EDITOR'S NOTE: This game is one of three special Xbox/Xbox 360 exclusive titles available as part of a new Burger King promotional deal. Each game is $3.99 with the purchase of a BK Value Meal and will only be available for a limited time from November 19 through December 24 at US Burger King branches nationwide. To accommodate users of both consoles, Xbox- and Xbox 360-specific versions are included on every game disc as well.

Although playing Sneak King (one of the other members of the trio of Burger King budget games) left me feeling pessimistic about trying out the rest, it turns out that the two that didn't seem as interesting prior to release have actually turned out far better than the King's solo game performance. Leading the charge is Big Bumpin', a collection of carnival-inspired bumper car mini-games that comes out of nowhere as a contender for best budget title of the year.

Five different mini-games form the foundation of what Big Bumpin' has to offer and each one is equally satisfying, featuring quick accessibility, a variety of power-ups to utilize and solid controls. Bumpin' Hockey is likely to be the game's most played mode due to its fun take on air hockey, with two teammates per side piloting their bumper car like a hockey stick in order to smack the puck into the opposing team's goal. Be careful though, because acting too recklessly will result in scoring on your own team, which happens quite frequently, followed by the letting loose of a choice cuss word or two (amongst older company only of course). Sticking with the hockey theme, there is also a mini-game called Own the Puck, which is essentially a fancy version of 'keep away', as you try to maintain control of a puck for longer than the other competitors, with everyone fighting for the puck to do the same thing.

Power Surge is about as complex as the mini-games get, as players battle it out to collect charges from randomly spawning nods before making a dash back to a deposit point, with the charge intact without being crashed by the opposition in order to score points, and the more life you have upon depositing the charge, the more points you receive. On the flipside, Last Man Standing is the simplest game in Big Bumpin', tossing all challengers into a hazard-laden arena for a free-for-all bumper car showdown to see who can survive the carnage. Finally we come to Shockball, a glorified game of hot potato in which one car starts with a charged ball that will detonate upon the expiration of a time limit, but by bumping into other cars the bomb is transferred around - if you're the last person with the charge when the time runs out you'll be damaged by a nice explosion, as will any other players within the blast's shockwave radius.

Played loner style in the provided five solo tournaments, Big Bumpin' is decent fun (and a good way to earn some cherished achievement points), but playing with up to four players, offline or online over Xbox Live (leaderboards and all), is really how this game is meant to be played. With the Burger King promotion just kicking off this past Sunday, it's been hard to find matches online thus far in my experience, but as the year continues, more and more players will assuredly show up. But if all else fails, get some friends together in one room and have just as much fun in a party game setting.

Like Sneak King, Big Bumpin' also presents surprisingly impressive graphical quality - there are 12 fun characters to choose from, including the likes of BK personalities such as the King, famous hottie Brooke Burke, Whopper Jr., and Subservient Chicken (along with a variety of generic avatars and a crummy character customization feature), all of which are brought to life nicely. What really stands out visually, though, are the eye-catching particle effects and super shiny car and environment textures. Aurally there isn't a whole lot for your ears to be amazed by, but the carnival-themed background music along with bumping and exploding sound effects are solid enough.

Frankly, Big Bumpin' defies its four dollar price tag and blatant advertising ploy inspiration, providing a game that is downright fun to pick up and play, even compared to some full-priced game productions. It's very basic and not as compelling as a single-player affair in the long term, but fire this game up with three other players and get the competitive juices flowing and you'll find a fantastic multiplayer party game joyride waiting to suck you in for a good while. The team at Blitz Games have outdone themselves with Big Bumpin', so much so that I'd love to see them work on an updated version or a similar game with expanded features for release as an Xbox Live Arcade title somewhere down the road - it really is that much fun. So with Big Bumpin' coming up trumps, I move onto the final of the trio, Pocketbike Racer, with my anticipation levels restored!

Reviewed by Matt Litten for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).