Burnout Paradise

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
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  1. Play UK
    74
    A polished, high-quality product, but its repetitiveness makes it less than compelling. Criterion seems to have lost sight of the high-adrenaline dynamic that makes Burnout exciting. [Issue#162, p.74]
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  2. games(TM)
    70
    The question of how much an open city suits Burnout is soon replaced by how well Criterion makes the game work within one. And, thanks to a number of odd decisions on how players progress, the answer is: sloppily. [Feb 2008, p.114]
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PS3 Game of 2008
8
#8 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
13
#13 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 546 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 362 out of 546
  2. Mixed: 126 out of 546
  3. Negative: 58 out of 546
  1. MrX
    Jan 25, 2008
    10
    Stop whining about not being able to restart the race! Just start another one close by. The whole idea is to keep things different and fluid Stop whining about not being able to restart the race! Just start another one close by. The whole idea is to keep things different and fluid and learn the city. Just because you suck at the game and have to redo a race a thousand times doesnt mean the game is bad. The open city is awesome and really gives a sense of freedom. It also adds to the replay value because you can take a different route every time you do a race and find all the shortcuts. I thought Crash in the previous Burnouts was boring and overated, so I don't miss it here either. The graphics, responsiveness and sense of speed are amazing, and a definite improvement on previous versions. Brilliant.… Full Review »
  2. billysherlock
    Oct 9, 2017
    8
    In short, Burnout Paradise does extremely well for itself considering its success as a franchise and the constant need to be original yet fitIn short, Burnout Paradise does extremely well for itself considering its success as a franchise and the constant need to be original yet fit with the Burnout theme.

    Paradise manages to fuse newer gameplay options and crash mechanics all into an open world setting in an urban environment while minimising the restrictions of roads by creating inventive dirt tracks, ramps and shortcuts throughout the map. The controls are all mostly intuitive, with the standard driving setup with only a few deviations to incorporate ‘Boost’ and ‘Drift’ options however it doesn't take the player long to get reasonable comfortable with the layout.

    One downside to Paradise is its severe lack of plot or storyline, with no characters, antagonist, protagonist or overall goal. This may seem to be a problem until you look at the Burnout franchise and understand the target demographic and the intended gameplay. Burnout is a franchise fully based on progression by repetition and involves many crashes in many cars in many races. A plot in a burnout game would be completely out of place due to the multitude of crashes and when there are so many collisions in a game it is difficult to maintain the suspension of belief simply to involve characters and a story.

    The overall graphics of Paradise are pretty good, considering it is a game involving said designed cars to be completely destroyed by the player, however these crashes are the pinnacle of the games graphical capability for the developers have been able to accurately recreates, procedurally generated crashes and they look fantastic. The use of slow motion in crash scenes are nothing new in the Burnout franchise however the accuracy and the detail involved in Paradise makes it feel like a movie scene. The way the glass shatters, the metal folds and the car moves from the momentum is captivating.

    The world design is worthy of its own section all together. As mentioned before, the developers have truly found the excellent balance of accurate roads, challenging jumps and stunts and all-round excellent world design. The map is full of hidden routes and fun tracks to try out when you find them, the developers also found an excellent way of marking the tracks you have already driven. This is done by small wooden billboards standing on the entrance to a track that are so tempting to smash, most of the time you find yourself in an entirely new area simply by swerving into said billboard. The entire world design is excellent with towering buildings, winding tunnels and countless shortcuts throughout the city of which when you have mastered, you can be the king of the streets.

    The music used in the soundtrack really brought the game to life. The use of ‘Paradise City’ as the main tune was obviously a win however the ability to use real music on various radio channels truly made the game feel just slightly closer to real than game. The music really fit with the theme of destruction and chaos and embodied the city the game was set in.

    The game is definitely worth every penny spent on it. Due to it being released in 2008, almost 10 years ago, the price of the game has lowered significantly however the adrenaline of winning races by gently nudging cars off the road in the game: that has definitely not lowered at all since the release. The game may age in terms of graphics however the gameplay, the maps design, the races, the feeling of progression when you win your next car, the stunts and the overall excitement definitely make a timeless game to any who enjoy the Burnout franchise.

    DLCs are present in Paradise however they don’t impact the gameplay of the base game. Paradise is not a Pay-To-Win game and that is a good thing. This means there is much more strategy involved in the gameplay and it means there are consequences when you lose a race. DLCs are excellently implemented by allowing various other cars into the game while also adding an entire area tio explore with newly implemented, stunt cars.

    In a game of this age and open world design there are bound to be a few bugs, most of which have been patched over time however since the development of other games takes priority it is no surprise some have been left out. The bugs in Paradise are pretty minor in context of the scale of the overall game however no bugs truly affects the gameplay to a noticeable extent.

    Overall the game is a must buy. The game completely fits within the theme of a Burnout game however it bring the franchise new life with an innovative and creative map and dynamic new gameplay and options to expand the world you play to destroy.    … Full Review »
  3. NikoB.
    Apr 26, 2008
    10
    Best racing game ever. takedown was fun for like two days, and paradise is a great turn for the series.
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