Burnout: Dominator Maniac mode – Thou Shalt Not Crash

The Maniac mode in Burnout: Dominator doesn’t exactly go against the logic behind this “dangerous driving” game from Criterion Games. There are still game modes where you can’t crash too much (like Time Attack). But, a game mode where the majority of points come from not hitting anything? That might have you crash junkies hitting restart at every crash-‘n’-burn.

IGN talked to Electonic Arts’ senior producer Nick Channon about Burnout: Dominator‘s Maniac mode, and IGN likened it to a backwards Traffic Attack. Burnout: Revenge had you sending the daily commute straight to heck; Dominator Maniac has you BARELY sending them to heck. Only half an inch between a traffic citation and an insurance deductible, but a world of difference.

The concept for Dominator was to create a game that tested the user’s dangerous driving skills, and was about driving as dangerously as you can whilst avoiding the crash. We wanted to create a mode that tested the user in all the dangerous driving skills, and hence Maniac mode was born.

Anyway, the other fine points of Maniac mode have been repeated before: max speed with Burnouts, chain Burnouts, drifts, airs, stunts, near-misses, chicken, and the occasional shortcut to max points. Not to mention give your DMV instructor a heart attack. Hey, at least the point is to NOT trade paint or bumpers anymore.

The Maniac mode in Burnout: Dominator doesn’t exactly go against the logic behind this “dangerous driving” game from Criterion Games. There are still game modes where you can’t crash too much (like Time Attack). But, a game mode where the majority of points come from not hitting anything? That might have you crash junkies hitting restart at every crash-‘n’-burn.

IGN talked to Electonic Arts’ senior producer Nick Channon about Burnout: Dominator‘s Maniac mode, and IGN likened it to a backwards Traffic Attack. Burnout: Revenge had you sending the daily commute straight to heck; Dominator Maniac has you BARELY sending them to heck. Only half an inch between a traffic citation and an insurance deductible, but a world of difference.

The concept for Dominator was to create a game that tested the user’s dangerous driving skills, and was about driving as dangerously as you can whilst avoiding the crash. We wanted to create a mode that tested the user in all the dangerous driving skills, and hence Maniac mode was born.

Anyway, the other fine points of Maniac mode have been repeated before: max speed with Burnouts, chain Burnouts, drifts, airs, stunts, near-misses, chicken, and the occasional shortcut to max points. Not to mention give your DMV instructor a heart attack. Hey, at least the point is to NOT trade paint or bumpers anymore.