First ever Burnout 5 screenshots stun!

Just check out the first screenshots from the upcoming Burnout 5 - vehicle pile-ups have never looked prettier.

Developed primarily for the PS3 - although an Xbox 360 version is also in the pipeline - the fifth Burnout is sporting an entirely new game engine and apparently has "the best crashes ever in a game," according to series developer Criterion's Alex Ward.

"If you don't believe the crash is real, then it's not going to frighten you," Ward recently told MSNBC. "The first crash you see on PlayStation 3 has got to go way beyond everything you've ever seen, beyond anything that we've ever done. Because every time we put our game out, people say, 'It's the best crashes ever in a game.' We've got to go beyond that now. We have to go beyond a game, and we have to go beyond a game car crash. That's what all of our work is focused on right now."

There's no official release date yet, though Criterion has hinted that it'll be out on PS3 before the end of the year. Screenshots are from the PS3 version of the game, but we're assuming the Xbox 360 version will look pretty much identical.

News/screens at CVG