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burnout paradise for my son

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: February 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

we purchased this for my son as a gift for his ranking #1 in his Freshman class of 594 students. So this was at the top of his list. He loves this game and plays all the time. I do not play, but I do know that he is thoroughly enjoying every wasted moment in front of that xbox360!

Fun racing game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: April 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

From a mom's perspective, this was a so so game....but from my son's perspective, this game ROCKED entirely! He loved it from beginning to end and ended up taking it to college and not leaving it home for his younger brother! EEK!

No Longer Burnout

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Be forewarned that if you go into Burnout Pardise thinking that it is the same game as the others in the Burnout series, then you will be dissappointed. This is not the same Burnout that we have known and loved for so long. Burnout Paradise feels like a whole new racer, some new changes are good while others are bad. But because of these changes the game is losing a lot of its loyal fanbase and gaining a new one. And this is one of those games that divides people that love or hate it.

This first major change is that Paradise, is the first open world racer in the Burnout series. Open world means that the map is completely accessible from the beginning of the game and you drive anywhere and do anything within this open world map. This is not a new concept in racing games, but it is new in the Burnout series. I love open world games in general so for me this was a huge plus as it adds lots of replayability. You can cruise around the whole city and go sight-seeing the HUGE map, Since the graphics have recieved an overhaul it looks beautiful, there are urban (city) areas and rural (countryside);there is always something new to see and explore.

The other major change is the elimination of Crash Mode. They have replaced it with something called "Showtime". Showtime can be activated at anytime during the game by pressing both bumper buttons at the same time. You will then see you car flip and tumble around as you guide it towards street traffic and crash into vehicles to cause accidents and earn points. Your car takes more damage as it hits each vehicle, but can continue tumbling around as a hunk of metal. It is so incredibly stupid of the game developers to replace Crash Mode with this unrealistically lame Showtime Mode- you cannot even detonate your car anymore and Crashbreakers have been removed! I have have to deduct a star on that premise alone. Crash Mode was one of the most fun and unique aspects within the Burnout series. I hope they bring it back in the sequel.

Unfortunately, you can no longer check traffic (knock street vehicles out of your way) like in Burnout Revenge. The game developers instead made it more realistic and will punish you for hitting street traffic, a small hit will cause physical damage to your car, a full on collision will demolish it and rubbing against other vehicles can cause your car to swerve out of control. Now racing has become more dangerous because demolishing your car can cause you to loose preciouse seconds which give your opponents a lead and visa-versa, so now your true racing skills come into play. I miss checking traffic, but this does not bother me. Other people are divided on this issue however. But you can now play two new game modes called Stunt Run and Marked Man In Stunt Run you try to race and perform stunts for points while the clock is ticking. In Marked Man other players try to destroy the marked car before they reached the finsish line. I though both games are a lot of fun and expand on the gameplay.

Loading screens are virutally gone thanks to streaming technology and joining a race is as easy as stopping at a traffic light and pressing both trigger buttons on your controllers at the same time. Then you are inside a race within seconds about to start. The process feels seamless in both single player and multiplayer online. However, the design that has angered a lot of players is when you join a race and lose the event you have to BACKTRACK all the way to that specific streetlight starting point. Which is a huge pain in the butt. There is no instant retry or replay of the event.

Paradise has some major flaws but with it come major improvements which overall add to the replay value of the game. It is like a whole new experience; I love the fact that it is open world, that the maps and cars look beautiful. The speed is still topnotch and I had tons of fun roaming around doing stunts by myself or with online multiplayer. It no longer feels like Burnout but still is an excellent racer. Burnout Paradise is loads of fun for all ages and I can see it attracting new fans.

Pros:
+Open world gameplay
+Huge, beautifully designed map
+Excellent multiplayer
+Excellent controls
+Excellent sound effects
+Amazing graphics
+Brutal crash animations
+Stunt Mode and Marked Man Modes are fun
+Virtually no loading times
+Do stunts anywhere
+Amazing speed is still there
+Excellent racer

Cons:
-Crash Mode is no longer there
-Showtime Mode is TOTAL garbage
-Backtracking to race again is a pain
-You cannot set waypoints
-No longer feels like Burnout
-Lots of trashy music tracks

NOTE: If you want other open world racers, I recommend Midnight Club, Need for Speed Underground and Test Drive Unlimited.

Still Fun Despite The Changes

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

3 1/2 stars, actually....

I don't know how well the 'open world' thing works for this game. I prefer the more structured gameplay where the new events are opened by a win in one event; I also miss the exploding cars you could detonate when you crashed, not to mention the ability to steer your wreckage and take out multiple cars. I also miss the crash/destruction mode. I guess I miss a lot of the things that made 'Burnout 3' & 'Burnout Revenge' soooo great. The graphics in the newest version are great, but not much better than 'Revenge' to me. But there is still tons of fun to be had in this sprawling city; And while I missed the old stuff, there were still lots of blood pumping moments to be had. The speed is still crazy and the car selection is pretty nice. But still, no programmable soundtrack. Big mistake. They know everyone wants that feature, but instead we get a mixed bag of 80's metal hits, current pop-rock, and techno. Overall this is fun, but very forgettable when it's over. And that's not always bad.

Much better than user reviews would indicate

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was a huge fan of Burnout 3 on PS2. Two of the best things about it were the Aftertouch takedowns and Crash mode. Burnout Paradise has scrapped these features but is still a great game on its own merits. The demo doesn't really do the game justice, since it only features a handful of events and a limited section of the city to drive around in.

Burnout Paradise's open-world format lets you cruise around the city seamlessly with no loading screens. Starting events is as simple as pulling up to an intersection and pulling both trigger buttons simultaneously. Gas Stations, Body Shops and Paint Shops are located throughout the city allowing you to refill your boost, repair or paint your car on the fly by simply driving through them. There are a number of Junkyards as well where you can switch cars.

Familiar events like races and Road Rage (score as many takedowns as possible in a set time) are still in the game, as well as a Marked Man mode, where you need to get from point A to point B while several cars attempt to take you down. Burning Routes test your driving skills and award you with an upgraded version of your car if you can complete the trip in the allotted time. Stunt run challenges you to string together as many jumps and tricks as possible. There's also a ton Super Jumps, gated shortcuts (Crashes) and Billboards to discover throughout Paradise City.

Crash mode has essentially been replaced by Showtime mode, which you can trigger at any point in the game by pressing both shoulder buttons. Your car starts flipping end over end through traffic and your goal is to smash into as much traffic as possible for as long and as far as possible. Each car you hit adds to your boost which allows you to keep your momentum, while hitting busses adds to your multiplier. While Showtime isn't as fun as Crash mode, it fits better with the open-world format. Your ultimate goal is to beat a certain score on every road in the city. There's a similar mode where you try to get the fastest time from one end of each road to the other.

As you progress through the game, you're alerted to new cars driving around the city which you must take down to add to your garage. This feels far more rewarding than simply earning cars automatically when certain benchmarks are reached as in past Burnout games. There are over 75 cars in all, classified as either Speed, Stunt and Aggression types.

The online mode is where Burnout Paradise really shines. At any point you can use the D-pad to jump online and begin "Freeburning", where you can drive around the city with up to seven other drivers. In Freeburn mode, players compete for the lead in categories like drift distance, barrel rolls, oncoming distance and more. The host can also set up races from one point to another or with a number of checkpoints. There are also 350 co-op challenges (50 for each number of players 2-8) where all players must meet the challenge. Some are as simple as using boost, while others require more cooperation. For instance, seven players need to line up in a certain location while an eighth person jumps over all of them. These are a lot of fun and encourage a lot of talking between players. The social aspect in Burnout Paradise is much greater than other games I've played online where you may play a quick match and then face another player.

Besides the lack of Crash mode and Aftertouch, one of the biggest complaints is the inability to restart a race. Because there are events at every intersection, the only time this gets somewhat frustrating is when you've completed most of the events and you only have a few left to earn the elusive Elite license. This especially applies to Burning Routes, of which there is only one for each car on the entire map. However, if you start an event, crash, and don't think you'll be able to complete the event, you can simply stop the car and the event will end.

Another complaint is the lack of two-player split-screen. While this would be a great feature to have, it probably would be difficult to pull off considering the amount of processing power required to render the city at a high framerate without any load time.

The map is another point of frustration. When you start out, you're heavily dependent on the map and will often crash when checking the map to find the next turn. The game helps you out a little with turn signals, but often times they come too late to make the turn. However, the more you play it, the more familiar you become with the map and the less of an issue this becomes.

All in all, Burnout Paradise is a huge departure from its predecessors, but it retains the feel of the series while adding a lot of fun new elements. I was disappointed with the demo but now that I've played the full version for about 60 hours (82% complete), I'm so glad I picked up this game.

Great Game Altogether

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is a blast. I actually haven't played the other Burnouts, so that's not influencing my review. I actually think the other people are relying too much on the game having aspects of the older versions.

The only reason I can't give this game 5 stars is because it doesn't have any co-op mode, which really bothers me, and the menus are a bit convoluted and confusing.

Other than that, the game is so fun, the takedown modes are great, and I really like the open city. I noticed one reviewer said they didn't like it because it didn't have a speedometer or tach. It doesn't have those because it doesn't matter. This is an arcade racer and those things don't matter like they do in PGR or Gran Turismo.

Some good, some bad.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm been a big Burnout fan every sense it started. The idea was what ever kid does, crash cars. I was excited for the "High Def" version. After going through it, there are some good things, some bad.

I do like the open world. It does take a while to get use to it, and what street goes where, but what is cool is all the short cuts and jumps that are all over the map. You can just rome forever, trying to smash billboards or find super jumps. The races are pretty much the same feel. There are 4 main types of races.
Normal Race, you get a starting point and end point and get there as quick as you can. As you get use to the map it does get frustrating that one wrong turn and you pretty much are heading the wrong way.
RoadRage, this is one part I have always loved from the series and its pretty much the same, there are more cars this time to crash (before there was 3 around you, now there are 5). I also like this in the open world, you can turn around and there are more cars to knock of the road.
Last man standing, this is kind of like roadrage but the roles are reversed. Now cars are trying to knock you off the road, and if your card gets to damaged before you hit the finish line you loose. This does have some fun factor in it.
Burning lap, this is just where, with a given car, you have a certain amount of time to reach the end line. This isn't to bad, but all of these burning laps show up on your map even if you don't have the right car. So you kind of have to go around searching for the right race for the car you have.
New is this style race (I can't remember what it is called). This is where you get points for going of jumps and doing flips (barrel roll) and so forth. If you don't know the map very well this can be tuff, but once you find a path that has enough jumps you can usually win.
Last (I think) is Showtime. This is I guess was replaced the crash mode from earlier Burnouts (which I was disappointed with). This is fun the first couple of times you do it, but after that it is just the same thing again and again. You are rolling your car down the road trying to hit as many cars as you can. The sound here is good (of hearing your car spin) but that's about it.

Good: Open world, plenty of room to explore, Crashes are as good as they get, races are fun.
Bad: Showtime, (no crash mode), the slightest crash puts you in this slow mode camera view, and when you are in a race you don't want to wait for it. Music is dumb (good thing you can use your own soundtracks).

Over all it's a fun game, not as much replay value as previous games. You do get board with it, because you end doing the same races over 3 times just a different skill levels. By the time you get close to the end you start to loose site of the point of it all. Over all a fun game!
I hope they improve this a lot for next year!

Different Strokes

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?

This game is freakin' awesome! My wife and I have been huge fans of the series since Takedown and we couldn't wait until this was released. We were not disappointed in the least with the game play, or the environment. The open world is too cool. If you prefer to race in the city, do it. If you prefer mountains, do it. The fact that there is no split screen may force me to buy another Xbox so my wife and I can both play!

(- one half star for no split screen)

I see some people are gettin' lost in the map? Maybe because I learned to drive before there was GPS that's not an issue for me...? :-) The challenges and events will help you learn the city. Once you've completed a chunk of them, it's like driving around your hometown. Drive around, study the layout, discover shortcuts, know how to get anywhere from everywhere. Plus, the online challenges are a blast to grab some friends, (or strangers), meet online, and just tear up the city!

Yeah, it's different than Takedown, and Revenge - but change can be good...if you don't like change, dust off your Nintendo and rip up some killer 2D scrollers like Mario Brothers! No map to worry about, just grab coin and kick turtles.
Don't forget to blow into the cartridge before you put it in the system...

If you like to jump in a new game and master it the first weekend, this ain't your game. If you like to wine and dine it, learn what makes it tick, and then make sweet love to it throughout a long loving relationship...well, before this game I'd have said that was weird.

This is a great game.
Caleb agrees.

"...where the grass is green and the girls are pretty..."

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

EA's insanely fun Burnout series takes some big steps forward with Burnout Paradise, which takes the series' formula to some new levels. Most notably is that the game features an open-world environment, otherwise known as Paradise City. The game has virtually no linear feel to it as you are basically free to drive, crash, and smash until your heart is content, as you come across objectives to keep progressing up the game's ladder of licenses. One thing I've noticed based on other reviews here, notably the negative ones, is that many are complaining that Crash Mode is nowhere to be found. Yes, it's sad but true, Crash Mode is gone, but one new feature that what we get here instead is Showtime Mode, which is a sheer blast to say the least. Yes, Crash Mode is gone, get over it. The game itself looks gorgeous and is wonderfully detailed in its scenes of vehicular destruction, and the driving and racing elements are still as fun as you'd come to expect from the series by now. XBox Live support is nearly flawless as well, nicely implementing the use of the XBox Vision Camera, which is a neat little feature in itself. The one thing I absolutely couldn't stand about Burnout Paradise was the game's licensed music soundtrack. This has become a staple with just about every sports/driving-themed game to come out of EA, but the songs here are just plain annoying. Also, there are a few glitches and hiccups that pop up now and then, but they're not too noticeable. All in all, Burnout Paradise is a welcome change of pace for the series to take, as it still provides heaping amounts of mayhem that fans of the series old and new can enjoy, and if you've never played any Burnout game before, Burnout Paradise is a more than welcome place to get acquainted.

what Burnout: Revenge should have been...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Beautiful Graphics..nice, open ended city to burn through and explore..the crash engine is Excellent...the cars handle very well..and the game is just FUN to pick up and play, period.

the only downfalls i can think of, which really arent downfalls at all, are the variety of the cars..which seems to be limited to only Racers...but theres 75 of them...so your sure to find a car that youll love to race with regardless. also, some of the cross-city races that travel into the Country area seem to be a bit LONG and boring...and you have to drive BACK to the city after you finish those races, which is annoying..but saving and reloading the game after the race will put you back into the city...so thats not really a problem now is it :l

one of the best, if not the best, racing game out. this is what Burnout: Revenge SHOULD have been...rent it first though..

iLL .

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