'Get yourself a next-gen BurnOut'
 Developer: Criterion
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Category: : Action/Adventure
Multiplayer: Xbox Live 2-8
Official Site
Platform: X-Box 360
Might look like: /
Date posted: 16 February 2008
Written By: Ian / Bjorn
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Paradise City
Burnout has finally returned to consoles, but this is a new kind of Burnout.
The new title features a living, breathing, open-world environment, no arrows in races, and a new, revamped crash mode called 'showtime'. But does the game stand up to its illustrious predecessors in the light of these new gameplay additions?
Read on to find out.
Burnout's Gameplay
As ever, developer 'Criterion' have been tweaking the gameplay format of Burnout for this iteration of the series.
The core gameplay remains pretty much the same, with races, time trials, and road rages all returning, there are still 8 cars in a race, whilst the action is as fast and furious as ever.
There are some new additions, such as 'marked man' which sees you trying to survive to a point on the map, but this race type is pretty easy as you normally get a few lives before you die. Races can get annoying due to the fact that the 'GPS' system can be pretty rubbish, getting you hopelessly lost. You can't quit them, and many races end up in the hills to the west of the map, where the races are few and far between, leaving you with a long drive back into the city to find a new event.
However, there is plenty to explore in the world, with billboards, super jumps and smashes to find, and you now unlock new cars by finding them in the world and taking them down.
  
My biggest gripe, is that crash for cash is now gone, instead replaced by 'showtime' where you bounce down the road, taking out traffic. It's less of a puzzle than it was before, and in fact, relies way too much on luck, since you can only set the records required if you hit enough buses, which now appear randomly, rather than in set positions.
Therefore, sometimes the challenge can be impossible, at other times, impossibly easy.
Generally, however, it is still fun, whatever, and is especially hilarious in multiplayer watching other people fly down the road in a crumpled wreck.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics in burnout are pretty stunning.
Whilst not of the jaw-dropping Gears variety, the city is huge and varied, and streams seamlessly.
In addition, the car models are excellent, and the physics and car deformations are visceral and as perfectly 'realistic' as they can be. By that, I mean the cars crash and deform in an entirely believable way, and there is no clipping or other unsightly issues that often blight other games with such amazing crashes in.
The lighting is also stunning. Whilst there are no weather or night/day effects, the HDR and dynamic shadows are really excellent, and help the city come to life.
Equally, the sheer amount of traffic is very impressive, especially as the game runs at a sweet 60fps consistently and constantly. As ever, criterion have really delivered graphically.
Sonically, the game is also excellent. The cars have varied engine noises, but they all sound suitably meaty, and especially with a good 5.1 system offer a lot of bass, making them feel as powerful as they are.
The crash effects are also beautifully rendered in 5.1 sound, and you'll wince as your car ends up as a mangled wreck, flying slowly across the screen.
The music choice is also generally excellent, with a mix of licensed music and classic tracks from the old burnout games, remixed to sound pretty amazing.
My one gripe is with 'DJ Atomica', the game's announcer. He is incredibly annoying and Americanised, and there is no option to turn him off. Whilst not a game spoiler, he's a pointless and annoying addition.
  
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is pretty different, and not always for the better. Now, you enter 'freeburn' where you just drive round the city with up to 8 other players.
This sounds cool, and can be, but often you just end up doing nothing, which is cool when you're with friends, but not so when with randomers.
You can do 350 challenges, but they are often pretty samey and very easy.
Racing is as good as ever, but has to be set up by the host, so is never guaranteed. So you could enter a freeburn hoping for lots of races, hang around for a bit, and never get one. It can be pretty lame. When it works, it is really fun, and the game never lags. But this is mostly a game just to be played with friends rather than by yourself online.
Conclusion
"Burnout Paradise" is a worthy first attempt at an open-world racing game from Criterion. It is, however, flawed. Online is fun, but can get pretty repetitive. Showtime is good but relies too much on luck. You can't quit races. It's too easy to start a race you've already done before, and there are too few races in the mountains, where you often end up after finishing a race, meaning you have to drive back to the city. Some kind of warp to a junkyard would have been appreciated.
But, great visuals, music, sound and gameplay, with lag-free multiplayer are obviously huge bonuses, and a lot of content means that this a truly excellent game, but it's not the best burnout ever, but a patch could fix all of the above, and make this quite possibly the best arcade racing game of all time.
-Ian / Bjorn
Ratings
Manual:
89 % |
Graphics:
92% |
Music & Sfx:
87% |
GamePlay:
90% |
|
This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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