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Burnout Paradise review (PS3/X360)
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You can picture the scene, the last Burnout game is in stores and Criterion is thinking of ways of creating its first fully next-gen Burnout experience. The marketing guy from EA suggests that what's needed is some kind of Jack Thompson-baiting gore-fest a la Grand Theft Auto. But the guys at Criterion aren't so sure - but the idea of an open city is not bad, not bad at all.
No says the Criterion crew, we need a game that isn't like a game. Let's remove the conventions of the game, let's be brave and bold and do something new and unique. Let's make something Edge Magazine would love - something they don't have to be embarrassed about when hanging out with media friends.
Great, says Mr EA, so what are you guys going to do?
Well says Criterion, we're going to remove the bit of the game everyone loves and then make it more inconvenient to play.
Wow, says Mr EA, and runs back to Chertsey with a worried look on his face.
Two Sandwiches Short of a Picnic
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There's no crash mode. Let's repeat that, it's worth doing so. There's no crash mode. Do I need to say more about that?
Well we've been given some kind of half-arsed replacement called Showtime that involves rolling your car over in traffic. But it's weak, so very weak, and so very not in keeping with the high standards of the rest of the game. Criterion's Alex Ward got very annoyed with the reception the demo received - and the news there would be no crash mode - but what did he expect? Removing the single most fun part of a franchise and replacing it with something so lame is not going to win anyone a membership of Mensa.
Just Like Scalextric
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Criterion says it is giving the player freedom, a free experience. But that's not entirely true. There are cunningly disguised loading screens between events, but these are the ones the developer decided we could have. The one we might want - the one that signals we've chosen to restart a race instead of having to drive all the way back to the start - well that's a freedom we just can't have.
This is democracy on Criterion's terms.
The Things That Work
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The integration of online and offline play is beautifully realised. You can choose to cruise the city with friends, competing on various records around the town or choosing to actually take part in competitive events. Even on PlayStation 3 - a console that defines a half-baked online experience - Criterion has got things right. It feels a lot like an Xbox Live experience, a feeling heightened by the inclusion of in-game achievements on the Sony console.
Buena Vistas
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But what there is does look good. The frame rate is rock solid. Even as you get further into the game and the city becomes a busier and more traffic-packed place the performance remains silky smooth. The physics engine is as impressive as ever with the crashes looking really terrific.
The soundtrack too works. A lot of it is emo alternative rock of the worst kind, but with a title track by Guns & Roses and plenty of good driving rock, this is a game that sounds as good as it looks. Even the annoying DJ Atomika isn't as annoying in the long run as you'd expect.
Chequered Flag
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But if extreme high speed racing and mayhem appeal to you, with smooth and gorgeous eye candy all played out to a pumping rock soundtrack - then you'll find very little money wasted here. Burnout Paradise is a bold step in the right direction it's just such a shame some important elements were left behind.
I've played a lot of Burnout Paradise over the last few days and now the review is written that's not going to stop. There's still many foes to vanquish online and lots of fun to be had. But occasionally I'll still have to pop Revenge back into the Xbox if I want some classic Burnout action.
| Rating | |
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Graphics: Gorgeous and smooth, but not as varied as you'd think. |
8 |
Durability: Lots to see and do plus excellent online. |
9 | |||
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Sound: Some good tunes, excellent engine notes and a DJ that isn't too annoying. |
8 |
Gameplay: You can't ignore the lack of crash junctions, so that's a mark down on the fun score. |
8 | |||
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| References to other articles | |
Review: Burnout Paradise Big Surf IslandIt's been a long wait but, by crikey, it's been worth it!
Burnout's Big Surf Island LiveYou can now download the long-awaited Big Surf Island expansion to Burnout Paradise.
EA confirms Criterion Need for SpeedThe worst kept secret in gaming is a secret no longer.
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I've been playing Burnout on the 360, and have to agree with every point raised. I traded in my copy of Revenge in advance of this being released. After my first hour with Paradise, I was getting a sneaky feeling I'd been a bit premature. After another hour, I realised the two games just don't compare. Except where they do. Erm... Hmmmm...
See, Paradise is still obviously Burnout. It's just not our Burnout - y'know, the Burnout fans wanted. What fans wanted was more of the same, but slightly different, but not so different that they couldn't complain about it not being different enough. What they got was slightly broken innovation.
Paradise is a hardcore game. Casual players will, likely, not make it past the first couple of confusing hours - they'll be flummoxed by the where, who, what, why?!! Paradise has to be learned, studied and fought against. From the start, it's easy to get lost, turned around, confused. The menus are horrid, game info blocks your view, the compulsory crash scenes quickly annoy.
However, the game rewards effort like few others out there - and I don't mean just in achievement points (which try to force you to play every little bit of the online game to death and beyond - only 14 people in the whole world will get the full 1000 points). The game rewards you by its very nature - the city becomes familiar, you start to learn the routes, the cars get better, the environment goes from enemy to ally. Quite, quite brilliant but, unfortunately, for hardcore gamers only thanks to the ugly interface - a problem that seems sadly traditional for Burnout titles.
So, I completely agree with Harry's score. And that Showtime is massively rubbish (too complex, fiddly and cursed by a rubbish camera you have to wrestle with continually). Giving you the chance to blow up and use a little aftertouch would have done the job reasonably well and been over quicker. No race repeat is a pain too, but at least you can see why they did it.
Yeah, 8/10 for sure. But only because the Emo-rock is made up for by the inclusion of an Adam & The Ants track that I now have on loop...
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