Video Games : Burnout Paradise

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from: Electronic Arts

: Burnout Paradise
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Binding: Video Game
Brand: Electronic Arts
EAN: 0014633156393
ESRB Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Format: NTSC
Label: Electronic Arts
Manufacturer: Electronic Arts
Model: 014633156393
Platform: Xbox 360
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: January 22, 2008
Sales Rank: 491
Studio: Electronic Arts

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Make action your middle name, as you control what happens when and where in Burnout Paradise. Welcome to Paradise City. Immerse yourself in the open roads of Paradise City from the downtown streets through the hectic freeways to the sweeping mountain roads; the world is waiting to be explored. Slam, Shunt and Wreck opponents in cross-town race events, where you decide the fastest route to the finish line. Hit the jumps and find shortcuts, smash through barriers and get to the places that other racers can't reach to get that competitive edge. Meet your friends online with the revolutionary EasyDrive system that smashes through the tedium of lobbies and servers and cuts straight to the chase. Burnout Paradise provides the ultimate driving playground for you and your friends to play online on the Xbox 360. Mugshots - Track the length and breadth of up to 2,500 online rivalries Speed, Speed and Even More Speed - The rebuilt, race-tuned Burnout game engine delivers intense speed boost gameplay at a super-smooth and super-fast 60 frames-per-second Crash Deformation - Burnout Paradise features an all-new deformation technology that gives players an astounding close-up and slow-motion view of super-real destruction

Amazon.com:
In Burnout Paradise players are treated to a rarity in the video games universe: a complete reinvention of an established franchise that equals, if not betters any of the previous games in the series. Yes, this is a large claim, but one that can be explained in a single phrase: Next-Gen Freedom.

Burnout Paradise logo

Driver's heaven is a wide open world
In Paradise City even cars can fly

In Paradise City even cars can fly. View larger.
Go for broke in 'Marked Man' Mode

Go for broke in 'Marked Man' Mode. View larger.
Nothing is off limits, even head-on crashes

Nothing is off limits, even head-on crashes. View larger.
Start a race anytime with 'Easy Drive.'

Start a race any time with 'Easy Drive.' View larger.
Although the Burnout series' over the top mobile action has been its calling card since it ignited audiences on the PS2 in 2001, and later on the first generation Xbox console, Burnout Paradise is the first game in the series that has been designed specifically for play on Next Generation consoles. This has allowed game developer Criterion to rip the training wheels off the game and rebuild it from scratch. The result is a new, expansive world that players can roll through at will. And what a world it is.

Enter Paradise City
Heaven on Earth, at least to road-raging, crash-causing Burnout fanatics, Paradise City is your domain and ultimate proving ground in Burnout Paradise. This expansive driver's playground stretches across 250 miles and encompasses all sorts of road driving conditions, from fun-in-the-sun seaside cruising boulevards, to mountain roads and downtown gridlock. But regardless of what stretch of asphalt you find yourself on, the beauty of this place is that nothing is blocked off and your wits are at least as important as the horsepower under your hood when it comes to racing here. Check out Paradise City's five sub areas (click the links for sample images):

Burnout Your Way
Unlike in previous Burnout games, Burnout Paradise not only puts the keys to your ride in your hands, but places you squarely in the driver's seat when it comes to where you can go and what you can do.

Along with wide avenues and crowded highways, the open game design of Paradise City is also jammed full of hidden side streets, back roads and alley ways. These can be used as short cuts in races, that is, if you know where they are. As you explore, commit these potential short cuts to memory because they will definitely come in handy in a tight race. And since we are talking Burnout here, players should not expect uneventful, genteel contests of speed and precision driving. In Paradise City players are always free to slam, shunt and wreck opponents in their bids for supremacy and they will. Also, new to the Burnout series, races can now start anywhere, anytime. Just pull up to a stoplight and spin your wheels to start one in one of five different event classes:

Instant Online
Burnout Paradise also keeps the mobile carnage coming while simultaneously setting the new standard in online social gameplay. With the new `Easy Drive' feature you can find friends online and with the click of a button invite them to a race. Once they've accepted the race will start immediately. That's right, no more annoying wait times at online lobbies and servers. And keeping in touch with friends is easier than ever.

Team up or Takedown
In the winner-take-all universe of Burnout teaming up usually isn't the first option that comes to mind, but on these rough and tumble streets it's a good option to keep in mind. With more than 300 FreeBurn Challenges packed into the game, players always have the choice of going it alone against the field as a whole or joining forces with up to seven of your buddies in user-created race routes. Either way, if you are victorious in your takedown you'll get the chance to talk some trash as you exchange Mugshots with your victim via an optional camera hooked to your gaming system or your gamertag/PSN avatar if you prefer to keep your identity on the down-low.

Showtime: Crash Anywhere, Any Time
And finally since a new Burnout release wouldn't be complete without a little something special in the wreckage department, Burnout Paradise continues the carnage with an update of its familiar 'Crash Mode.' Renamed 'Showtime Mode,' players can now crash, bounce and scatter their ride in any location and replay the wreckage over and over in slow motion. One of the most addictive and down right fun features of the game, players activate the mode by simply pulling both triggers on their controller and if they are good enough can also immortalize their Showtime moments on the leaderboards for all to see.

Driving fans this is Next-Gen at its best and definitely the Burnout title you have been waiting for.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - So Fun My Kids Won't Let Me Play
I've had Burnout Paradise, for XBOX 360, for some time now, and my children have loved it from day one. Of course all they allowed me to do is watch them play because they are just that excited about playing this game.

Shortly after I received Burnout Paradise I saw one of Wyclef's music videos, and imagine my surprise to see him simulated into the game. It was awesome. The same graphics in the video, is the same graphics in the game.

The more you play the more this you earn to change your car. Burnout Paradise can keep a child out of his parent's hair for a few hours non-stop. I recommend it to parents and children alike. Neither will be disappointed in what they see or play.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - More Like Burnt Out.
Burnout: Paradise

Short Review

Gameplay 5/10
Very fast cars give the feeling of speed in every part of the game, you don't ever have to stop if you don't want to. However game quickly gets tedious, many fatal game flaws, no split screen, only two views

Graphics 8/10
Some of the most realistic car graphics I've seen in an arcade game, gloss and pearlescent cars are discernable, very detailed with lots of parts shown

Music / Sound Effects 7/10
Engines really sound good in Paradise, the V-8 engines have a throaty muscular tone, the six cylinders have a uniform high revving note

Replay Value 4/10
Very little interest in replaying the game because of lack of events, repetitiveness

Difficulty 6/10
This is not a very difficult game until halfway through, any race can usually be beaten in the first or second time

Cars 7/10
For an arcade racing game, these cars are really very good, they loosely represent their real counterparts, but lack any customization

Critical Review

Burnout Paradise begins with a somewhat lengthy tutorial on what occurs in Paradise. They set you loose in the city pretty quickly however. From what I can tell (not entirely sure) the city is based on Chicago. You are able to drive anywhere you want from the beginning of the game. With that said, the city is not overly large, but has a lot of off road secret jump areas and whatnot. A key feature of Burnout Paradise is the nitrous which takes the adrenaline level up and really speeds up gameplay. Ok, so the meat of the game is in the events. When you come up to a stoplight, an indicator at the bottom right of the screen will tell you what event is at that light. If you desire to enter it, you'll hit the gas and the brake at the same time and that will initiate the race.

There are six types of events: Race, Marked Man, Road Rage, Burning Route and Stunt Run. Race is exactly what it sounds like. In Marked man, you go and race from one part of the city to the other while other cars chase you. Your goal is to get there without completely totaling the car. Road Rage is the opposite. You need to wreck as many cars as possible within a certain time limit. Burning Route is a time trial, but is only for specific cars. Stunt Run involves stringing together crazy driving stunts such as: jumps, reverse driving, 180s, near misses and even crashes. And don't even worry about you being seen by the police, there aren't any in Paradise City.

By far my favorite thing in Burnout is the wrecks. They are incredibly realistic and fluid. Not even in a racing sim have I seen this kind of attention to detail. When you hit a wall at 150 mph the car is going to be totaled and that is exactly what happens. The body crumples, the glass breaks, pieces fall off, the tires may even be pushed off the hub and there is a deformation on just about every part of the vehicle. Sometimes the vehicle may even flip end over end. A nice slow-mo scene occurs every time you wreck the car to show the devastation. It is just brilliantly done.

So where do you go when the car is wrecked to fix it? There are four or five mechanics shops which you can literally just drive right through and the car will be like new again. Also there are gas stations in which your nitrous can be refilled as well as the junkyards-the origin of every vehicle. Junkyards in Paradise are like car dealerships. Here you are given the wrecks of the sports cars people around the city have wrecked. There are 75 in total, while some are duplicates with some modifications to them.

It is easy to goof off in this game and could even be considered a sandbox of sorts, but falls short in a quite a few areas even for an arcade type racing game or game in general. The biggest and most obvious problem (?) is there are no police anywhere in the city. This is part of the reason the game is quite easy. If all you have to contend with is people obeying the speed limit, how hard can it be to win a race? Secondly, about halfway through the game gets really old. Since there are only five types of events, you get the "I'm glad I rented this," or "Man, I'm gonna sell this game," feeling.

Now for the really bad parts, which left me with a truly empty feeling inside. Paradise can get very monotonous and unlike a Grand Theft Auto game with many side games Burnout really loses its luster quickly. First off there is no split screen to play with people on the same box. And I don't really understand this sentiment with these new games. Not everyone wants to play on the internet. Some people still interact in real life. Another major problem is the auto-steering, which will kind of guide you away from medians and make slight turns for you if you're not looking. This takes some of the fun out of the game, for me at least, who is used to totally manual racing sims.

By far the greatest setback is the inability to skip ANY of the game's dialogue or movies and this includes the wrecks. Yeah it's fun to look at them, but once in a while I just don't want to watch every last bit of it. Another serious problem with Burnout is there are only two, count `em two camera views - inside the car and outside the car from about 15 feet behind. The map also has no beacon system. In other words, you have to navigate your way to everything. You can't set a marker. So while you're running a race you have to continuously look at the map, where you're going and the other cars. Leaving this part out is embarrassingly bad. This feature was first used years ago. We're talking about seventh generation game systems here, not third. And please add a speedometer next time.

Graphics 8/10
When I saw the first vehicle given to me from the junkyard, I was thinking how much better and true to real-life these cars looked than other games. It looks like a substantial amount of time was spent here by the developers. The paint reflects light very simply like a real car would. In other words the reflection follows the sun or light that is pointing on it. It really looks next gen. They also took great pains to produce little details such as the aspect ratio written on the tires. When the car flips you can see the driveshaft and the various suspension parts as well, instead of just a gray area that was left alone. Bravo.

The buildings, trees and roads all look very good as well and are quite well detailed too. Unfortunately you'll probably be going too fast to even notice their handiwork. The only real problem I had with the visual aspect of the game was a lack of a driver in any car. Not even in my own was there a driver driving the car. So a little of the realism is taken away with that, but if you don't see it that often you tend to forget that they forgot to do so.

Cars 7/10
Vehicles in paradise city are quite impressive in two ways. They are graphically very well done and physically true to their real counterparts. There are also a LOT of cars for an arcade game. This is most likely the only reason to continue playing past the first week. I wanted to see what the upper level cars were. And truth be told, they get considerably better as you go along. As I said before, the physics of the cars are just very well done, especially in wrecks. Side view mirrors fall off and pieces of trim as well as the glass.

So you want to modify the suspension or maybe add a turbo right? Wrong. Again the developers left out truly key features in a game that is supposedly next gen. The cars cannot be modified past the paint and even then you are only change parts of the color. They still get to keep the base vinyl and general color scheme. This is a racing game. I expect to be able to change, at the very least, the engine parts, suspension parts and the body parts. So many things in Burnout have a very good upside which equaled only by its tremendous lack of vision and customization which gamers of this era demand.

Replay Value 4/10
I'm not sure why you'd want to go through this game a second or third time. Maybe if you lost all your other games and needed to press buttons, it might be ok. This is just my opinion of course, but here is the rundown of the game for the first 10 hours. You can just drive around-fun for about 45 minutes total. There are races which provide some change of scenery because the routes change. The marked man events are simply the races with other people trying to kill you. Road Rage events just get downright annoying after your goal to meet is above 10 cars. It is so easy to trash your vehicle. Stunt runs are very difficult from the beginning because most of the time there aren't any ramps or stunt areas to get your points. I'd say maybe one time through should do it. If you consider the sheer amount of time the game will take to finish it is probably 30-40 hours - something you don't get out of the FPS games coming out lately. But is it fun for 30-40 hours.....not even close.

Burnout Paradise is another ok game in a long line of games that probably should have had another six months to a year spent on development. Instead the first part of the game was rehashed four times over to produce a long tedious uninspiring racing game. Burnout can be boiled down to two impressive parts: the cars and the graphics. Here's an idea: take a poll of what people would like to see and cut out the extraneous parts. I fail to see how you can take a step backward in game development when you have the previous game to base it off of. This also is not a case of boredom with racing in general. I played through Gran Turismo 3, half of Gran Turismo 4 and all of Forza Motorsport 2. I've also played games such as Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Carbon and really enjoyed them. If I could sum it up in one sentence: Burnout Paradise is a cheap imitation of Need For Speed that is hardly worth renting. Don't waste your time or money.



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - A step up in the series, but mistakes were made in areas they shouldn't have been.
In the world of gaming, the Driving/Racing Genre seems to have always had a hard time trying to take the pole position in the video game market. When a game called Burnout was released back in 2001, it seemed to follow the same route as most Driving/Racing games that came before it. However, it was the slow motion replay's of each crash which realistically deformed the cars was what brought the game to the attention of the public.

From then on Criterion's Burnout game series would continue on with new features being implemented in each game (along with a different set of cars) from the Crash Gameplay in Burnout 2: Point of Impact (Developer's Cut) to the Takedown/Road Rage in Burnout 3 Takedown and Burnout Revenge.

Burnout Paradise is the newest addition to the burnout family of games, but does it stand out on it's own, or does it fail to burn some rubber on the pavement?

Story
The story of Paradise pretty much straight forward and to the point. The narrator (aka DJ Atomika) helps you as you explore every nook and cranny of Paradise City as well as offer you some advice, but after a while he becomes pretty annoying. Thankfully though as you progress through the game, the narrator plays a less important role.
7.5/10

Design
Unlike its predecessors, Paradise uses the Sandbox design for Never-ending Gameplay which makes Paradise perfect for online gaming. This works great for those of us who have grown tired of the menu screens. As well as using the Sandbox, users can also choose any offline event at any time by going to any of the 120 traffic light intersections and taping the brake and accelerator simultaneously. This feature does away the load screen that fans have dreaded in previous Burnout games.

Although some of the events are ones that are trademarks of the series, Paradise adds 2 new events to the fray which make the game even more challenging to the player. I also like the fact that they did away with the Bronze/Silver/Gold method and replaced it with the License Upgrade system which you have to win every event in first place in order to upgrade your license. What's also nice is the way you get each of the 80 cars by not only winning events in order to "shut them down" in sandbox mode, but also by winning the burning routes which allow you to win a more beefed up version of your car in the event you win each burning route.

Also new is the Road Rules feature which in offline mode, the player can "Rule" each road in Paradise City via by time, or by Showtime.

Showtime is the newly remodeled version of Crash that you can start at any time by clicking the Right and Left Tab buttons simultaneously on your controller. Showtime seems more of a step backward than more of a step forward for the Burnout Series. The whole process of showtime seems more of comical than the entertaining that Crash Mode originally brought us. Shame on you Criterion!! You should know better than to try to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place.
9.5/10

Gameplay
The Gameplay of Paradise is by far excellent. The controls of the game make it very easy for any player (whether a first time novice or a hardcore veteran) to use. Of course this game was made for online multiplayer, with online challenges and "mugshots" (you must have the XBL Vision to use this feature) for each online takedown. That, along with the all the smashes and billboards as well as the 50 offline/online achievements, you can be playing this game with your friends over and over again and never get bored.
10/10

Graphics & Sound
Paradise has some of the best damage graphics than any other Driving/Racing game that's currently out on the market (even better than Gran Turismo Prologue . . .). The way the game slowly shows your car being crumpled in a head on collision with another car or a solid object makes each crash more entertaining to watch.

As for sound, along with tires screeching, horns blowing etc. Each car has it's own unique engine sound. From the roar of the American looking muscle cars, to the high-pitched reeving of a formula one racer. Of course what game isn't complete without a soundtrack. Ever since Takedown, the Burnout series has incorporated an excellent soundtrack with each new game incorporating bands like Yellowcard, Jimmy Eat World, etc. Paradise is no exception with not only incorporating the Original soundtracks from the first two Burnout games, but also adding artists Seether, Airbourne, Guns N' Roses (as soon as I heard Paradise was announced, their song Paradise City came immediately to my mind), and many more. The only Gripe I have about the soundtrack is this:

WHY IN THE HELL DID THEY FRICKIN PUT AVRIL LAVIGNE'S SONG GIRLFRIEND ON THE SOUNDTRACK???

Thankfully I can have that stupid song taken off the playlist thanks to the EA Trax system. Well played EA/Criterion . . . well played.
9.75/10

Overall
Burnout Paradise is without a doubt the best Driving/Racing game this series has to offer so far despite the loss of Crash Mode. With XBL updates and more DLC in the works (which also includes new locations within Paradise City and new cars ), Burnout Paradise will truly make it's mark in the Burnout Series. Criterion sure knows how to make a Driving/Racing game.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Need for Speed in a Burnout style
this game is great. the feeling that we miss in the newly released Need for Speed: ProStreet, is available in this game. all the features included are great, it has all the previous features plus new ones.

online multiplayer is fun. you can actually get the achievments while playing online with your friends.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Sweet, sweet, crashing action
Finally, I own this game. After years of exclusive PC gaming, I got my hands on the Burnout series.

Instead of a long pontification, I'll get right to the pros and cons

+Open world can rock - Driving around a giant city is great and searching for hidden passages is a lot of fun
+Showtime is a great diversion when you want to mix things up
+The graphics are phenomenal
+Crash physics are great
+Multiplayer is fun and easy to sign onto

-Open world can suck - Nothing is more frustrating than missing a turn (or not knowing there is one without reading the map or pausing mid-race) and losing a race because of an unexpected turn
-The use of the xbox camera for mugshots is kind of pointless. Not a negative really, but doesn't add anything
-It'd be nice if they mixed up crashes and had some in real-time. It can be distracting and take me out of the game
-NO SPLIT-SCREEN TWO PLAYER??? That's just stupid. The whole point of Burnout is to unlock the cool cars in single player so that your buddies can come over, have a couple drinks and crash each other into smithereens. I learned this after buying the game and was REALLY disappointed.


Other than not having two player, the negatives are really just nit-picky things. This is a great game and one of the first games I bought when I picked up my xbox. I recommend it to all arcade racing junkies and good game lovers. Get it!


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