Comments

Ok, My background in racing.. Need 4 Speed all games. GTA III on up. Gran Tourismo all. Many more earlier, but mostly these for the sake of my review... meaning I never played the previous Burnout series.

Feel for the racing menu is much like GTA to me. Free form racing around the city is superb. There is a new race or even on just about every corner. Awesome! The feel of the city and surroundings is very good. Just as in GTA, you find secret billboards and unique jumps along with the racing. The way they have the level upgrade to your license is fun and keeps you going. Many a time, I have been close to the next level and refused to get off the game. Addictive.

There are tons of races, events, records to beat, too many to list actually. Some have complained about the Showtime event. I LOVE this event. It's a crack up (pun) and when you get good at it, setting the record in this event for every street in the game is really fun.

Ok.. if the game ended there, it would still be a great game. It doesnt.

Multiplayer. Online racing and entrance is seamless. You just basically hit the right button and you are in a game online. I always go in wanting to work on the online events you can do by teaming up with other players and doing jumps and stuff together, but I end up getting wrapped up in the Takedown with others and pretty soon, time has gone by without notice. It's almost too fun really. I'd probably buy this game if all it had was multiplayer takedown and no other options. Gladly, that's not needed. lol

There are many cars in the game and getting them is pretty straight forward. No garage or home here, just a junkyard where all your cars are kept. I've seen complaints about having to repair cars and such.. well, that just takes about 5 seconds, since all you do is drive your car through a repair shop which is always just down the street from the junkyard. Not sure why the problems with this feature. Basically you get your car from disabling it from somebody else, so the repair feature makes sense to me.

.....

Ok, so I gave the game 4.5 stars. Why the .5 down? The voice settings in the game are really bad. You have to turn your system music and game noise way down and keep voip on max to even hear the other players and then it's usually muffled. I use a PS2 USB cable headset which has no volume control, so some bluetooth sets may have better luck with this. However, it's the poor settings that make the problem, not the headset. I guess they are worried people would up the volume too much and damage ears or something. Still.. it's a minus for me.

Other down.. no split screen racing for offline multiplayer. This is a must have really for me. I like to race family memebers offline in racing games and wish Burnout had this feature.


Those two minor things aside, the game is flawless really. The graphics are superb and the framerate is better than any game I've seen on the PS3 to date.

Buy it. You won't regret it if you like racing. I am hopeful for GTAIV and GT5, but for now, this ones the king of the heep. Rating: 4 / 5

Pros:
- Great replay value
- Intense racing experience
- Brilliant online execution
- Constant patching is a huge plus

Cons:
- Only 8 racing designations
- Map layout could use some work
- Races become insanely difficult

Gameplay:
At its core, Burnout Paradise is a traditional arcade racing game. You can expect to drive your car at insanely fast speeds, launch off dozens of jumps, and crash frequently. However, from there the similarities quickly vanish. Burnout Paradise is one of the first racing games to feature a fully rendered sandbox environment. From the start you are allowed to drive up to any of the games many intersections and hold down both the throttle and brake buttons simultaneously to enter one of the several events that the game offers. There is a traditional race mode, a stunt mode, several crash related modes as well as an individual race designated to every car. Unfortunately, the crash related modes become boring quite quickly, and only the racing and trick modes really remain enjoyable.

The sandbox environment and intersection concept are very interesting, but unfortunately contain flaws. First off, it is impossible to retry the race without driving back to the starting location which leads to frustration. Secondly, since all races end at one of the 8 corners of the map, you'll find yourself driving on a few of the roads in every race, and will almost never see more than half of the map. Also, many of the turns on the map are very difficult to navigate, especially when you factor in that you'll be driving upward of 200mph with boost on, and there is lots of traffic. However, the game is still very enjoyable and the presentation is very commendable.

Controls:
Inputs in Burnout Paradise are very responsive and each car has a completely unique feel. Some of the heavier cars are very slow to turn, but are also very durable. However, some of the faster cars with low durability contain some of the best controls of any cars in any racing game to date. Racing is as simple as using R2 to accelerate and L2 to brake/reverse, but learning to drift around corners takes some practice. With that said, the controls in Burnout Paradise are great and are right where they need to be.

Graphics:
Although the game features a very expansive map, the graphics haven't been compromised. Burnout Paradise is a very pretty looking game, and the car models are very well-done. The shading and filters used give the game a very next-generation look and each of the main areas of the game have a unique design to them. The most impressive thing about the visuals is that at times you will be driving at nearly 250mph and the game is able to keep the framerate and visuals without degradation.

Sound:
The game features pretty standard sound effects but each of the dozens of cars has their own engine sounds. The soundtrack for Burnout Paradise doesn't have any big hits, but there are over 90 tracks ranging from opera to songs from the previous Burnout games. The announcer is very repetitive to listen to but the detailed sound effects more than make up for it.

Replay Value:
Burnout Paradise features hundreds of intersections each with their own race which can take upward of 20 hours to complete. There are also 400 yellow gates which typically lead to shortcuts as well as 50 super jumps and 120 red billboards to collect. To top that off, the online mode is a blast to play. The online mode includes all of the single-player event modes as well as many challenges to complete cooperatively in groups of between 2-8. Most importantly, Burnout Paradise has easily had more content added post-release than any other game on the market, and has received not only free patches which add to the game's already flourishing replay value, but there are also plenty of released and soon to be released downloadable content which require small fees to download. Couple that with the nearly 100-trophies available and you have yourself one of the longest lasting racing games on the market.

Rating:
Story: N/A
Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 8.5
Controls: 9.0
Sound: 8.5
Replay Value: 9.5
Overall: 9.0

Own, Rent, Avoid:
Own: So far this is the best arcade racing game this generation. Not only is it a very well-polished game but the constant addition of content and the already existing addictive gameplay make it well worth the admission.

Last Thoughts:
Burnout Paradise is one of the first great tastes of what the new-generation of racers have to offer. For such a budget price, there is no reason for anybody who likes racing games to not own Burnout Paradise. Rating: 4 / 5

[Update 4-11-09: Criterion released a patch in February that enables a race restart option (thanks slowjam98), so most of the complaints in the review can be ignored. I haven't played the game again though.]

Burnout: Paradise has many great qualities and Criterion should be praised. However to fully appreciate this game and become good at it you basically have to memorize the entire huge city. I've been playing the game for about 20 hours and I can barely remember where the short cuts are and what's the best street to turn down for races and stunts. Especially because you're driving so fast. They do have flashing street sign indicators but they're only a little helpful.

Let's say I start a race. I then pause and look at the terrible map when the race starts and plan out my route. Then I drive about 10 seconds, pause, then look at the map again. I find myself doing this over and over during the race. This frequent pausing breaks up the fun and momentum of the race. So let's say I lose the race. No big deal the whole point of a game is to practice and get better. Great. But then you have to drive alllll the way back to the starting point, miles away. I've won many races so it's not because I suck, but I've rarely been able to get particularly good at any races or any other events. I don't feel that satisfaction of getting better at a game, just blazing speed and blind luck.

People say it's no big deal because another event is right around the corner at a traffic light. But how am I going to get better at the previous race if I don't do it again for a long time? So you basically just wander around aimlessly from event to event, not ever really perfecting anything. The whole thing begins to feel like a meandering, directionless mess. It's a shame because I've had a lot of fun with this game especially the stunt runs, but the map problem is so bad it's to the point I'm getting really bored with this game after only 20 hours and a B license.

The game does have many great things about it (not Showtime), the graphics, the speed, the handling, the stunts, and I also love open world games. If you spend half your life memorizing every nook and cranny of the city then you'll have fun. If not it gets old after awhile, especially after the millionth slow-motion crash. If they fix the awful navigation system and lack of a restart function for the next installment, it'll be a classic game. Rating: 3 / 5

Been a fan of the series since Burnout 2:Point of Impact and on to Takedown and Revenge.. I loved the series enthusiastic pursuit of outrageous speed, cinematic crashes, and beautifully rendered environments.

My problems with this title are 2:

Bland online gameplay... I tried several servers available to me and after the fifth one, I had had enough of listening to garbled bluetooth chatter and people just aimlesssly driving around. There didn't seem to be much in the way of structured race events, more like open ended goal oriented driving assignments.

& One huge interconnected environment...
I personally prefer racing games that offer varied and more difficult tracks, so you hone your driving skills the more you play, as opposed to a great big city that you have to LEARN to exploit it's secrets. Remembering which intersections have shortcuts or checking the map when your doing 200 mph usually caused a wreck more often than success for me. After a while, I got with the program and moved up.

I just prefer the older structure of the games... Paradise feels to me more like a first effort at an online world. Beautiful, with dazzling speed, but without that addictive 'Can't wait to beat that next track' feeling. There's nothing about it's presentation that isn't top-notch.. but it's online design seemed vague to me.

Easy to pick up, but easy to put down. Rating: 4 / 5

There are plenty of comprehensive reviews about Burnout Paradise already, so I'll cut to the chase: Burnout Paradise is a great game.

Look, I'm long past my teen years. I grew up slamming the single red button on my Atari 2600 joystick and winning free ships in games that rewarded fast reflexes. This means I'm not too good at doing complex button combos (that means YOU, Heavenly Sword) and I don't have much patience for configuring a racecar with 500 separate components (sorry, Gran Turismo).

Burnout Paradise is, at its heart, an arcade racer. People like me can get started and slam through a few races without much hassle. If you are looking for a Totally Realistic Race Car Simulation, this isn't it. As for me, I like how it's possible to play without having to earn licenses or pass skill tests. All too often, driving games force players to go through a lengthy training period and wade through screen after screen of configuration options. I just wanna drive like a maniac, man!

Additional thoughts:
*Great graphics--Paradise City contains lots of areas to explore, all in stunning physical settings.
*Online play is fully featured and well-designed, with lots of different challenges and activities for both individual and group play.
*Fans of the two previous games in the Burnout series will miss the awesome (and awesomely fun) destruction of Crash Mode.
*Something that is frustrating at the beginning is that it is incredibly easy to get lost. When you're in the middle of a race, especially on a big TV, it is impossible to drive and watch the radar/map display at the same time.
*Something that is frustrating throughout the game is that the race finish lines are often in the middle of nowhere. That means a lengthy drive to get back to the start of a race. This becomes really tiresome when you're close to finishing the game and need to win just one or two more races.
*The narrator's voice, attitude, and script is incredibly annoying. I wish there was a way to shut him up entirely.
*What pushes Burnout Paradise from a four-star to a five-star game is the incredible amount of FREE updates Criterion has made available. If only more game studios and publishers realized that giving some decent content away makes players more likely to pony up for the paid stuff! Thank you, Criterion, for continually updating the game and for not nickeling-and-diming your customers to death. Rating: 5 / 5