Better ride than Vordemann?
From the second the start-up menu flickers on screen and a rendition of Gun’s ‘N Roses ‘Paradise City’ blazes out of the speakers, followed by the request to plug-in your Xbox live vision camera in order to take a photo for your new driving license, there's a fresh and exciting vibe that encapsulates this latest Burnout game.The Burnout series has changed dramatically. The rigid menu system from Burnout Revenge has been ditched, ‘Crash’ mode has been renamed to ‘Showtime’, loading times and the structured race environments of old have been replaced with a flowing open world environment, where you’re free to drive at breakneck speeds around Paradise City, screaming through red lights and racing and crashing your way around the extensive road network.
The Burnout series, like the thinking-man's-totty, Carol Vordemann, seems to be getting sexier and more attractive with age. The comparison kinda breaks down there as I've no idea how Carol handles in a tight corner or if you can bolt on a new rear end... but then again, having never driven a performance street racer or even met Ms Vordemann, I'll just have to stick to guessing what the ride quality is like in either...
So leaving dodgy comparisons to one side, the car handling feels solid and the speed of the Burnout series is as intense as ever and the wealth of experience from the Criterion team has paid off, presenting itself within every small detail across the sensational looking Paradise City
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageFrom barrel-rolls to high speed drifts, from furiously fast-paced takedown challenges to exhilarating chase events through the busy streets, Criterion has done everything they could possibly do to bring the ‘Extreme’ back into racing. The developer has approached Burnout from a new angle and has truly reinvigorated the series, bringing it crashing into the next-gen era with one hell of an impact. Fasten your seat-belts folks, because Burnout Paradise is one hell of a ride.