Product Features
- Genre
- Racing
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Release Date
- February 06, 2009
- Available Platforms
- PC, PlayStation 3, XBox 360
Related Items
Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box
Arriving on Paradise Island, you initially feel overwhelmed as you're just given complete access to the game and are essentially left to it. However, as you drive across the intricate land, your mini map shows the activities that are available to you. If you drive into their area and trigger them, the game will begin around you. The driving is magnificent. It's completely unrealistic but it's designed this way so you can just enjoy yourself, rather than spend too much time trying to get everything perfect. The speed in this game is immense, you can certainly work up some speed in and yet you surprisingly feel in control. To progress in the game, you have to hunt down the latest cars as they make their way around the island and then run them off the road. The cars will then appear in one of the 5 junkyards dotted around the island. If you complete activities, this can also earn you points for your licence which will provide upgrades and make new tasks available. This game is a lot of fun to play, but you best put on your seatbelt on, it's guaranteed to turn you into a speed demon!
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Joe Stevens February 20, 2009 PS3
Burnout Paradise City always had me intrigued from the beginning; however I never really felt the urge to pick up the game, despite fantastic reviews across the board. As the game received more and more game changing/improving DLC (downloadable content) such as motorbikes etc. for free I began to think about purchasing this. Then they announced that Criterion Games would be releasing an Ultimate Box which included all the previous free DLC (which means no extra room on my HDD needed) and the now released Premium DLC included (the fantastic party offline multiplayer Party mode).
I bought this game as soon as it was released and now realise how foolish I was not to buy this game from the beginning. The graphics, without a doubt are by far the most impressive I have seen in a racing game, the crashes are beautifully chaotic with cars crumpling realistically to where the collisions took place on the car chassis etc. and the game runs constantly at 60fps with no slowdown appearing during my 20hrs of online and offline play.
The gameplay is awesome with 3 different types of cars (stunt, speed and aggression) each responding differently and especially suited to various game types. Stunt cars are the all-round car which can perform generally well in all game modes. Speed are suited to the race game mode as they are extremely fast and can perform burnouts (a special type of boosting which allows you to chain boosts together allowing you to boost longer and faster) yet their downside is that they are extremely weak. Aggression cars are suited to road rage and marked man events as they are slower yet are far stronger allowing them to take out enemy cars quicker and more effectively as well as resisting slams and crashes better. The sensation of boosting in all types of cars really gives you the sensation of extreme speed and on a variety of occasions in higher end cars it felt realistically out of control and unreliable to be driving at such high speeds. Some of the crashes caused from boosting were on the verge of breathtaking.
Now on to the lasting appeal of the game. To complete the singleplayer mode (reach a Burnout grade license) it should take you approx 15hrs but the fun does not end there, trust me. For all hardcore players there is the option of searching and destroying all Burnout billboards, super jumps and smash gates hidden throughout Paradise City, which once all have been completed, will unlock rare and powerful cars for you. The online in Burnout has got to be some of the most well designed challenges and events in any online free roaming game on the market. The online modes can be accessed seamlessly from the singe player gameplay without having to go to a main menu of sort. If you press the right arrow on the directional pad it opens up the burnout online menu in the bottom right of your screen. This allows you to create or search a certain game type of your choice. Be aware that while this is happening you can still your car in the background, which is a fantastic addition to keeping you in the Burnout experience. Once you enter a selected game mode you will still be in free roam, but with those who will be taking part in the event you have chosen, until the host decides to begin the event. Once the host activates the game type you will all appear on a start position with your opponent's stats spoken to you from Paradise City's resident radio host DJ Atomica. Once the event finishes you are taken back to free roam with those who just completed the event with you, with scoring and positions on an in game leader board in the top right of your screen. There is another type of online play called freeburn online. This is my favourite type of online game mode as it allows the host to choose out of 490 different challenges for you to take part in, such as all players meeting up in a car park in the quarry and then once all participants are there the challenge would appear such as barrel rolling through pipelines. This provides a seamless blend from free roaming to online challenges etc.
The premium DLC included in the Ultimate Box is a great addition for parties and friends. It can take up to 8 players, but all challenges are pass the controller type. There is a great variety of challenges on offer, each focusing on different types of play e.g. speed, skill. Another awesome feature to party mode is the ability to create your own soundtrack when playing Party games. In the setup screen just hit triangle and the game brings up the music saved on your PS3. From there just hit the playlist you want and throughout the party challenges your chosen music will be playing throughout. Fantastic for creating a party atmosphere.
Overall Burnout Paradise is a fantastic collection of all Burnout DLC at a fantastic price (RRP £30). You simply cannot go wrong with this purchase if you are a driving game fan, or even a game of exploration and freeroaming.
I award this game a solid 9.5/10
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