There’s one thing you can count on in any article regarding a racing game on IGN; there’ll be at least one comment below it that completely ignores the topic at hand and demands a new Burnout game instead.

“ Burnout is the ultimate expression of arcade racing.

High fives for life for the person who invented the Aftertouch Takedown.

But that’s hardly surprising. For these devoted Burnout disciples, Burnout is the ultimate expression of arcade racing – a fact with which I wholeheartedly agree. But what is it about this series that elevates it to the very acme of arcade racing, and what is it that Burnout 3: Takedown specifically nails better than all the rest? Check out the video above for our thoughts, or read on below for a quick summary.

Under the bonnet

Kick it in the guts, Barry!

“ Burnout 3: Takedown is timeless in a way only the very best games get to be.

Sadly they literally don't make them like this anymore.

Burnout 3: Takedown was developed by UK-based studio Criterion Games and released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in September 2004 in North America, Europe, and Australia/NZ. In contrast to the first two instalments of the Burnout series (which were published by Acclaim) Burnout 3: Takedown was published by EA (which acquired Criterion just weeks before the release of Burnout 3 and, co-incidentally enough, the final bankruptcy of Acclaim).Booting up Burnout 3 after an entire generation on the shelf several things are quickly clear. One, 11-year-old games don’t look their best on a TV the dimensions of which suggest it ate the previous TV. Two, the constant babble of DJ Stryker is still wholly unnecessary but, over a decade on, also slightly quaint in the same way as, say, a time capsule full of original MySpace profiles would be. And three? Whoever wrangled Burnout 3’s music was, like, really, really into pop punk.Burnout 3’s incredible Road Rage mode is my first destination and the years between visits slip away instantly. Within moments I’m back across the nuances of Burnout 3’s simple and accessible handling; a dab of brake and I’m powersliding around the game’s Silver Lake circuit, crunching into opponent cars and revelling in their slow-motion destruction. It’s the circuit I lapped more than any other, racking up takedown after takedown, passing the controller amongst friends way back at the start of my career in the media industry. Crash Mode (where you hurtle into packed intersections to cause as much damage as possible) beckons and hours vanish in a blink. The race events keep coming. What began as a quick dabble to refresh my memory has descended into a rekindled addiction.Burnout 3 remains as playable today as ever and it’s befuddling that no developer (including Criterion itself) has managed to capture the pure joy of arcade racing quite as perfectly as Burnout 3 does since.

So what was so great about it?

The 0-60 words or less

The follow-up, Burnout Revenge, was also a great game in its own right but it introduced what it called “traffic-checking” (which was the ability to plough through cars travelling in the same direction as you). This changed the dynamics of the racing and it didn’t feel like Burnout should. Burnout Paradise, a very firm fan favourite, took Burnout into an open world. It too was fantastic, but there’s a lot to be said for bespoke, curated tracks, where every corner, kink, and bend is deliberately crafted for maximum enjoyment.Burnout 3 is the series’ high-water mark, at least in my opinion. A game as rewarding for veteran racing junkies looking to put their twitch reflexes to the sword at ludicrous speeds as it is for casual gamers simply looking to create some quick havoc and smash stuff.And that gear shift audio cue? There’s none better. It sounds like the Terminator fist-bumping Robocop.If you’re making an arcade racer right now, in 2015, and you’re not playing Burnout 3: Takedown during lunch ask yourself, why not? Because you should be. I’m not holding much hope for a Burnout revival any time soon but, if there is one, I hope Burnout 3 is the game that informs it most.

Tacho Tuesday is IGN’s new weekly look back at some of the most memorable racing games ever made. Got a proposal for a racing game you’d like us to dig up and check out again? Track down Luke and Cam on Twitter @MrLukeReilly and @jazzebration . Legendary classics, underappreciated gems, or even unforgettable disasters; all suggestions are welcome!