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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Racing Developer: Criterion Studios Publisher: Electronic Arts |
The “Burnout” franchise has been the king of the arcade racing genre for quite some time now. This is mainly because of the great
controls and the sense of speed the players get while driving a variety of cars. There have been few racing games that have been able
to match catch up to the series, and none that have been able to surpass it. With every release, the series becomes stronger and offers
something new to gamers. “Burnout Paradise” has some of the largest changes in the franchise’s history.
The biggest of these changes is the fact that “Burnout Paradise” introduces an open world, allowing players to move freely through
Paradise City. The entire city is open from the beginning of the game, with the idea that players can do whatever they want, whenever
they want. This doesn’t mean that all of the events are available from the beginning, and neither are all of the cars, nearly 75, but
players are never limited in their options of things to do.
each race. When a race starts, players must simply get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, using any available route. This
There is a lot to do in the dense city of Paradise City, especially in the downtown area, giving players a variety of ways to get through
each race. When a race starts, players must simply get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, using any available route. This
means that players are able to create their own course through the city, meaning that players will be stopping action to check the map
for directions. Since there are such a large number of tunnels, highways and bridges, it is very easy to take a wrong turn and end up
going off course a bit. It won’t be until players memorize the map, which can take quite a long them, that they will be able to get through
a race without have to consult with the map to finish a race on the right path. There in an in game indicator of where the finish line it, but
it just points in the general direction of the finish line, it doesn’t let players know what route to take and which turns to take along the
way. This will leave players to pause the game and check the map, which pulls players out of the action of the game.
Another downside to the overall design of the open world is that players cannot simply restart an event. This means that if players race
from one side of the map to the other, which is done quite often, they will need to turn around a drive all the way back to the start line if
they lose the race. While this sounds like it could be annoying, and it can be, players who look at the game in a different way will be
less frustrated. Many players look for games that are nonlinear, but play them in a linear way. If a task is failed, a nearby event is
always available, instead of driving back to the starting line of the previous race.
Players will quickly find that there are many more event types than only races to be found in Paradise City. Of all of the events in the
game, Road Rage is the one that sees the least amount of change, which is fine. The only major difference this time around is that
instead of having three target cars at any one time, players will have five or six at a time to eliminate. It is a minor change, but Road
Rage is even more chaotic because of the fact that players will see cars crashing all over the place, even in front of the player, causing
cars to fly over their windshield. However, it will probably be many players’ favorite event in the game.
The Stunt events are the newest additions to the “Burnout” franchise, having players try to rack up a certain amount of points in a certain
timeframe. While players earn points for power slides and boosting, they only earn multiplies for jumping off of ramps, crashing
through gates and performing barrel rolls which gives double points. It is a fun event that will have players flying through the streets at
high speeds looking for one more ramp to hit in order to keep their combo alive. The only downside to this event has to do with the
different types of cars that players can choose and how they affect a Stunt event’s overall difficulty.
Each of the 70+ cars available in the game fall into a certain category, they are Stunt, Speed or Aggression cars. The stunt cars are
designed to be good for jumps and drifting and are similar to most of the games that are found in the “Burnout” series. Speed cars are
specialized with excessive boosting abilities, allowing players to easily chain together Burnouts to keep their boost going forever, but
they downside is that players can only boost when their meter is full. Finally, the Aggression cars are large and heavy, perfect for Road
Rage events, but not for any events that require ability or speed. Each car has strengths and weaknesses, making players need to
change cars depending on the events they are taking on.
“Burnout Paradise” has its share of flaws, but it is extremely fun. Though the open world design brings some issues with it, players will
enjoy having the whole map available from the beginning and having the freedom that haven’t been seen in past racing games. The
game offers a great racing experience with controlled chaos, where crashing is as much fun as winning. For those who are remotely
close to being a racing fan, this is a game worth checking out.
controls and the sense of speed the players get while driving a variety of cars. There have been few racing games that have been able
to match catch up to the series, and none that have been able to surpass it. With every release, the series becomes stronger and offers
something new to gamers. “Burnout Paradise” has some of the largest changes in the franchise’s history.
The biggest of these changes is the fact that “Burnout Paradise” introduces an open world, allowing players to move freely through
Paradise City. The entire city is open from the beginning of the game, with the idea that players can do whatever they want, whenever
they want. This doesn’t mean that all of the events are available from the beginning, and neither are all of the cars, nearly 75, but
players are never limited in their options of things to do.
each race. When a race starts, players must simply get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, using any available route. This
There is a lot to do in the dense city of Paradise City, especially in the downtown area, giving players a variety of ways to get through
each race. When a race starts, players must simply get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, using any available route. This
means that players are able to create their own course through the city, meaning that players will be stopping action to check the map
for directions. Since there are such a large number of tunnels, highways and bridges, it is very easy to take a wrong turn and end up
going off course a bit. It won’t be until players memorize the map, which can take quite a long them, that they will be able to get through
a race without have to consult with the map to finish a race on the right path. There in an in game indicator of where the finish line it, but
it just points in the general direction of the finish line, it doesn’t let players know what route to take and which turns to take along the
way. This will leave players to pause the game and check the map, which pulls players out of the action of the game.
Another downside to the overall design of the open world is that players cannot simply restart an event. This means that if players race
from one side of the map to the other, which is done quite often, they will need to turn around a drive all the way back to the start line if
they lose the race. While this sounds like it could be annoying, and it can be, players who look at the game in a different way will be
less frustrated. Many players look for games that are nonlinear, but play them in a linear way. If a task is failed, a nearby event is
always available, instead of driving back to the starting line of the previous race.
Players will quickly find that there are many more event types than only races to be found in Paradise City. Of all of the events in the
game, Road Rage is the one that sees the least amount of change, which is fine. The only major difference this time around is that
instead of having three target cars at any one time, players will have five or six at a time to eliminate. It is a minor change, but Road
Rage is even more chaotic because of the fact that players will see cars crashing all over the place, even in front of the player, causing
cars to fly over their windshield. However, it will probably be many players’ favorite event in the game.
The Stunt events are the newest additions to the “Burnout” franchise, having players try to rack up a certain amount of points in a certain
timeframe. While players earn points for power slides and boosting, they only earn multiplies for jumping off of ramps, crashing
through gates and performing barrel rolls which gives double points. It is a fun event that will have players flying through the streets at
high speeds looking for one more ramp to hit in order to keep their combo alive. The only downside to this event has to do with the
different types of cars that players can choose and how they affect a Stunt event’s overall difficulty.
Each of the 70+ cars available in the game fall into a certain category, they are Stunt, Speed or Aggression cars. The stunt cars are
designed to be good for jumps and drifting and are similar to most of the games that are found in the “Burnout” series. Speed cars are
specialized with excessive boosting abilities, allowing players to easily chain together Burnouts to keep their boost going forever, but
they downside is that players can only boost when their meter is full. Finally, the Aggression cars are large and heavy, perfect for Road
Rage events, but not for any events that require ability or speed. Each car has strengths and weaknesses, making players need to
change cars depending on the events they are taking on.
“Burnout Paradise” has its share of flaws, but it is extremely fun. Though the open world design brings some issues with it, players will
enjoy having the whole map available from the beginning and having the freedom that haven’t been seen in past racing games. The
game offers a great racing experience with controlled chaos, where crashing is as much fun as winning. For those who are remotely
close to being a racing fan, this is a game worth checking out.
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