Games developer and publisher Electronic Arts announced that the racing game Burnout Dominator has finally shipped to retail stores across North America for platforms PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation Portable (PSP). Of all the video game's many features, probably the most exciting one is its Maniac Mode.

We've already talked about Maniac Mode for Burnout Dominator before. To make a rather long discussion short, this mode specifically tasks players to take down other drivers and string together multiple stunt combos - all without crashing, of course. The latest installment to the Burnout series brings back Burnouts (combos) and the supercharged boost called Boost Chaining.

Senior producer Nick Channon is also very excited about Burnout Dominator.

Burnout Dominator celebrates the terrifying feeling of speeding down the wrong side of the road, slamming into the car next to you and teetering on the edge of control at 200 miles per hour. It's a return to the game's essence – the fastest, most aggressive racing series out there, bar none.

Another feature of Burnout Dominator worth mentioning is its "ScoreSync" functionality that allows gamers to compare their best race times against their friends. This game can support up to six players in ad hoc multiplayer mode.

Quite a lot of people have been eagerly anticipating the next titles in the Burnout series. While some of you are wishing Burnout Dominator (to paraphrase a previous comment) "wasn't as much of a joke as Legends," let's take a look at the future. With the new PSP installment set to be released on March 6, there's still a couple of things we want to clear out about Burnout 5.

Senior Producer Nick Channon had a quick sit-down with WorthPlaying for a bit of a Q&A. Much to say, there are a lot of interesting details to (hopefully) squash out all the doubts some of you might be having. He talks about how the PSP title has become the in-betweener of Burnout Revenge and Burnout 5, some insight of where Burnout 5 is going (and where it's coming from), the idea of going back to the franchise's "Burnout" concept, and a whole lot of info about how each game affects the entire franchise in general as well.

Here's an interesting excerpt though:

Q: On that same note, will elements of the core Dominator experience make their way to Burnout 5? If players adjust their style of play for Dominator, might they have to do so again when Burnout 5 hits later in the year?

NC: You'll have to wait and see. Burnout 5 is an all-new game with a completely different design.

Check out the rest of the Q&A behind the "Full Article" link.

Now would be a good time to fasten your seatbelts and burn some rubber because we've got a Burnout Dominator video we found over at GameTrailers.

Just so you know, this video hits two birds with one stone. Aside from displaying gameplay snippets, the game's Senior Producer, Nick Channon, also discussed details about the game. He said a lot about it, but one thing's for sure - this game is an ultimate test of reckless driving.

Expect five minutes of rough and rugged driving action, and watch the trailer right here. Burnout Dominator is set to crash store shelves in America on March 6. You can also grab a PS2 version of the game on the said release date, just in case that tickles your fancy.

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.

While Electronic Arts mentioned a couple of days ago that they will start veering away from game series, they recently announced the next installment for Burnout, Burnout Dominator. EA Senior Producer Nick Channon, in an interview, mentioned that the series still has a big fan base, both for handhelds and consoles.

Channon then went on to discuss the game's different features. The series has always offered something new with every release, but the EA official divulged that an old favorite is making a come back in Dominator. He explained:

Over the years, fans have been calling out for burnouts from Burnout 2 to make a return and we are giving them what they want in Dominator. Burnouts are where you fill your boost meter and then use it up in one go. In Dominator you will need to utilize all your driving skills to chain Burnouts together to achieve maximum speed for the ultimate racing experience.

Aside from the above mentioned feature, the new game also sports new ones such as Signature Shortcuts and Maniac Mode. The first one requires players to perform signature take down at the entrance. If they succeed, this will open the Shortcut, therefore reducing their race time by a tremendous amount of time.

The name says it all for Maniac Mode, on the other hand, as it entails players to beat the clock, perform multiple Burnouts, drift round corners, near-miss oncoming traffic, achieve big air, grab the shortcuts and take the car to the absolute limits. Channon shared that their team really worked hard perfecting the PSP version:

We've also spent a lot of time working on the handling in the PSP version. It will be incredibly responsive even if you use the D-pad. You will be able to feel the drift and get that adrenaline rush as you get your car up to the manic speeds you need to win in Maniac mode.

The Burnout series was originally created by Criterion. EA has always maintained that the said developer is still very much involved in making Dominator even though they've merged them into their UK studio. Burnout Dominator will become available this coming March.

It's only been officially confirmed a couple of days ago, but man, Burnout Dominator is really burning up the tracks when it comes to the buzz surrounding this title.

Okay, if you've never heard of it before (shame on you!), Burnout Dominator is the latest installment of the uber-popular Burnout series. It's currently being developed for both the PSP and the PS2, and according to senior producer Nick Channon the game will stay true to "the reckless skill-based racing and fear of crashing that fuelled the first games."

Yep, the fear of crashing. That's what this game aims to pound into players until they learn. Classes will commence sometime in 2007. For a little preview of the lesson plan, check out the first batch of Burnout Dominator screenshots below. Man, those crashes look like they hurt. A lot.

   

Since EA's Burnout Dominator is going to be out for the PSP and the PS2, we'll just cut all the PS2-related A's from the Gamespot Q&A with Senior Producer Nick Channon, and just give you guys, the PSP-related tidbits. Yeah, we'll also cut out the Q's. Oh those poor poor Q's.

Anyway, Mr. Channon says they feel that the shorter skill-based game modes of Burnout Dominator will fit perfectly for the PSP. He also adds that all modes on PSP will be playable in ad hoc; additionally there will be a Record Breakers mode where the user can play a single event on any unlocked track and set records. These records will be tracked and can be shared with friends via Wi-Fi, and the user will also be able to upload high scores to a website. We will also be offering some really cool additions to the game via download.

Also he states that they took significant time tuning the car handling for the PSP. He says that it was really important for them that you be able to feather the car while doing a drift in the game. Their bottom-line with this game? They want you to feel the fear of crashing.

The game will hit retail sometime 2007.