he Burnout series has always had a social component to it—if cruising through traffic and creating magnificently destructive crashes is fun, doing it with friends is even better. Even the old-school crash modes were a blast, with a great “pass the controller around” element. With Burnout Paradise, developer Criterion is banking heavily on that social aspect of the game. Burnout Paradise takes a detour from past versions of the game, taking place in a wide-open world where just about anything you’d expect in a Burnout game is possible.
Criterion’s Alex Ward says the game is all about having fun with friends. Basically, you tool around town, exploring the 70-square kilometer city and causing all manner of mayhem, until your friends pop online. From there, you can race, crash and smash to your heart’s content—with no lobbies. When you invite a friend and he accepts, he teleports to your area immediately. That’s right—there aren’t any load times, either. You can see why they call it Burnout Paradise.
The game includes a refined version of the crash junction mode, where crashes can continue as long as you maintain your momentum—there’s no time limit or other artificial game-stoppers. Even better, your friends can help you out, smashing into you when you’re slowing down, giving you a much-needed kick in the pants.
The game also adds a few other new features, like rooftop jumping and cars that are even more deformable than ever. You can send your engine block out through the back window, for instance. When you decide to start a race, you’re not going to see arrows or other track-like indicators. Since you’re in a virtual city, it’s up to you to find the fastest route from point A to point B. The A.I. will find its own way, too. Burnout Paradise is all about exploration.
It’s good to see that Criterion isn’t just jamming Burnout into an open-world environment and calling it a day. They’ve certainly made it clear that it’s important that it plays and feels like the Burnout that fans know and love, while expanding its scope exponentially. Ultimately, isn’t it really about smashing cars up real good? On that front, Burnout Paradise delivers in a massive way.