Featuring 100 crash junctions and power-up icons, crash junctions are like potato chips -- you just can't crash one. Crash Mode is the crack of the video game world. It'll keep you up into the early morn, you'll shake when you're away from your controller, and you'll dream of creating the perfect crash as you zip through traffic. Anyone who played Burnout 2 knows what I'm talking about. You'd sell your girlfriend to gypsies for another chance at topping your crash score. It's addictive as it gets.

Though there are 100 crash junctions, they are not all unique streets. In fact, many of the intersections repeat with different traffic and power-up configurations. While that may seem like a copout, those types of changes do make for a very different crash experience. If you've played Crash Mode in Burnout 2, you know the gist. You have a car and your goal is to drive into a busy intersection and cause as much damage as possible. It sounds easy, but there's a lot of subtly to a successful crash. Old-timers will have some handy classic tricks returning from the first, including the launch boost. To perform the launch boost, hit brake, then gas quickly while the start countdown begins. Hold the gas and right as the countdown hits one, hit brake and then gas once more for an immediate boost out the gates. It may sound a little confusing, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to have a fire truck busting off the starting line like Michael Johnson.

However, there are a number of additions to Burnout 3 and Crash Mode that will require familiar gamers to evolve their game. First off, you now have use of Aftertouch, which allows you to guide your car into the air following a crash. When rushing into a crash junction, this is incredibly helpful, as you can steer yourself into traffic. Momentum and your car's weight play against this, so don't expect to fully break all laws of physics.

The other big change is the addition of power-up icons. Every crash junction has a mixture of important icons you'll want to hit and miss. The worst is the Heatbreaker. Hit this and your final score is cut in half. All the other icons are good new for you. There's x2 and x4 score multipliers, bronze, silver, and gold pickups that put instant cash in your bank, speed boost, and the all important Crashbreaker icon. The Crashbreaker instantly sets of a bomb underneath your car, launching you forward (remember you can use aftertouch to guide yourself). Watching the fly-by intro of each junction and planning your path is vital if you hope to earn the best score.

Not only must you worry about getting the good power-ups, but you need to find a way to cause as big a pile-up as possible. This means disrupting multiple lanes of traffic so that it all spills out across every lane forcing any oncoming cars to wreck. Every junction has a crash quota signifying the number of cars that must crash in order to earn a manual Crashbreaker. This manual Crashbreaker is a bomb inside your car, basically, and can be popped with a button press. It works just like the Instant Crashbreaker icon, but is controlled by you, so you can time it for maximum wattage.

The crash physics are awesome and take some time to understand. Your car will react differently driving into the side of a giant gas truck (which can explode) as opposed to a sedan. All of this, coupled with timing and excellent driving and crashing skills will determine if you've got the stuff to earn enough cash to get gold in all 100 crash junctions.

Earn 100 golds and you'll unlock a spiffy NFSU-like modded racer. Get at least bronze in all 100 junctions to unlock an awe-inspiring crash video that must be seen to be believed. We show it to you, but you know what, you gotta earn that yourself son.

Not everything is rosy for the Crash Mode. The camera can be a real problem, particularly for manual Crashbreakers. Sometimes the camera points the wrong way so you can see where a needed power-up is located, making it tough to guide yourself. Some sudden camera shifts will also get you steering the wrong direction. Still, this one problem doesn't cut down on the joy of a mode design for absolute destruction.