Review: Burnout Paradise
Posted on Apr 06, 2008 under Reviews | No Comment
Well, here’s a game that has sweet single player and virtually seamless online play. So here’s my official ruling on the game.
Graphics: 9.5 -Even still, next-gen graphics never cease to amaze me. The lighting effects, the blurs, and especially the crashes in this game are all presented beautifully in 1080p: it makes for one of the most visually spectacular games I’ve ever seen.
Game-Play: 9 - The controls in
the game are pretty standard for a racing game. There’s trigger for gas, a boost button, etc. But thats not where the game’s innovation lies. That’s in the completely open world ‘Paradise City’ that you get to explore. The amazing thing: no loading times whatsoever. And you know how in most open world games, when you go toward something it appears as you get closer? Not in PC: every object in the game is visible no matter where you are, creating a world that seems almost real.
Single Player: 9 - The basic object of single player is to win races to get ‘marks’ on your license, and raise your license ranking. And one more great game-play innovation is that there are no arrows telling you where to go, or invisible walls that appear while you’re racing. You start a race by pulling up at any traffic light in the city and holding brake and gas. Then, you get a destination to get to one of 8 key places in the game. From there on, you and 7 other racers can take any route you want to get to the destination. This adds a great deal of choice and style to the game.
Multiplayer: 0 - Does not apply. 
Online: 10 - Definitely the coolest thing about the game is how it seamlessly integrates the online play and single player. To connect to the online service (on Xbox Live) all you do is press the D-pad a couple of times to select the mode you want, wait 3 seconds to connect, and instantly 7 other racers appear in your city. Or, you can invite friends the same way. From there on, the party leader can set different objectives for the players to complete (ex. All players must help get a total of 3 minutes of air time off the dam jump). It’s really fun to do these objectives, and adds a whole new level to the game.
Overall: 9 - With great single and multiplayer, this game should definitely be in any racing fan or game fan’s collection. Seriously, this game is a glimpse into the future of gaming.