Burnout Paradise

 PlayStation 3
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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. DaveG.
    Feb 2, 2009
    4
    It pains me to rate a Burnout game like this, but this is by far the worst game in the Burnout series. EA has finally ruined my favorite racing franchise. The "open world' is more like being stuck in a sh*t hole. The map and compass are a joke! I'm suppose to look up at that little compass to see where to turn while I'm going 150 mph in oncoming traffic racing other cars? It pains me to rate a Burnout game like this, but this is by far the worst game in the Burnout series. EA has finally ruined my favorite racing franchise. The "open world' is more like being stuck in a sh*t hole. The map and compass are a joke! I'm suppose to look up at that little compass to see where to turn while I'm going 150 mph in oncoming traffic racing other cars? There are no barricades on side streets so if you make one wrong turn your race is probably over. There is no retry race option if you lose your way so you have to drive all the way back to the street light where you started to restart! The only good things in the game are the graphics and the cars handle awesome as usual in a Burnout game. EA needs to leave the open world in Need for Speed and let Criterion make the Burnouts the way they are suppose to be. I hope they fix these problems in Burnout 6 or they make it like the previous good Burnouts were. You can play through this game but you just get upgraded cars on the same b.s races, i guess they just want you to memorize every single street?… Expand
  2. JeffJ.
    Feb 24, 2008
    3
    Burnout Revenge and Burnout Takedown were two awesome games that were just flat out fun for everyone. I would play those games with friends that never played video games and everyone had a great time. Burnout Paradise on the other hand is extremely hard to just pick up and play. Yes, I can drive around and do anything, but the reality is I drive around and am lost. When I want to race it Burnout Revenge and Burnout Takedown were two awesome games that were just flat out fun for everyone. I would play those games with friends that never played video games and everyone had a great time. Burnout Paradise on the other hand is extremely hard to just pick up and play. Yes, I can drive around and do anything, but the reality is I drive around and am lost. When I want to race it seems I just drive around and around and when I finally do find a race the game tells me I don't have the right car. I think it is stupid that I have to drive around to repair my car. That is just plain frustrating. And once I get into a race that absolute last thing I want to do is stare at a map so I don't get lost. Well, I do try and watch the map and end up just getting lost. Playing catchup because you missed a turn is not what Burnout is about. So do not buy this game. If you have a 360 buy Burnout Revenge for it. If you have a PS3 then I'm sorry. There is nothing fun about this game.… Expand
  3. 00z00300z003
    Nov 30, 2008
    4
    I think the game is okay. I thought 'this is it?' after playing the game for 10 minutes. As for the people who are looking at the map all the time, or get lost: don't listen to them, the game tells you where you need to turn during the race. Some things are a chore such as having to drive to a repair shop when you first get a new car, or having to drive all the way back toI think the game is okay. I thought 'this is it?' after playing the game for 10 minutes. As for the people who are looking at the map all the time, or get lost: don't listen to them, the game tells you where you need to turn during the race. Some things are a chore such as having to drive to a repair shop when you first get a new car, or having to drive all the way back to a race starting point. The games worst problem is that it is monotonous, but I ended up completing everything. The games strong points are its sense of speed and takedown events.… Expand
  4. BrettJames
    Jan 27, 2008
    1
    I'm not sure what game the reviewers got to play but the Burnout Paradise I played is the WORST sequel since Devil May Cry 2. No crash mode?? No auto restart? And what the hell happened to the sense of speed? The previous games were blazing fast. This barely gets things going. The Burnout series was always about one thing...FUN. You could hop in, run a couple of races or just smashI'm not sure what game the reviewers got to play but the Burnout Paradise I played is the WORST sequel since Devil May Cry 2. No crash mode?? No auto restart? And what the hell happened to the sense of speed? The previous games were blazing fast. This barely gets things going. The Burnout series was always about one thing...FUN. You could hop in, run a couple of races or just smash around. Great times. But this game? All work. You've got to drive to every race, that you have to find yourself! No one's mentioned that you only see maybe 2 or 3 races when the game starts. You've got to drive around and discover where all the races start. Then you've got to drive back to the same spot if you lose. Oh and don't forget to drive one place to fix your car, another place to paint it (with so few options it's hardly worth it) and another place to fill up the turbo. This is annoying in real life. Why, oh why, would the designers think that that would be fun here? And did I mention that this game feels slow? Oh good I did. This used to be a great game for having your friends over and seeing who could finish a run the fastest or cause the biggest wreck. Now the only wreck here is the game itself. It is a real slap in the face to fans of the series. Just like DMC2. PLEASE rent before you buy if you must know how this is. You'll thank me later.… Expand
  5. Crysis5
    Feb 2, 2008
    4
    I still find myself pining for the pure exhiliration of Burnout Takedown. Since then the series has steadily declined it seems and now it's something totally unrecognizable as Burnout. Other racing games that I own seem to become more refined as the new iterations arrive. Burnout seems to be having an identity crisis and I don't like it's guise this time around.
  6. Racefanatic2
    Feb 2, 2008
    1
    Burnout has lost its way.
  7. SteveD.
    Mar 4, 2008
    3
    Desperate for something to play on your PS3? then this will do for a bit. Rent don't buy though. Hardly the best Burnout by far, and some appalling omissions have been made, No crash for example is just unforgiveable. Open worlds suck and race restarts are a pain in the a**.
  8. SiFeltham
    Jan 16, 2008
    3
    What's with the dull showtime rubbish? and you have to drive back to the start line to start a race again - are they mad? That's the trouble when you deviate from the tried and tested set race routes I guess. Seems that Burnout has run it's course now that desperate measures such as sprawling worlds have been resorted to. Bring back the pure adrenaline rush of BurnoutWhat's with the dull showtime rubbish? and you have to drive back to the start line to start a race again - are they mad? That's the trouble when you deviate from the tried and tested set race routes I guess. Seems that Burnout has run it's course now that desperate measures such as sprawling worlds have been resorted to. Bring back the pure adrenaline rush of Burnout Takedown I say. Disappointing after an enormous time in development.… Expand
  9. JGerard
    Jan 19, 2008
    2
    Race restarts are irritaion itself! The nav system is awful and there's no crash.... rubbish.
  10. MikeB
    Nov 9, 2008
    0
    Absolutely horrible! The only thing 'Burnout' about this game is the title. I turned it on and found myself just aimlessly driving around a city trying to figure out how to race and when I did fuigure it out I got lost at the first turn. Change in a game is great, but it must be done for a reason, not "just because". The main problem with this game though was no crash missions, Absolutely horrible! The only thing 'Burnout' about this game is the title. I turned it on and found myself just aimlessly driving around a city trying to figure out how to race and when I did fuigure it out I got lost at the first turn. Change in a game is great, but it must be done for a reason, not "just because". The main problem with this game though was no crash missions, those are one of the things many people loved the burnout games for. Hopefully they can pull their heads from their asses if they think of making another game.… Expand
  11. DennisA.
    Jan 22, 2008
    1
    I give this a 1 because the graphics are unbelievable. The gameplay however is very annoying compared to Burnout games of the past. Why can't you restart races? I hate the fact that you have to waste time driving around to get to challenges. Why can't you select them from the map? I don't know what they were thinking when they made this game, but its not done well at all!
  12. DesM.
    Feb 29, 2008
    4
    The perfection of earlier Burnouts has started to fade, almost completely in this latest iteration. Burnout 4 was a little disappointing after number 3 and Paradise continues this downward slide unfortunately. Franchises are overmilked these days and the games inevitably suffer as a consequence. Here is a perfect example of that in action.
  13. EdW.
    Mar 4, 2008
    1
    Very disappointing. Go back and play Takedown. You'll have more fun and won't have torn all your hair out in frustration.
  14. IainS.
    Mar 4, 2008
    3
    No Crash. Open world. No quick race restarts. Poor.
  15. JeffH.
    Mar 4, 2008
    4
    Burnout was an arcade racer. It isn't any longer. They have used the name but fans of the old games will probably be disappointed as I was.
  16. HeidiH
    May 21, 2008
    1
    Don't like the open format. I like the old games better. The game was good for our 6 year old that didn't want a challenge.
  17. DonC.
    Jan 7, 2009
    4
    A really disappointing step backwards. The open world is much more irritating than loading screens, and the lack of crash modes is just silly. More importantly, the previous games are about watching the road; this is about watching the minimap. Somehow the makers identified the most enjoyable and unique elements of the previous games, and then eliminated them one by one. As a final A really disappointing step backwards. The open world is much more irritating than loading screens, and the lack of crash modes is just silly. More importantly, the previous games are about watching the road; this is about watching the minimap. Somehow the makers identified the most enjoyable and unique elements of the previous games, and then eliminated them one by one. As a final complaint, I feel confident there is no person in the world who didn't despise "DJ Atomica" within five minutes of starting the game. Re-release Revenge for the PS3 if you're just going to try and make a dud.… Expand
  18. MarcusG.
    Jan 22, 2008
    4
    Looks polished but too many unforgiveable mistakes have been made here for me to score this any better. Crash has vanished and is replaced with something nowhere near as good. Open worlds don't work in racing games period. Restart a race by going all the way back to the start! ...don't think so. This has been an age in development and has frankly not been worth the wait. Looks polished but too many unforgiveable mistakes have been made here for me to score this any better. Crash has vanished and is replaced with something nowhere near as good. Open worlds don't work in racing games period. Restart a race by going all the way back to the start! ...don't think so. This has been an age in development and has frankly not been worth the wait. I'd be surprised if we see another Burnout after this as it seems that the ideas pot has run very dry.… Expand
  19. js
    Jan 22, 2008
    0
    Yeah, might be worth something if it didnt constantly go to cutscene/wreck everytime i try to something cool. should be a mode to turn off wrecks. environment not so interactive to. should have been made for the pc so it could be modded like a real game (ut3). don't waste your money like me...
  20. SuperG.
    Feb 15, 2008
    0
    the game is more of a chore, if you lose a race you can't restart, but have to drive all the way back to the beginning, the free roam is limited, can't like drive off the road into a building or anything, the "DJ" is annoying, I'd suggest getting Dirt instead, or one of the other burnout games.
  21. XanforS.
    Feb 19, 2008
    4
    Some may say some brave design decisions have been made in the latest version of Burnout. I say they may have been brave but should certainly never have crawled from the drawing board. The series has now been destroyed for me.
  22. FrodrickC.
    Feb 19, 2008
    3
    Where has Crash gone - can't believe it! And whats with this lame 'annoy the player' restart fiasco. Rule 1 - don't frustrate the player! Very very very disappointing after such a wait. Mine's on ebay already.
  23. CrazyAzul
    Sep 26, 2008
    1
    Burnout Paradise is an example of running a perfectly functioning game into the ground. It takes all the wonderful arcadey action of the rest of the series and turns it into a game about reading maps. In the past games you couldn't take your eyes off the road for a second or you would crash. Now you have to spend half the time looking at a tiny minimap or trying to see where your Burnout Paradise is an example of running a perfectly functioning game into the ground. It takes all the wonderful arcadey action of the rest of the series and turns it into a game about reading maps. In the past games you couldn't take your eyes off the road for a second or you would crash. Now you have to spend half the time looking at a tiny minimap or trying to see where your next turn is coming up. It's fun to just drive around and look at the beautiful graphics, or cruise around on the totally awesome bikes... but almost all of the game's fun is lost. The only half decent event is road rage because you have no set course... just drive around and smash things wherever you want. And when you lose a race there is no quick way to restart it. You have to drive all the way back to the race start... which might be all the way across the entire map. Please... I want an arcadey racer. I don't want Gran Turismo. Bring back my magical floating walls with arrows on them so I can concentrate on driving dangerously and having a good time. Right now I feel more like I am playing an interactive version of Google Maps. This game is fun for a diversion, but until things get changed it's going to be sitting on my shelf collecting dust... even at bargain prices.… Expand
  24. the_blueprint
    Dec 17, 2013
    3
    I'm gonna whine again: not being able to restart the race is a game breaker.
    I don't like open world racing games either. I want to race other drivers, not drive around in an open world with no purpose.
    The gameplay is fun but I always find Burnout to be too difficult, the difficulty in these games always spikes after a while and I've never finished a Burnout game yet because off it.
  25. ccrogers15
    Dec 10, 2011
    1
    This is how i will point flaws:

    The good: Graphics. The bad: Everything else. Why: Ok first, this game is nothing like what the past games where. This one went all "racing" on us, instead of burnouts trademark crashes and takedowns. Second, while your driving, the game freezes at random spots so an imbred narrator can talk to you about the obvious. such as: "jump the ramps for points!".    This is how i will point flaws:

    The good: Graphics.

    The bad: Everything else.

    Why: Ok first, this game is nothing like what the past games where. This one went all "racing" on us, instead of burnouts trademark crashes and takedowns. Second, while your driving, the game freezes at random spots so an imbred narrator can talk to you about the obvious. such as: "jump the ramps for points!". OK CAPTAIN OBVIOUS. This game is junk. I want my money back. Burnout 1-3 was good. The rest, nope.    … Expand
  26. jonas24
    Sep 10, 2012
    3
    This game is awful compare to Burnout 3: Takedown or Revenge. This game plays more like a modern racing game instead of a burnout game and don't have the feel of a burnout game. What made me most annoyed was the races has been slowed down as a normal racing game. I remember burnout to be the super fast racing game, that actually was and felt fast in comparison to something like Need ForThis game is awful compare to Burnout 3: Takedown or Revenge. This game plays more like a modern racing game instead of a burnout game and don't have the feel of a burnout game. What made me most annoyed was the races has been slowed down as a normal racing game. I remember burnout to be the super fast racing game, that actually was and felt fast in comparison to something like Need For Speed. Another thing that's annoying is the open world, it's like comparing Need For Speed Underground with Underground 2. Open-world racing games gets extremely BORING after a while (it's fun in the beginning). Then on top of all, you can't not restart a race in burnout paradise WTF.

    This is the WORST in the series, hands down. a SHAME.    … Expand
  27. TheCornflex
    Jan 31, 2018
    4
    I don't know what is up with this game. I think there are way better racing games out there.
  28. hundead309
    Jun 4, 2020
    2
    omg I don't even know where to start, Burnout paradise looked like a great game, maby the best burnout ever. But he sins in gameplay and the physics is worse than that of burnout 3, in addition to being unfairly difficult, the producers didn't even have the decency to put a restart button on the race and the game has nothing to indicate the right way. way, I often missed the race, takingomg I don't even know where to start, Burnout paradise looked like a great game, maby the best burnout ever. But he sins in gameplay and the physics is worse than that of burnout 3, in addition to being unfairly difficult, the producers didn't even have the decency to put a restart button on the race and the game has nothing to indicate the right way. way, I often missed the race, taking the wrong path… Expand
  29. BeeMan175
    Jan 31, 2023
    3
    Not a great game hoping my littel poney is more populor when its leaving aerly acses!
  30. MidnightRacer06
    May 29, 2023
    3
    Burnout Paradise is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing games of the seventh console generation. But, why? Seriously why?
    That’s what I don’t understand. In my opinion this is easily the worst of the Burnout series, and that’s including the first game, Legends, and Dominator. Of course this would just be blind hatred if I didn’t back up my opinion, so here goes.
    1. The Racing The    Burnout Paradise is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing games of the seventh console generation. But, why? Seriously why?
    That’s what I don’t understand. In my opinion this is easily the worst of the Burnout series, and that’s including the first game, Legends, and Dominator. Of course this would just be blind hatred if I didn’t back up my opinion, so here goes.
    1. The Racing
    The racing in this game is quite a cool concept, where you start at one point in the map and have to find the fastest way to another point. The map is fully open and there are many shortcuts to find. This concept can isn’t exactly new, as Midnight Club 3 had this kind of race (known as dash events in that game) just 3 years earlier. Overall this type of racing is nice, but there’s one major problem. THIS IS THE ONLY RACE TYPE IN THE GAME. That’s right, no circuits. And to make matters even worse all the races end in the exact same 8 spots. The reason this works in MC3 is because this type of race is few and far between. Because of the lack of race type variety, the game telling you to make your own route to the finish feels like an excuse for the game not having interesting race routes. 2. The other event types
    So the racing sucks, but maybe the other event types are better? Well they aren’t as bad as the races, but they aren’t very good. Road Rage is ruined, all you have to do is tap your opponent and they’ll crash into a wall. Stunt run is a cool idea, too bad the mode is so easy. All of the target scores are so easy to beat that it’s almost laughable. Burning route is just a time trial, nothing new. Marked Man is quite interesting, and it’s the only event type that I actually quite enjoy. Basically it’s a time trial, but there are other cars trying to take you down and if they do the event is over. Quite a fun mode!
    3. Why no crash mode?
    Seriously who decided this. Why did they remove the ever beloved crash mode from the previous games. And it’s replacement? Don’t even get me started. It basically requires no skill to get all the targets.
    4. Handling and map don’t fit
    Brake to drift handling is a staple of the Burnout franchise, but did anyone tell this to Criterion when they were designing the map? The handling doesn’t feel like it was made for this map or vice versa. They should have either tweaked the handling to fit the map or the other way around. It’s hard to actually appreciate how well the map is designed because of this major problem.
    So, these things are very bad, but what about the positives? Well, quite a few. The car list is big and varied, there are many collectibles to find throughout Paradise City, the city itself is well designed, and the game visually looks pleasing. But the flaws I mentioned prior majorly outweigh the positives of the game, and it’s sad because I wanted to like this game. There is good stuff here, but it’s buried under many poor game design choices. I can’t recommend this game. If you want a good open world racing game, go play Midnight Club or games in the NFS series. (Except for Undercover or anything past MW 2012, which funnily enough fixes almost every problem that I had with this game.)    … Expand

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    90
    Scarily deep. It demands you play it: there's so much to find it's incredible. [Jan 2008, p.88]
  2. GamePro
    100
    Give it a chance and you may find yourself having the most fun you've ever had in a virtual car. [Feb 2008, p.70]
    Read full review
  3. Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK
    90
    A truly superb racer; fast, vast and there's plenty to do under that super-slick surface. [Jan 2008, p.118]
See all critic reviews »