Burnout Paradise

"Chaos in Paradise..."

Best Features: An open-world governed under Burnout rules, insanely good crash physics, large car roster and a plethora of things to do, amazing online features.

Worst Features: Navigation can be difficult, not being able to restart events, no Crash Mode (but still has a great replacement)

Ah...Burnout. A tried and true friend of the racing genre. Arcade racing got a shot of adrenaline in 2001 when the first Burnout game made the scene with its original risk-reward boost system and crash dynamics. Since then the series has evolved and changed without hurting the basic underbelly of the game (even if Revenge did introduce Traffic Checking which went against the idea of dodging traffic). In the third game, players were introduced to "Takedowns" and the game became more than just dodging traffic but also about causing your opponents to wreck. Paradise is the first major evolution of the series since Takedown and I think its a bright new direction for the series.

Graphics: 8
Paradise City is a great setting for the game. As you drive by the shorelines of Big Surf or tour the northern regions of Crystal Summit, you always get a feel that you are there in Paradise City. The visual ambiance is graceful yet exciting at the same time. The ocean shimmers under the bright sunlight while objects in the environment throw realistic shadows. Of course...you don't have time to gander if you're going to charge down the road at 190 MPH while trying to get that next Takedown. The sense of speed Burnout has always done well is present here and the crashing is better than ever (with all sorts of realistic deformation of the vehicles when they plow into something). Maybe the graphics aren't "perfect" (they are a little average for an Xbox 360 game) but it does the job and it feels real enough for me.

Sound/Music: 8
As you scrape and slam your way through Paradise City, you're treated to the sounds of grinding metal and tires squealing over the pavement. The sound effects are good here but aren't as diverse as I'd expect (every crash sounds the same for the most part). But for what is there, its good. The music lineup in the game is well-ranged (even if you don't care for Avril Lavigne...gotta love "Paradise City" by Guns n' Roses) and if you don't want to listen to any of the licensed music, Criterion has included a library of music from the first two Burnout games as well as previously unreleased original tracks that didn't make the cut for Burnout 3. DJ Atomika (from EA's snowboard showcase SSX3) provides the voice of Paradise City (and he's far less annoying than Stryker from Burnout 3, providing insightful comments and otherwise knowing how to not bother the player). The lineup of licensed tracks could be better but since this is an Xbox 360 game, you can make your own soundtrack if the "EA Trax" don't do the job for you.

Control: 10
What is Burnout without its excellent control? If you've played this series before the control is as good as ever here. The physics of the cars has been improved but it doesn't taint the top-notch arcade controls the Burnout series has always gotten right. Drifting is easy and stylish as its always been and dodging traffic is quick and agile. Each car handles differently now based on what kind of car it is but the handling model itself remains vigilant and quality. New to the series is the "E-Brake" which allows you to sharply spin your car to turn it around in a hurry or throw it off a ramp in a wild spin. Stunts could be a little easier but with practice you can still pull off some crazy tricks. Criterion Games understands what makes a great racing engine and the way the game handles is the best example.

Gameplay: 9 (I'd really give it a 9.5 but all scores are kept as whole numbers)
Burnout's gameplay has always focused on simplicity. The idea of doing what "feels right" is the goal of a Burnout game. You dodge traffic, drive in the wrong direction and drift around corners in an effort to push energy into your boost meter. Now with the open-world city that is Paradise City, you can do all these things without being forced into the confines of a race; allowing you to drive like a maniac at your own leisure. Events in this game are launched from any of the 120 traffic lights (or toll booths if you're on the freeway) in the world. Familiar events include Race and Road Rage while new events such as Marked Man (one car trying to make it to the finish line before its destroyed by 3 marauding vehicles) and Stunt Run join the catalog. The Aggression system that was introduced in Burnout 3 is still present, meaning attacking and causing your opponents to to crash earns you boost. Each car in the game also has a unique "Burning Route" time trial challenge that can be used to earn upgraded versions in your garage. The cars in the game run the gamut from speed demons to Takedown-focused heavyweights with new boost categorizations that qualify the means by which a car earns boost (Speed cars bring back Burnout Boost Chaining from Burnout 2 and Dominator and earn the most boost through effective driving skills, Stunt cars use a new kind of Burnout meter that earns boost by pulling off jumps and other daredevil antics while Aggression vehicles use a Burnout 3/Revenge-style meter that ramps up the most amount of boost from attacking opponents and driving aggressively, growing after getting Takedowns). Aside from racing, there are numerous objects in the world such as gate and billboard smashes that can be hunted down and collected to 100% Paradise City. Drive-Thrus provide quick fixes for your car such as instant boost refills or quickie paint changes to keep the streaming, open-world nature of the game intact. The amount of stuff to do in Paradise City is staggering (made even deeper by the lush online mode) and should keep you busy for a long time. Amidst all the praise, however, there are some tiny problems. Criterion's focus on making the game as streaming and open-world as possible has caused a few woes. You cannot restart any event as that would require the game to reload the world every time (so you either have to finish or stop driving to leave an event as well as driving back to stoplight that triggered the event to retry it). This can be a hassle if you lose an event and have to work your way all the way back to the beginning (but this is counterpointed by the fact that no matter where you are you're always near another event, which was the intended goal of not being able to restart but it would have been nice all the same). In addition, the game's navigation can be tough to comprehend at first (giving you only a compass during race events to get you to your destination and no navigation whatsoever in Freeburn) but learn the city and it'll click eventually (though getting lost isn't impossible). Finally, Criterion cut out a traditional Crash mode (where you enter an intersection with the goal of destroying as much traffic as possible) but replaced it with the new "Showtime" mode (where your car becomes a bouncing superball of destruction). While not "quite" Crash mode, the new Showtime mode is no longer a sit-and-watch affair as Crash Mode was so if you were the kind who didn't enjoy a brief amount of driving followed by a long period of watching the destruction this should do you fine. All told Burnout Paradise is still an amazing game despite its flaws.

Replay Value: 10
If you can get over the hurdles of navigating the city and not being able to restart any event, Burnout Paradise is an astoundingly replayable game. With over 70 cars to earn (both standard and upgraded models), 120 events to find and complete, numerous smashes and jumps to locate and 320 online challenges to fulfill; the game keeps it coming as long as you've got the time to dig in. The city itself can just be a blast to explore in an effort to look for shortcuts or secrets (there are a couple unmapped parts of the city that can be found with a little exploring). Each street also uplinks to a network of times and damage reports via Xbox LIVE allowing you to beat road-specific time trials or Showtime mode records on each and every street in Paradise. The online mode integration is probably the smoothest I've ever come across. To go online you simply tap right on the d-pad to load up the "Easy Drive" menu and go into Freeburn online with no middle-man elements such as lobbies. Up to 8 Burners can inhabit a single Paradise City at a time and depending on the number of players in the room at a given time, a list of online challenges opens up (such as being able to jump over a specific bridge or boost for a certain distance). Hook up a LIVE Vision Camera to add the ability to take pictures of yourself whenever you're taken down online as well as track rivals who have taken you down over your online career. Racing is the only competitive online mode (at the moment, this may change eventually) and as a host you can set up your own route around the city with up to 16 checkpoints. Given the vast online options, Burnout Paradise may very well be the single best online game on the Xbox 360.

Overall: 9
I really want to give this game a 10 (but there are flaws that must be taken into account if I'm to give a balanced review). The online is fantastic and the offline game is just as deep and enriching. Despite minor qualms with the game's choices as far as navigation goes (it is Criterion's first fray into the open-world style gameplay so they have time to improve), Burnout Paradise still keeps the Burnout spirit alive and well with simplicity and depth co-existing to create an evolved racing experience. This is the proper evolution of the Burnout series and I must say that it has stolen the spot of "best racing game" from Rush 2 in my book. If you're looking for a new racing game in your life, I can heartily recommend Burnout Paradise. Hit the streets and cause trouble in Paradise...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/08

Game Release: Burnout Paradise (US, 01/22/08)