A host of options and challenges, Burnout Paradise delivers mind numbingly fast arcade racer action on the very edge of control. Freedom is the drug of choice offered up by this installment, equally present throughout the single player and multiplayer alike. It regularly defies both gravity and expectations, providing the best arcade racing experience on the Xbox 360 to date.
Reigniting a Franchise
Criterion’s decision to offer an open world racing experience in their latest iteration of Burnout was a bold one. And with the divisiveness seen across the internet regarding the decision, it’s enough to give one pause. Allow me to allay any fears; Burnout Paradise not only succeeds, it shines. The beautifully detailed city contains a surprising amount of diversity. The eastern area is a sprawling coastal downtown complete with beachfront area and a naval yard. Head west across the mock Golden Gate bridge and you’ll be treated to a mountainous area with treacherous curves and off-road shortcuts. Explore further and you’ll find hidden gems such as a stock car track and a tricked out airstrip.
Cruising the open world environment, there are plenty of explorative challenges. Smash through private gates to discover new shortcuts, hidden stunt areas, or more gates. Destroying Burnout billboards also offers rewards. Located all over Paradise, some may only necessitate a slight jump, while others require a more aggressive approach such as roof hopping from the top of a parking garage. Denoted by flashing cones, super jumps are exactly what they imply. Completing any one of these challenges earns you a new car. Plus, in an excellent move by Criterion, you’re able to earn smashes, billboards, and super jumps online with other players. You must still use your car to complete the challenge, but successful attempts are recorded.
The single most important aspect of Paradise city is probably its drive thrus. Unlocked by exploring the map, there are four types. The junkyard offers the player the ability to access his vehicle inventory and head right back out. The auto repair fixes a vehicle completely on the fly. The gas station will completely refill the player’s boost, while the paint depot will change the color and detailing of the current vehicle. (and save the scheme for later)
The Fast and the Furious
Burnout returns with a cavalcade of vehicles this time around, almost 80 cars, broken up into 3 classes. The Stunt class offers great boost, excellent control when drifting or initiating barrel rolls and flat spins. The Speed class offers unparalleled cornering with low boost, but has the ability to create boost chains and burnouts by using all of your boost meter in one consecutive push. The Aggressive class is powerful, proving to be the takedown champion.
Inside each class, cars are quite varied in handling, look, and performance. The Inferno Van, an Aggressive class tank, handles as such, but has the ability to withstand hits and knock traffic awry. The A-Team would heartily approve. Conversely, the Best Buy Oval (an unlockable) is a thematic stock car sure to bring some thunder to your day. Apart from sharing the same class, they have little else in common.
Vehicles are rendered beautifully. And while no name brand cars are available, you’ll easily be able to identify the inspirations for these machines. The Opus stunt car boasts a Chevelle/GTO influence, while the Ikusa GT Samurai is straight from Japan. Rear, front, and all wheel drive are faithfully represented. While customization isn’t the order of the day here, the cars do all have their own feel and perform with tight control and as expected by design.
Burnout also serves up the best wrecks you’ll ever want to gawk at. The action is always dynamic, and often hilarious. I’m reminded of George Carlin’s take on NASCAR: “Where else can you see a 10 car pile up and not be in the damn thing?!!?”
Eventful Intersections
Events are accessed by spinning your wheels at any intersection in the game. All events are unlocked at the start of the game and there’s no “order” that need be followed. By completing events, you earn points to rank up your driver’s license, and also earn new cars. You earn a vehicle each time you reach a new rank, but a car is also dropped in the world every 3 or 4 events. These cars you must shut down. They’ll spawn near you every few minutes and you need to track them down and run them off the road. If successful, the car is towed to your junkyard, where you can access and then repair it. This proves to be some of the most fun in the game. Initially, cars are pretty easy to take down. But as you progress, the chase becomes more difficult.
The actual intersection events are as follows:
Race
A standard game type, it’s either an eight man race, or one on one, depending on the intersection. You’re given directions as you drive to the finish line, but shortcuts can drastically improve your chances, or throw you completely off track.
Marked Man
Chased by jet black aggressive sports cars, you must reach the finish line without totaling your car. You’re allowed to wreck several times before the damage becomes critical. One of the best game types offered.
Stunt Run
Exceed the target number of stunt points within the given time limit. Initially frustrating, once you learn how to attain multipliers from specific stunts as well as chain combos, it becomes a LOT of fun.
Road Rage
The finest version of this classic Burnout game type ever displayed, Road Rage compels you to reach a target number of takedowns in the given time limit, providing a small time bonus for each takedown. Take the fight ANYWHERE in this game type. Enemy vehicles spawn all over the place so the city becomes your playground.
Burning Routes
These are time trials for specific vehicles. Successfully completing them gives you an upgraded version of the car.
Showtime
This is Paradise City’s crash mode. It can be initiated anywhere in the city, and allows you to use your boost to propel your car into traffic. Damage is calculated per vehicle, with multipliers for hitting buses. I was unimpressed at the start, but once I got the hang of it, I started enjoying it much more.
In multiplayer, challenges take a different tone. The only accessible events are races, complete with customized routes that can be saved for later use. Create a simple start and end point, or add check points for longer routes. Challenges, on the other hand, are more party game oriented. Cooperative events like jumping over a specific bridge in reverse, or barrel rolling of the same jump at the same time with a partner offer a pleasant and rewarding experience. It’s also the best way to find some of the more hidden areas of the city.
Every statistic you can think of is tracked online. Jump distance, takedowns, air time, road times, etc. are all tracked within the room. Rivals can cruise with each other around the city completing various challenges while constantly trying to one up their opponents.
By the Dashboard Lights?
I’ll be honest and say that there are few criticisms that I can offer this game. It’s a tremendous accomplishment, a new evolutionary and revolutionary direction that the series really needed to take. Almost everything in the game not only works as intended, but excels. Despite earlier reports, the framerate is all but rock solid, offering the slightest hitch very infrequently. The online is seamless, fluid, and above all, incredible fun.
The two main flaws talked about the most are the lack of restarts in races and the trackless environment. I believe the lack of restarts promotes exploration, and the end of a race is almost always the start of another event. It’s convenient enough to make your way around the city, and half way through the game, I’ve rarely been frustrated. Good riddance to tracks with flashing arrows and lackluster design, I say. Paradise City holds more challenge with its varied routes and potential shortcuts. You can also be lead astray by shortcuts, unlike other cookie cutter racing games. This added unknown makes for a more interesting experience by far.
If I were to gripe, I’d pick two other, more notable missing features. First, the lack of any night cycle is saddening. The city is absolutely gorgeous during the day, with fantastic lighting effects to boot, but I would have liked to see Paradise by night. Second, and maybe even more importantly, is the lack of any video capture. A hallmark trait for EA’s Skate, a game which draws a lot of comparison to Paradise City, video proved to be an outstanding feature in that title. I can’t help but feel it’s missing from this Burnout, even if it was never intended by the developer. I only hope that it’s planned for the inevitable sequel.
Never a Finish Line
Reinventing a successful series such as Burnout can be an arduous task, I imagine. Adding new elements while retaining the core of the franchise, Burnout takes the checkered flag with Paradise City. While the potential to alienate fans of the older fare exists, bold decisions and new directions are always risks. Here we have an arcade racer with lengthy single player options, diversity of challenges and events, accessibility of online play, gorgeous detailing, and solid performance of the vehicles and the game engine. Whether you play for 20 minutes or 2 hours, there’s always something to do in this city that never sleeps. Truly, a better paradise could not be asked for.
