The following text is taken from the orginal press release when Burnout was first released for the PS2: "Burnout was inspired by some of the most memorable car chase scenes from the greatest action films of all time. The game features an incredibly sophisticated and intelligent traffic system, which challenges players to race to the finish line at breakneck speeds through a myriad of trucks, cars and buses. With dramatic crashes possible with every turn of the wheel, competing drivers are rewarded for pushing the envelope and their skills to the extreme. Burnout(TM) also includes a simulated in-game heart monitor, which rewards the player with incredible bursts of speed as their pulse increases with every risk they take. "
The origin of the boost bar
It can be worth noting that the origin of the boost bar is revealed in this press release. The last sentence actually explains how the boost bar is filled. This is a very interesting explanation for how the whole boost systems works. Higher pulse equals faster growing boost bar. Those of you who have played Burnout might remember the heartbeat like sound effect when you used boost in the game.