Review - Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise is the latest games in the action driving Burnout series, and is available for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. With a revamp with its presentation Burnout succeeds at adding some fun, new ways to play, but takes out some of our favorite ways to play as well.

Paradise is the first game in the series to offer an open world racing experience. In races, you are given one of eight destinations and you are supposed to get there in any way you see fit before the other guys. In Road Rage, you get to go anywhere with the goal of smashing other racers into walls, other cars, or any typical road obstacle. There are also other modes that focus on style (Stunt Run), speed (Burning Route), survival (Marked Man), or destruction (Showtime) which can be fun distractions from your common races.

The biggest fault with the offline game is that it pushes the luck in your favor. I’ve won countless races, which I honestly should have lost from a bad crash, with a split-second decision in my favor because of the rubber band AI. And it seems that Showtime mode relies mostly on hitting buses to fill your boost and increase your multiplier.

The online is well done. You start off by just driving around Paradise City and doing small challenges set by the host. You can also set up races starting from one of the intersections to on the eight destination points for a more competitive game, which rely more on skill instead of luck since you compete against real people.

As far as presentation goes, the game looks great on both HD and SD displays. But I was absolutely disgusted with the licensed music chosen for the game. Jane’s Addiction, Alice in Chains and Faith No More has tracks that can pump you up during a race. But when something like Avril Lavigne or Kerli comes up in the playlist, it kills the drive to drive. But you can customize the track list (which contains 70 tracks) so you’ll find something you like in the mix.

All in all, it’s a fun game with as many achievements as it has shortcomings. If you like racing games (and you don’t mind the scales being turned in your favor) then you are likely to enjoy this game.

Final Score: 7/10