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i’ve always enjoyed the Burnout series, but then I was always going to. Ever since I was old enough to stand in front of an arcade steering wheel I’ve had a love affair with arcade racers. Granted, it’s not been as torrid or as long as my obsession for a good shoot-’em-up, but it’s always been there. For many years, games like Out Run and Chase HQ would scratch that itch, but I would always look for ways to obtain the exhilarating high that arcade racers gave you when I was at home.

The 32-bit generation sated my appetite plenty, thanks to the likes of Daytona USA,

Sega Rally and Ridge Racer, but I’d argue that my favourite period for playing arcade racers was the Xbox era. I still play Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast religiously to this day, while the

likes of Ridge Racer V and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit can all be found in my permanent collection. Many of the games from Criterion’s

Burnout series also feature in that list, and I still vividly recall playing Burnout 2 and Burnout 3 in the games™ offices, arguing over Crash tournaments and whether Takedown really did deserve the 10/10 we gave it. 15 years on and Burnout 3 still feels as thrilling as it was in 2004, so it’s a real pleasure to speak to Alex Ward about the hit series and Dangerous

Driving, his spiritual successor.

Enjoy the magazine!