashbreaker to be a very curious mode, and my girlfriend sat down to master it. Like a short intermission between major events - the water stop in the marathon – your mind can remove itself from hundred-mile-an-hour hairpin turns for a few minutes. In one shot, you launch your vehicle into a traffic situation intent on causing as much destruction as possible and trying to take out the key vehicle in the mix. The more crashed cars, the more dollar damage, and the more gold stars you get from the teacher. This mode requires precise planning, geometry skill, and a huge lump of honest blind luck. The game allows you to re-engage each Crashbreaker challenge to ensure that you get top marks. Mackenzie discovered that revving the engine too high at the start of the match would blow up his engine into a fiery explosion. EXCELLENT!

Burnout Revenge has excellent graphics, great game play, and a fantastic musical selection. The builders included bands such as Comeback Kid, Emanuel, Maximo Park, and the Black Velvets. Admittedly, great elation poured through my veins while listening to the blazing riffs of Funeral for a Friend as I smashed a Jag into a jersey barrier. I then got offensive with a Saloon 175MD to the sounds of the Chemical Brothers which won me the Crash Stack Trophy. The music motivated me and kept up the fast, destructive pace.

Doing well at each of the race events will score you gold medals. Scoring takedowns will get you higher ratings quickly. Overcoming challenges will score you trophies, unlock new cars, and make new tracks available. But we could do without all of that. Just pumping a high-speed vehicle through the constant onslaught of obstacles, enemies, and innocent bystanders is reward enough.

I continued applying myself and went back to beat the initial areas after the second areas opened up. I steadily moved up the ranks and became a little more proficient before really tackling the second and third levels. Still an amateur, I got the professional confidence the first time I went over a ramp, caught some serious air, and nosed down into my opponent for a vertical takedown. I knew that I could not slow down in this game.

Procure this game if only for the mindless self-indulgence, and reap the thrilling rewards of watching cars ricocheting off buildings into your competitors. This is a current-generation game that smells like the next generation. I give Burnout Revenge three thumbs up.