GAME REVIEW: Burnout Paradise (XBOX 360)

The latest offering in this long-running series brings a new dynamic to the traditional road carnage classic - an open city to roam in the vein of GTA, within which all events take place. However, diehard fans needn't worry that Burnout has lost it's fast paced appeal - the environment is so well implemented, it's easily possible to spend a good proportion of gameplay simply driving around at break-neck speeds, looking for jumps, billboards, and the hundreds of hidden shortcuts and play areas. The decision to make the entire map accesible from the beginning means that you never feel confined or forced to go down a certain route, and it's truly a pleasure to experience the well designed and graphically gorgeous roads.

The actual events are simply reincarnations of classic Burnout play, from road rage, to racing and crash scenarios, although it should be noted that the crashes are ramped up by allowing you to sustain them as long as the power up bar remains filled, to bounce down literally miles of tarmac, wreaking havoc. All these are accessed by simple key-combos at certain points in the streets, meaning they blend fairly seamlessly with the rest of the experience.

Online play is simply more of the same, with increased possibilities - you can race against other people, instantly trigger grudge matches against rivals seen on the streets, or spend hours setting up beautifully synchronised jumps and crashes with multiple friends.

The game's failings are in general few and far between - mainly due to over-ambition, and one suspects, paying too much attention to the coding of the overall world in contrast to the individual events. The stunt event, in particular, feels overly forced and slow in comparison to the rest of the game, and is the one area of the game you feel forced down a particular course to gain maximum points. The other events increase in difficulty far too slowly to feel like real achievements until you've reached the higher echelons of driving licenses, and as a consequence tend to confine play sessions to quick hour drop-ins.

Overall, however, none of these matter much, and indeed, it's pick-up-and-play mentality keeps it fun and accesible. You can progress in whatever way you want, so it's easy to avoid the more painful events, and the online content should add hours of gameplay. The appeal of this game is simple and effective, and the adrenaline rush from hitting your first 'super jump,' watching the slow-motion, freeze-framing animation with soundtrack blasting is pure gameplay crack.