Burnout Paradise

Let me make this clear: I've never played any of the Burnout games despite owning a PS2 and Xbox 360 so with a little hesitation after a extended hiatus, I decided to purchase Burnout Paradise in it's digital form courtesy of XBLA's Games on Demand service. And boy am I glad I did.

The best game in the series, Burnout Paradise introduces a never before seen "open world racing" mode, one of the game's true stars. This lets you drive virtually anywhere in order to gain ground against your opponents with a variety of terrain; several of which are modeled or pay homage to famous cities and landmarks around the world with various shortcuts and alternate routes to discover. And with a sh*tload of challenges and multi-player options, you'll be playing this for weeks. And the addition of down-loadable content makes this game an already mind-blowing stellar package.

The visuals are great but sadly not fully high definition which would make it even more better. But it moves at a silky smooth-as-a-babes's bottom 60 frames per second. It also has a rocking soundtrack though thankfully you can put your own tunes in by downloading a future update if you have an Xbox Live account with Internet access. The games music is not bad, but nothing home to write about although there are a few that I like from artists like Avril Lavigne and Filter. It sounds good too with a wide variety of engine sounds that's just like the real thing. Last but not least are the spectacular damage modeling when you careen into a car, wall or guardrail when racing at really high speeds in the more powerful cars as you progress throughout the game.

My only gripe with the game is that there's no drivers in the cars or pedestrians in BP. What's up with that, man? I know the game is rated E but c'mon. It would've been great if there were drivers in the cars but unfortunately they;re not and this made me a little disappointed. Well, it's still a fun game to play though. Hopefully, the next game will have drivers in the cars which will no doubt up the game's rating but it is still a necessity for logic's sake.

With all the racing games I have played throughout the years on various systems, I say Burnout Paradise is the best of them all and the more exciting of the bunch. As a newcomer to the franchise, the game's fictional Paradise Island was daunting at first due to so much you can do in the game, but it really grew on me. Heck, when I first played it, I was simply cruising around crashin' my car just for the fun of it. Not many racing games give you the amount of freedom that Burnout Paradise provides and with it's additional content both offline and online, you can bet that this game gives you more bang for your buck than what's out there now. Easily the best racing game out there in the market.

Burnout Paradise is not your average racing game. Having never played a Burnout before this one I was expecting something along the lines of Need for Speed, or Blur, or Dirt. Burnout Paradise features an open world filled with insane opportunities for stunts and outrageous chases, there's no linear progression through the races and challenges. Open-world gameplay is not really as groundbreaking as it was 10 years ago, but when applied to Burnout it enhances the feeling of adventure.

There are loads of different cars to choose from and different challenges such as 'Marked Man', 'Stunt Run', 'Cops and Robbers', 'Showtime' and many others. They are all very exciting, and the handing of most of the vehicles is near flawless. The world of Paradise City is scenic and idyllic, it's the perfect setting for mayhem. But I have to be honest, there are negative aspects to the game.

The fact that there is no driver to your car is kinda creepy. It would be so much better to see someone thrown from the windshield every time you crash. The customization of every vehicle is limited. And the mini map really, really could use more detail. But the worst complaint of all is the trophy which require 8 online players to meet in Wildcat Stadium. It is required in order to get the Platinum. I have tried many, many times to get this trophy but finding 7 others to cooperate is impossible. Up until this point the game seemingly gives away trophies for free (there are 98 of them) but sticking this one in there was pure evil on behalf of the programmers.

However, the most appealing aspect of the game is the custom soundtrack option, in which you can play your own tunes from your PS3 over the gameplay without losing sound effects. Why don't more games support this? Why???

Still, it's an amazing game with breathtaking visuals.

Graphics A Sound A Gameplay A Lasting Appeal A

Surely the best game in the burnout franchise.

Although the programming and engine of the game is a little bad: several bugs and a little bad handling the game is fun and has a range of cars. The long term Burnout Paradise will be cloying and boring with nothing to do, But its The idea is interesting and worth a try if you are a fan of frenetic and car games but unfortunately the gameplay of the game is cloying when we get to a point in the game.

The city is not alive and the game does not have many maps that is another problem.

But still the game has more positive points such as missions, quests, challenges, different cars and soundtracks and music.

this is a PS3 review

starting with the drawbacks: unlike previous installment, this doesn't have a local multiplayer. It's surprising to see that it becomes somewhat of a trend in the new generation era with the games like UNREAL TOURNAMENT & MOTORSTORM (although they fixed this with PACIFIC RIFT) lacking the local multiplayer option. Yes we have online & it's great & everything, but nothing can substitute good old splitscreen. Another drawback is video output which is limited to 720p. Plus, you can't restart the races instantly & the DJ Atomica's remarks on how much my driving skills suck every time I lose is a bit annoying really. & the biggest drawback is of course the absence of drivers in the cars, which I guess ESRB wouldn't allow for this game to get E10+ rating.

In spite of the fact that it's just 720p, the graphics of this game are spectacular. Being an avid follower of the series & thus being able to compare, this one clearly displays how much the transition to HD has actually advanced the video games in terms of visuals. Perceiving the urban/rural environment sets on ultra enormous speed gives an immense graphic pleasure.

BURNOUT is all about speed & crashes. In terms of speed they have gone very far with this one, so that it actually blows your mind away. On maximum speeds is where you can really comprehend the uniqueness of this game. They have increased the sense of gravity slightly in this one, so that you still break the laws of physics but this time it has better feeling of danger. The balance between the realistic & cartoonish is perfect.

Don't believe those who complain about the crashes being monotonous. In the beginning levels when the speed of your cars is low, the crashes look indeed boring & lookalike, but once the speeds go higher, the crashes become extremely spectacular & totally diverse, make no mistake about that, as this aspect is perhaps the most essential in BURNOUT games & they have done a terrific job, really.

In Showtime Mode (just press R1+L1 in the middle of the heavy traffic, & then jump around by pressing X) you can witness 100+ cars crash in one single take.

The soundtrack is awesome, Rock oriented, which is proper for the game which involves so much materials made with metal. So you are racing on a high speed with Jane's Addiction playing in the background & then suddenly you CRASH!, the music mutes instantly & there is complete silence so you can fully enjoy the sound of smashing glass & metal screeching on the surface of tarmac.

This game has an awesome update which you can download FOR FREE. It adds bikes & now you can drive at night, when the traffic is not as heavy.

It also has a great online multiplayer. Especially one option, when you take down the opponent you get his mugshot (which can be uploaded with PS eye) as a reward, like a scalp.

to sum up: BURNOUT PARADISE is an extremely exciting gaming experience & a perfect transition to HD for this cult game series.