“Three words, simply the best!”

Back on the scene is none other than EA Games Burnout and this time it’s more than your average free burn, take down, or race. Burnout has been revamped, reinvented and relabelled as Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) and with over 250 miles of open road to explore; Burnout will never be the same again. Once again Burnout proves that its racing/smash-em-up series is still the best around, giving you full access to Paradise City, filled with secret locations, challenges, take downs and more. Burnout Paradise (released date 25th January 2008) brings life back into the racing platform at incredible speed, sure to exceed all expectations.

Graphics and Presentation

Thanks to next generation technology, Burnout Paradise is without a doubt outstanding in every way possible. The graphics of this game are by far some of the best I’ve seen on the PS3. The scenery is so realistic in places that it can, if you’re not careful, catch you off-guard or if I wanted a better word for it, catch you by surprise. EA Games have indeed worked hard this time around to ensure that as much detail is included as possible, much to our discomfort of some of the more-earlier additions to the series.

All that needed to be tweaked has successfully been implemented in this new edition. With the sound of engines revving and Guns and Roses playing in the background, Paradise City’s radio DJ (DJ Atomika) opens the doors, it is unlike any city (on the racing platform that is) you’ve ever seen. From its extensive introduction (when first loaded) and refreshed look, Burnout presents itself as something fresh and brand new, although there are some elements that help to keep it in-line with the Burnout theme; you can’t help but feel you’re playing Burnout for the very first time.

Sound

As always Burnout has a variety of tracks that effectively matches up against its sophisticated graphics, which may not always be to everyone’s liking I’m sure. With the soundtrack being made up of mostly rock songs, the adrenaline, in which you’re sure to experience, strengthens during every stunt, jump, or burning route conquered. However if you really can’t stand the sound of NERD or even the Fallout Boys, you can always add your own music to the mix, making your time in Paradise City, your own. 

Gameplay

When Burnout Paradise was first released there was much debate as to whether it could hold its own, as expectations were high and many were doubtful. Fortunately the game plays exceptionally well, from the handling of corners to the destructiveness of stunt runs; I honestly can’t fault this game’s sense of style or rhythm. In opening up the road to Paradise City, EA has allowed gamers to apply a fresh new perspective on there approach to the Burnout world, EA push this further by introducing various add-ons that allow you to re-explore the city all over again, downloadable form the Playstation network.

Paradise City is packed with plenty of things to do, cars to unlock, trophies to collect, and new streets to explore. At the start of the game your first car is basic to say the least, to my surprise it is a mess and in need of a repair. With it you must coast the streets looking for a repair shop before you can even attempt to enter your first event.

As you begin to win events new cars are introduced and in typical Burnout fashion, you must find them and shut-em-down in order for them to be added to your garage. Visually speaking this game is impeccable and unfortunately has no real rival at present to really give it the challenge it so skilfully deserves. The cars are effortlessly detailed and stunningly presented as exquisite pieces of art. Damage to the car is also now more realistic than before, resulting in visits to repair shops all over Paradise City.

New additions to Burnout include stunt run, marked man, with the more obvious addition being the driving license. Never in our history of Burnout have we ever had to obtain a license, which is upgraded during important stages in the game.  As you strive to achieve the ultimate license, you will have to win a considerable amount of challenges that effectively increases during each level of license.

Many hours will be put into obtaining these licenses and achieving high scores, all for the sake of seeing how high you’ll rank when online. Now before I start to come across as being bias lets address some of the minor glitches known to have caused irritation to both freshmen and seniors alike. A few issues found with Burnout Paradise were the removal of the two player split screen option, although they compensate for this with a robust online component I still felt slightly cheated.

Many have enjoyed the option of being able to battle against the person next to you, so it was a real let-down to discover that without even discussing it, the option was sadly taken away. Another problem with the game’s new preface is that you are no longer able to restart an event, but in EA’s defence many may not have fully explored the options fully, if you press the right directional button after failing an event you will have the option to restart.

Closing Comments

I thought long and hard about how I would close this review and after much deliberation my answer is this; Burnout Paradise is in a sense a lot like marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it. One thing’s for sure Burnout Paradise more than holds its own, it raises the bar, so much so that if you haven’t gone out and bought Burnout Paradise buy Burnout Paradise  now , cause you could be missing out on one the most exhilarating racing experiences of all time.

Stephanie Grant