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Name: Burnout Legends

Burnout in itself has built up a huge following over the years, having seemingly come from nowhere on the PlayStation 2 it now has people salivating at the sheer mention of a new Burnout Game. It's no surprise then that Electronic Arts have taken the best of the first three Burnout games and rammed them into a package for the PlayStation Portable that calls itself Burnout Legends. Tracks, game modes and cars have been included so you could really look at it as a Burnout Greatest Hits. It's true that the title acts and feels more like Burnout 3 in the way it's presented, it's also true that it borrows more from the last title than any other, but, that's not a bad thing as it was such a great title anyway.

For the uninitiated in the cult of Burnout then it is an arcade racer like no other; realism literally goes out the window as far as racing games go, its been built for sheer entertainment and delight. Sure, the cars look like cars and the tracks look like tracks but beyond that you're going to be struggling; the laws of gravity are pretty much ignored, the speed at which the cars travel are never going to be achievable in a similar real world environment and lets not even begin to discuss the health and safety aspects that would have men in florescent yellow jackets in tears.

One of the main attractions to a Burnout game is that it will reward you for crashing into other cars as you race, that pesky car that's sneaking up alongside you? Just ram it into the nearest wall and watch as the poor fool explodes into tiny pieces of shrapnel while you reap all the reward and kudos for doing it. Don't rest on your laurels though as it'll most likely be back and looking for vengeance.

The primary mode for Burnout is its World Tour mode; from here you'll be entered into different types of gameplay which alongside normal competitive racing will see you in Elimination events where the idea is to stay at the front of the pack while a timer counts down, if you're in last place and the timer hits zero then you'll be removed from the race entirely. The infamous Burning Lap mode is included which sees you taking a specific car and getting it round a track as quickly as possible in order to get the best time, any mistakes and you might as well start the track again with the strict time limit that is imposed.

The brilliantly bonkers and genre defining Crash also makes the game; this is the mode that made Burnout what it is today and quite possibly the first mode in a game that allows you to score points from causing absolute pandemonium with your driving skills as you take one of your prized possessions, drive it as fast as you can into traffic and score points for every vehicle you cause to crash; basically the worse accident you can cause the better you will be rewarded. The Road Rage mode is also included, the idea being that you've to take down a certain amount of cars before the time limit is up, this gets progressively harder as you make your way through the cars but is just as much fun as it sounds. Long time Burnout fans will also be happy to know that once again the Pursuit mode has been included where you take on the roll of a Cop who has to chase down a bad guy; why this version was removed from Burnout 3 we'll never know and it's great to see it back on the playlist.

If you've got any worries about how the game looks then dismiss them, simply put; it's stunning. It's easily one of the best looking title's on the PSP to date and watching the insane crashes on the PSP are utterly fantastic. However, on the odd occasion the game does suffer from a small hiccup or two, if you manage to create a truly awesome smash then the frame rate does drop, but, for the amount of times this happens it's barely worth a mention. Burnout has become known for its heart thumping soundtracks and Burnout Legends doesn't disappoint, artists such as Junkie XL, Flinch, Pennywise, Timo Mass and LCD Soundsystem adorn the racing, but, again and to it's detriment, if a race lasts longer than the song playing then the action will stutter as the new song starts to play.

The graphics have been reduced somewhat from the original but that's not to say they don't hold up well, minus the frame rate drops. Crashes have been toned down a little from the more over-the-top versions that you might have enjoyed, that's not to say you get a little crash, cars still crumple up, sparks still fly and broken chassis will still fly. Of course, should you get taken out then you can make use of the aftertouch controls to knock your way into them, if you manage to crash into enough opponents you'll be rewarded with your crashbreaker which allows you to explode your car and cause even more damage – Delicious!

There is an Ad-Hoc multiplayer mode included which is good news because Burnout is at its best when you're with a bunch of friends. All game modes are available and the host has an option to create a tournament consisting of five rounds, up to five other players can join in the action if they're within range, always great for a good few laughs. Unfortunately there isn't any online multiplayer mode included which is a real shame as it isn't often you'll have five PSP owning friends round at once, Burnout is a true multiplayer game and its lack of online functionality is a real set back.

Without a doubt Burnout Legends has instantly proven itself a jewel in the PSP crown, and a pretty shiny one at that; nothing has been lost in translation to the small screen and it makes for a perfect addition to the handhelds range of must have titles. It's ideal both in short bursts when travelling and engrossing enough in longer sessions with its 175 events to conquer and 95 cars. Asides from the frame rate drops and the lack of online multiplayer this is the best edition of Burnout on a portable console you'll be able to get your hands on so far.