The skinny:
Burnout 3 is arguably the best driving game of the year. And, unlike our earlier prediction that Gigli would "run the table at the Oscars," we've totally quit doing reviews on ether binges. Burnout 3 manages to channel road rage into a highly positive experience. Instead of expressing your ire by futilely flipping the bird, you can make your dream of T-boning the A-hole in the Trans Am a virtual reality. The game rewards aggressive racing with bonus points for tailgating and risky moves like weaving through oncoming traffic and driving with your knees. Well, it doesn't really reward you for driving with your knees, but you can reward yourself with a Chipwich.

If you liked this game, you'd like:
Project Gotham Racing 2, Need for Speed Underground, lobbying for a Constitutional amendment allowing citizens to pepper cell-phone talking drivers with buckshot

Hours to complete:
Online multiplayer support (eight to 16 other drivers, depending on the game mode) deepens an already vast game experience. You're not going to stop playing till EA comes out with Burnout 4.

Tantalizing tidbits:
EA couldn't get officially licensed cars for the game, but the 70 or so cars, which range from compacts and sedans to vintage muscle cars and exotics, all mimic real-world designs. The graphics whip along at such a frenzied pace you wouldn't be able to spot nitpicky details like the Rolls-Royce hood ornament or the air intakes on a BMW M3 anyway, so quit your bitching!

Buy, rent or run away screaming?
You should buy it even if driving games rank somewhere between stepping on Legos barefoot and Saddam on your list of dislikes.