Comments on: Burnout Paradise, a Great Franchise Ruined

By: Matt Brett » Burnout Paradise, a Great Franchise Returns!

Matt Brett » Burnout Paradise, a Great Franchise Returns! — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:23:44 +0000

[...] two months ago, I was hating on Burnout Paradise something fierce. And with good reason! A demo was released that poorly represented the incredible game that is the [...]

By: andrzejk

andrzejk — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:01:22 +0000

Hope you’ve changed your mind The demo was sucky, but the full version totally kicks ass!

By: Flushes

Flushes — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:50:02 +0000

The problem you’re having is that you’re playing what you think this game should be rather than what it is. There isn’t a retry option because every single time you fail an event, there is another start point not 100 feet away from you, which gets you moving about the city, which is the game’s highlight and entire focus.

The navigation problems you’re having while racing are also a non-issue. Aside from the fact that proceeding from event to event as you go allows you to develop a mental map of the city, which route you take is almost always inconsequential against the laughably inept AI, which literally slows down to wait for you. If you don’t crash repeatedly, you will win almost every time.

This game isn’t Burnout Revenge, and it’s time to let go and stop trying to cram a square peg into a round hole.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:21:49 +0000

I never really liked the prior versions of Burnout. I always wanted an open driving experience. Burnout Paridise is exactly what I have been waiting for.

Jeff

By: Los Havros » Blog Archive » Criterion defend their new baby

Los Havros » Blog Archive » Criterion defend their new baby — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:55:58 +0000

[...] also totally agree with what Matt Brett has to say on this matter in his post ‘Burnout Paridise, a great franchise ruined‘.Ã‚Â Whilst gamers brand-new to the franchise will love it, it is fundamentally different to [...]

By: Erik J. Barzeski

Erik J. Barzeski — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:37:27 +0000

I agree that the Alex Ward letter was snobby, rude, insulting, and otherwise a jackassed move to make.

I didn’t like the demo, but I plan to purchase the game. Every stoplight had an event, so I don’t care much about retrying. I’ve never really played the Burnout series, so I’m not coming into this game with any pre-formed notions about how a Burnout game “should” be.

This looks fun.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:00:48 +0000

@Ben & Seth: It’s good to hear that the demo doesn’t represent the full game at all, according to Criterion. But wait, why would they release a demo that doesn’t represent the full game at all?

Their response to community criticism is cocky and arrogant and has done nothing but made this taste of Burnout Paradise all the more bitter. They basically say “fuck you” to you and I, and whoever else didn’t love the demo – after all, it is “THE best demo released all year”, and clearly we (the people buying the game that will inevitably decide its fate) don’t know shit.

I can understand that they would be a little bummed and frustrated with the response, since it seemed to be of the love/hate variety. But what did they expect? Oh right, they expect us to all listen to their podcast and we should know that the demo doesn’t represent the full game, at all.

Whatever, fuck those guys. Burnout Paradise will pass me by and I’ll wave to it with my middle finger.

By: Seth

Seth — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:02:47 +0000

I deleted the demo after the “announcer” wouldn’t shut the f*ck up and let me play. It felt EXACTLY like an EA game with all of the in-game advertising, too.

FYI, Criterion posted a response on their site:

http://www.criteriongames.com/burnout/paradise/demo/merrychristmas/

By: ben

ben — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:57:37 +0000

hey matt,
was interested to see what you had to say about paradise..

unfortunately it all seemed negative!

i had a blast rummaging, crashing, jumpin’ around the new city.. many a laughs where had at the damage and stupidity of my driving..

However i did have the same misconceptions about the whole ‘retry’ thang.. (‘What!? i have to drive all the freaking way back there!?’) … but was informed by peeps that the world would be more dynamic (start an event anywhere etc) than having to plod back and retry certain events.

fyi – from the horses mouth

http://www.criteriongames.com/burnout/paradise/demo/merrychristmas/

hope you have a rad hol!

By: PIPP0

PIPP0 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:18:28 +0000

Totally disagree with you, Matt!

I’ve spent many hours playing Burnout Takedown. I didn’t like Burnout Revenge since it seemed to me the same as Takedown with better graphics and stupid speed.

Paradise is, imho, a step forward, mixing the worlds of Need For Speed (Most Wanted) and Burnout.

Nowadays is not conceivable to make a driving game (driving, not racing) that is not sandboxed, open world…

Well, just an opinion…