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Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360) | 
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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: £49.99
Buy Used: £16.80
You Save: £33.19 (66%)
New (16) Used (17) from £16.80
Rating:  39 reviews
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: car-and-truck-racing-games
Rating: Parental Guidance
Media: Video Game
Age: 3 - 18 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
EAN: 5030930055165
ASIN: B000I5TL4I
Release Date: January 25, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: This game is in good condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Poor demo, Excellent game January 28, 2008
M. O. HAYNES (UK)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
Having read some reviews on Amazon and playing the dreadful demo I was pretty much put off buying this game. But then I recalled the demo of 'Revenge' being just as lacklustre and had a look at some other reviews on independant gaming sites e.g. 9/10 from gamespot. At which point I went and got it the day of the release. To put this into perspective I have 97% complete on the previous Xbox release 'Revenge' and had been waiting for this game for what seemed like eons so I am a big fan and wasn't going to be put off by a few odd people moaning about the demo. Critereon have produced a really good game here and then shot themselves in the foot with the demo. Forget the demo, the real McCoy is here and it is brilliant.
Gone are the painfully slow loading screens and equally irritating reloads and run throughs if you messed up a crash event - this is as close to seamless as it can get in terms of save/load functionality. The single player 'campaign' for want of a better term makes you work for license upgrades from learner, to C, B, A, Burnout and then Burnout Elite by doing races, takedown challenges and stunt challenges. The graphics are great as ever and the feeling of speed is unlike any other racing game.
The 'side quests' are discovery challenges like finding all the special jumps, barriers across shortcuts, car parks, drive thrus (were you can get a re-spray, swap cars, fill up your boost and fix damage) and then time challenges for each road on the map and 'show time'. Show time basically replaces the crash events in previous versions of the game allowing you to enter into a crash at any point in the game and guide your gravity defying wreck through the $ valued vehicles to try and beat preset offline records and online records.
The increase in difficulty as your license progresses is well judged and discovery of shortcuts is rewarded and integral to the game. Another integral thing, and I suppose the most fundamental change, is need for good navigation skills. The idea of a linear route with a few shortcuts has gone out of the window. All you are told for a race event is the start and end point - how you get there is up to you. However, there are a number of good features to help you navigate - road signs flash to tell you to hang a left or right as you approach junctions, your indicators blink and if you are really struggling you can skip over to a big map with the touch of a button, the game pauses and lets you think about where you need to go. You need to have some patience as you get used to this new feature but eventually you will grow to love it.
One thing which usually trips up open-world design games such as this is the time it takes and the irritation factor of having to walk (or drive in this case) around looking for events. This is definately not the case in Burnout Paradise - there are things to do on pretty much every road junction clearly colour coded and described on the large map. The time it takes to burn from one junction to another is nowhere near how long it used to take 'Revenge' to load / re-load events. those people who moaned about the lack of variety in the game obviously were only reviewing the demo - the full map has the equivalent of White Mountain, Sunshine Keys, Motor City etc. in different areas of the city.
The only downsides of this game I can think of is that most of the EA Trax are not to my taste and I actually ended up switching them off. Also some reviewers have said that the DJ Atomica voice over is irritating - I would agree but he does every now and again give useful advice - replacing the on screen tips you used to get while you were waiting for levels to load. other things that might have been nice but I can understand why they aren't there are weather/time of day effects and pedestrians. But in a driving paradise who wants people getting in the way?
To summarise I think this game could have been subtitled 'Freedom' as it removes all the tedious constraints present in previous versions of Burnout. I am an out and out Burnout fan and I am in no way disappointed, if you can't read a map stick to PGR.
 Brilliant online, underwhelming offline February 4, 2008
KM (England)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
'Burnout Paradise' is the fifth entry in the successful racing/smash-em-up series and is probably the best yet, giving you full access to over 250 square miles of the beautiful Paradise City.
GAMEPLAY - 5/5
Instead of going through levels like on the previous Burnout games, the city is completely open so you can just drive about finding secret locations, or pull up to the traffic lights you can take part in one of hundreds of challenges that include races, takedowns, marked man and burning laps. When crashing into another car, if you hold shoulder buttons it will start Showtime mode (which is basically the same as Crash mode) where you must cause as many crashes as possible to build up the cost meter. The best thing about Burnout Paradise is the online play through Xbox Live where you can play against and with your friends in a series of multiplayer challenges, where there are over 350 to choose from.
GRAPHICS - 5/5
Some of the best so far on the 360. Driving around the city is just so lifelike and if you have played the previous games you may recognise some of the sections from those games. It's just a shame that the games is so fast, as you miss out on looking at the gorgeous locations.
SOUND - 3/5
The engine noise and helpful tips from the DJ accompany a soundtrack that won;t be to everyone's taste (mainly rock songs). From the likes of Guns N Roses to NERD as well as all of the tracks from Burnouts 1 to 3. Once you have played this for about 5 or 6 hours though, the track loops will have you switching the sound off.
LIFESPAN - 4/5
You'll either love or hate the open city format. If you love it (which you most likely will if you take it online) the amount of hours you can play this is endless. As well as the 100s of challenged, you can create your own race types and invite your friends and the variety is unlimited. Offline however only has a limitied appeal as driving around the city on your own can get a little boring and you'll feel the lack of competition a bit underwhelming.
OVERALL - 4/5
Burnout Paradise is a good, fun game that moves at an incredible pace. There's plenty to unlock and the city is massive, so lots to explore. The online play works perfectly but as an offline game it gets dull fairly quickly and lets the game down, stopping me from giving it the full 5 out of 5 rating. Highly recommended for Xbox Live players though.
I nearly Cried March 10, 2008
Mr. T. G. Short (england)
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
I am a die hard Burn out fan and when I saw the Paradise in develeopment I wet myself!! after months of waiting I had to buy it on the release date and ran home like a gleeful 12 year old kid who'd been told school was closed because of a snow day!!
Then I put it in the machine and...... WASN'T that impressed...
I was shocked WHAT THE HELL HAD THEY DONE TO BURNOUT???? why could I not check sameway traffic? Where was my Crash breaker? Why was I driving round a dumb city in a slow ass car? What happened to the fun thrill ride I knew and Loved?? EVERY GRIPE previous reviewers have had I had BELIEVE IT!
Ladies and gentleman I am here to tell you if you give this game a chance you will abandon your old religion and join the church of Paradise!! First off every one who played the demo BELIEVE ME it does not do the ACTUAL game justice (graphics/speed/playability nada.) You need a bit of time to get this game for several reasons:
1.) The first few cars you get are DELIBERATELY SLOWER to get you used to the driving system and the principle of the games and developing familiarity with a couple of routes and landmarks (there is a great learning curve hear perfectly pitched to help you get used to the different strengths and weaknesses of each car type and style!) If you had the cars I have now at the Start? you would crash every time you turn on the engine!!
2.) The free burn element of the game is not a weakness AS EVEN I Thought (any one who knows me knows I hate admitting i'm wrong but...) the reason this exists rather than simply teleporting you to the next event is so you CAN drive around and DISCOVER new and insane short cuts, jumps billboards that aren't even marked on your map!! If I had a pound for every time i've been on a drive and gone huh? where does this go? SWEEEEETTT!!!!
3.) The fact you cant just smack everyone out of the way with a well timed nudge is a blessing as far as skill and longjevity of this game go!! Every time you go up a rank or complet more events you will start noticing more traffic on the road ;-) this is DELIBERATE and will quickly start to remove you from your comfort zone and demand you give up on Silly things like blinking!!
That takes care of the things I initally hated now the things I loved!! Blistering pace, awesome soundtrack, beautiful cars that look like a post pimp my ride jobby and I have not even been on line to play this yet where it can only get better!!
Nuff said BUY IT and if you don't believe me rent it then come back and thank me!!!
amazing game !!!! December 20, 2007
Ms. R. A. Beard (bristol , eng)
6 out of 22 found this review helpful
I think this games is pretty good. I have played the demo on xbox live an i think it is amazing.You can tour the city and go where u like .. a bit like need for speed 2.The full game will even be better. i think this game is 5 star .. go for it
Burnout in Paradise January 25, 2008
oRB06
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Just bought the game today, after playing the demo on and off for a few weeks things started to get tedious, constantly re running the same areas and jumps was starting to reduce the life of the game. The full game puts paid to that from the word go, a massive and hugely detailed map sprawls out before you, stacked with moe then a hundred smash boards a challenge or race on every street corner and 72 gorgeous cars for you to destory in an infinate number of ways.
The races are fun, and open plan allowing for any combination of route to get to the finish line.
Anything goes! smash your opponents off the track, outrun them with powerful nitrous boosts or simply take a shortcut and head them off.
Online play greatly enhances the burnout experience, seamlessly blending online and offline play. your chievements in online transfer to your single player experience. Take down players or race against them in one of the simplest internet gaming setups I've ever seen.
Its fair to say that the lack of apparant story line can at times leave you a little confused, especially since the range of options open to you is so large.
My advice, buy yourself a live account and take this game online, theres nothing better than racing against someone who reacts when you take them down, or does something unexpected in a race.
A huge complement of achievements will keep you interested.
Final verdict, Fun but flawed.
8/10
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