Fast cars, street races and no cops. That's Burnout Paradise. With plenty of action and events, a rocking soundtrack and many extras to keep you entertained you'll have a blast.
There are no tracks, no barriers, no cops, the entire city is a giant race course. Simply pull up at the traffic lights and get ready to race. There are several different race types. Complete a set amount of races and you advance a licence type giving access to better vehicles and more races. The commentary and cut scenes tell you exactly what you need to do so there's no need to figure things out, just keep driving searching for better cars to trash, which you can then pick up from the scrapyard, or the next available race. Mugshots allow you to take photos of yourself for your licence during the game, using your web cam.
Race types include: "Race", where you battle opponents from the starting location to another point specified before the race begins; "Road Rage" is a destruction derby on the roads where you need to take down a set number of vehicles; "Marked Man" is where you are given a destination to head towards while other, faster cars try to knock you off the road; "Stunt Run" is where you have to preform various stunts such as burnout and jumps within the given time limit; "Burning Route" is where you race a specific vehicle with a time limit, with the reward of a better version of your car that's stronger and has extra boost power.
There are many expansions and patches for the game including: "Codename: Bogart", a general update patch; "Codename: Cagney", which gives more multiplayer modes; as well as bike packs, trophy packs, and general updates. There are also DLC's (Downloadable Content) available including: "Party Pack", which offers offline challenges where you pass the controls around among friends; "Legendary Cars" gives extra cars to drive in, including mock-ups of the Back to the Future DeLorean; "Toy Cars" gives the look of toy cars but in full scale size; "Boost Specials" gives extra boost enhancements; "Big Surf Island" offers extra places to preform stunts and "Cops and Robbers" where players chase each other in a game of cops and robbers.
The cars are glossy and the scenery realistic. The graphics are an overall winner using the RenderWare engine. There is a lot of detail in the game but the most noticeable omission is the lack of a driver inside the car. This just doesn't look right when the vehicle is trashed missing doors and sideways, showing an empty cabin. The sound is great. The audio track involves many great songs that are played as new tracks on the radio today. The main piece is of course Guns and Roses with "Paradise City", as well as Avril Lavigne and many songs that you may likely have in your music collection. The ambient sound is great with horrific crunching sounds and an energetic radio host providing hints to cruising around the city.
The game can get a little stale after too long. This means the Downloadable Content is necessary for longevity. The volume is turned way up to the rocking soundtrack which adds to the experience. Controlling isn't difficult so this is a game worth buying weather your a fan of the driving genre or not.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
