The takedowns in Burnout 3 are fast and furious. Click the stream option for a larger view.

　　Burnout 3 is the highly anticipated third entry in Criterion Games' racing franchise. Whereas the racing genre has seen a shift to more sim-oriented gameplay over the years, the Burnout games have thumbed their noses at the trend. The series has proven to be a winning reminder of the virtues of the high-speed races and flashy crashes. This is especially true of Burnout 3, which is poised to encourage all sorts of video game mayhem within the confines of its tracks.

　　While we've started showing off movie clips of the insane takedowns that will be regular occurrences, such as last week's clip on our media page, today we bring you a new look at the madness contained in the game. In addition to bringing you another takedown movie (this one is set in the Vineyard Sports track), we're showing off 3D screenshots that let you soak in the insanity of the spectacular crashes. If there's any gripe to be had about the action in this year's game, it's that the blistering speed with which you'll be barreling through the tracks and into your opponents, makes it hard to appreciate the simples things in life--such as the massive pileup you caused (or you are a part of). You can see the screens on ourdownloads page.

　　Burnout 3 is currently slated to ship this fall for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. Look for more takedown madness next week, as well as more coverage on the game in the near future.