Home Games Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise

Racing
Releases: 01.22.08
EA
Criterion
ESRB: Everyone 10+

Burnout Paradise

Wreckage perfectly wrapped in a beautiful package..

by Sarah Schutz

I have never been a fan of racing games. Driving at high speeds around pre-defined courses just to beat the other guy never instigated much gaming inertia. The objects of my video game affection have always required plot twists, character development, gameplay strategy or at the very least weaponry technique. That’s not to say I don’t recognize a good racing game when I see one, but my attention span is limited. So imagine my shock and awe when I had spent a contiguous 4 hours speeding around Paradise City in my accumulated stunt cars, spinning off of every ledge. I had been converted.

Burnout Paradise introduces the Burnout world of racing to the ever-popular genre of open-world gaming and the result is anything but wrecked. While traditional racing games offer only repetitive gameplay with little alternative course of action, Burnout Paradise allows you to interact with Paradise City and the racing challenges it offers your way, with little downtime or revisiting of the same races in succession. Every traffic light throughout the city offers a new challenge: race, road rage, stunt run or marked man. Road rage demands more aggressive driving as you try to take down rival drivers, while marked man runs require you avoid drivers trying to take you down. The stunt run allows you to take advantage of the many jumps and sharp turns throughout Paradise as you perform as many schnazzy stunts as possible in the allotted time. And during races, you get the chance to pull out the traditional right trigger cruising. As you win more challenges, you get more marks on your license allowing you to work your way up the ranks of the drivers in Paradise. And if you’re a Burnout fan for its more destructive outlets, Showtime mode allows you to rack up as many dollars in damage as possible. Online multiplayer modes not only allow you to compete on leaderboards, but allow you to compete directly with friends and other Xbox Live members online in versus and co-op challenges..

Aside from the annoying soundtrack radio dj that chimes in with obvious advice, Burnout Paradise is a pleasure to play and easy to pick up for shorter gameplay sessions or, if you’re like me, a long afternoon of wreckage. The graphical eye candy and smooth controls, combined with addictive ease to traverse from challenge to challenge makes the game an asset to the most racing-game-opposed gamer.

Stellar gameplay, gorgeous graphics

Nails on chalkboard soundtrack

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