This is one of the best racing games ever made, and all these low scorers are just being unfair by comparing it to a game it isn't, because their feelings were hurt. Well get over it, this game is amazing by any standard and it's only getting better as Criterion is still releasing big updates to the game a year after it was released, and will probably continue to do so for another year or two. Some of these updates address reasonable complaints people had, while others add totally new ways to play the game. In fact, some of these low score comments will be outdated and won't apply any more as some of their disappointments get addressed over the next year. Try the demo or rent it and see how good this game is for yourself!… Expand

I always wonder after each Burnout games release, how they intend to top it and what new ideas they will introduce next. This is by far the most innovative game they have come up with. The online features alone make it a thoroughly enjoyable game. Its not just the thrill of racing that makes it good though. Nice little touches such as random rival driver statistics at the start of each race give you an incite into how well you need to be doing and sense of satisfaction if you can beat someone who is ranked e.g 49th in the world! There is plenty to do in paradise city and even once you have managed to achieve everything there will still be more after to play around with. If you are to take this game online make sure you have a camera as collecting Mugshots of other taken down drivers can be extremely satisfying.… Expand

DO NOT JUDGE THIS GAME BY THE DEMO!!!!! After playing the demo of Paradise, I was left disappointed and confused. However, my friend bought the full game and he let me borrow it, and I absolutely love it now! I still like Takedown and Revenge a little better, but there's no other racing game like this except for mabye Midnight Club.

With the average price of a game being 40 GBP, I have a rule of only buying games with an average review score of 8/10 and above. Paradise got a lot of good reviews and the demo was great. But none of that really mattered. I have every version of Burnout except Dominator (I already had Revenge, so no point going backwards, right?). I even bought PoI twice (Gamecube and XBox). I bought Revenge for XBox and bought it again for 360. I'd always loved Burnout ofline, but playing multiplayer on 360 was the absolute best Burnout experience. All my racing crew, the large group of friends that used to race together from the UK, US and Canada all bought Paradise, looking for more of the same fun we had. It was fun doing all the challenges and road rules, and the open world style of the game is fine. We've always loved the fact that there were multiple routes to each course in Burnout races, but the fact that it's to easy to get lost and completely lose a race is very frustrating. It would not have been hard to 'lock' a number of roads during a race (or even give the option to), prevent this. Whatever the general consensus may be, the fact is none of the group of my friends that loved to play Revenge so much even play Paradise anymore. Sorry to say we had more fun playing Flatout U.C. while we were waiting for Paradise. Not being able to race the bikes was the last straw for the few guys that hung on. I'm the only one of the group that even bought the new island DLC, and I drive around it on my own when we're not all playing CoD or L4D. It's still a good game and you have to appreciate the massive effort Criterion put into it, but I'm happier playing Ridge Racer. Thanks for being a shoulder. /Rant.… Expand

I love the fact that you have to take down cars in order to acquire (most ) of them. I don't mind the lack of a restart as I think that would have taken away from the experience. Great sense of speed and incredible physics.

I love this game. I know many people are put off by the open-ended "menu" system, but I think it's a ton of fun to just tool around downtown.

I love how the majority of complaints have to do with not being locked into a track for every race. God forbid you spend some time driving around learning the shortcuts and good ways to get from point A to point B. Moreover, it's been said that using the minimap to navigate is much too hard. Just like to point out that the street signs at the top of the screen (as well as your car�39;s turn signal) tell you when a turn is coming up. The game is fantastic, but it definitely has a learning curve to overcome.… Expand

First off, let me say if you're going into this game thinking that it is identical to Takedown or Revenge, you're mistaken. Instead of a map that you choose your events from, now there is this NFS-esque "free roam" mode. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. For me it adds a dimension to the game - where you can explore without the arrows and the X's. But, the minimap that they give you is an epic fail as it shows only about 2 feet in front of you, I find it easier to just look at the street signs in a race, which brings me to my next point. I like the free roam mode, but I wish that Criterion/EA would have given us a closed-walls race at least in events so you don't have to look at that epic-fail minimap that hurts my eyes. There is also a lot to do in this game, earn licenses, take down cars in free roam and earn their car, and a few new modes, one being Marked Man (which is awesome) and Stunt Run (which is just annoying). There is also new "car types" - Aggression (classic Burnout a la Takedown where your boost bar goes up to x3 with takedowns) Speed (Dominator style where you earn boost with near misses, etc and can chain Burnouts) Stunt (Smash into walls and billboards to build a boost bar) I didn't play the demo version and apparently I'm lucky I didn't. Also for the last note, DJ Atomika, STFU. I didn't give it a 10 because it had its flaws (even with all these patches, STILL no reset option is the biggest one), but it's addictive, much like the other Burnout games, so I'll vive this an 8.… Expand

I just bought the game about 6 months ago, and it worth every penny. The fact that the game is free roaming is a great feature added to the series. You have many options on the game such as get a license each license brings new perks cars Game Achievements. They also various offline and online events such as racing, marked man, road rage and stun run (not my favoruite) also online they are various events for 2-8 players. You can restart these events by pressing D on your directional pad (not that hard guys) also they is extra content on DLC such as Boost Special Cars Hot Rod Extreme & Hawker Mech, Legendary Cars P12 Speciall 88 (The Delorean from Back to the Furture) Carson Nighthawk the New Nightrider and General Lee Hunter Calavary Bootlegger, Hunter Matthan Ghost Busters Echo1, Toys, Cops & Robbers and my all time favourite BSI Big Surf Island.… Expand

This game really made me hurt inside. I love the Burnout series with a firey passion that has only been matched by the NFS series. But, this... this has sent me in a deep down depression that only a new Burnout with the return of the Crash Mode. How dare you, EA, how DARE you?

This game is the fire! I am an avid racing fan, especially of driving simulators, but my taste buds were stimulated by the "other" end of racing, i.e. haulin a** through a city w/ full traffic. I've heard complaints of the Crash mode being eliminated...keep the Crash mode and give me the Showtime mode. It's the same concept just with open ended routes of distruction. Get some!

I can't give it a ten because I don't believe in perfect game ratings..... As with all the other Burnout titles, I was quickly addicted to Paradise. The improvements over Burnout Revenge are amazing. Criterion has managed to practically eliminate load times, for one. After the first couple hours of playing, I realized I never got a minute to wolf down munchies, and this includes online play. Revenge load times were decent, but Paradise is a MAJOR improvement. The way the online play is so seamlessly integrated into the main game is a welcome addition as well. Press right on the D-pad, and your racing with your buddies or any of the thousands of people flocking to Xbox Live. Even without jumping online with it, there's 300 things to do. Online, there is like 1000 things to do. After putting in the neighborhood of 400 hours into Revenge (online and off), I must admit this title scares me just a little; I'm afraid I may never see the sun again. Thank you Criterion. It was worth the aggravation of you putting us Burnout fans off for months and months to fine tune this already classic game. I am a cheap and easily disappointed consumer; This game is the first I've had the gall to slap down sixty dollars for. I do not regret it for a second.… Expand

Burnout Paradise is quite different from past Burnout games, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very enjoyable, and it is hard to imagine going back to closed tracks.

I can understand the poor comments on here as I myself bought this game hoping for more Burnout revenge or takedown which I loved. I was so annoyed that it wasn't that I quickly put it away for 6 months. But after taking it out again and learning the new ways to play the game has become very addictive. The online play was awsome and I had great fun never having to click through menus. I still prefer the revenge edition but this was a massive leap forward in many ways. More of a car racing game for open world gamers. PS I totally agree about the map being useless (way too small and dark to use in a race) - how about the option of a bigger directional arrow like in NFS titles to make it more accessible for all. Accidentally wandered online and had a great time trying to right off other peoples cars to a soundtrack of classical tunes!. Overall a really great game if you put 3 or 4 hours into it before deciding). The next installment of burnout or BLUR game should be awsome.… Expand

The new open world design is worth the price of admission. While startling at first (to this Burnout veteran), the non-menu driven free roam structure quickly draws you in. The game is not perfect, (as pointed out by many other reviewers) but will provide many exhilarating hours of gameplay on a cold winter's night. Criterion has done it again!

While it is a technically impressive, there are some genuine gameplay flaws under Paradise City's glossy 60fps experience. The lack of a "retry" capability for a event is worse than it sounds. If you have the wrong vehicle, you'll lose that race and have to drive back to a Junk Yard to select a different car, then drive back to the start. While there are no shortage of events on the first couple of license levels, you'll quickly find this to be a real annoyance as the event you need to re-attempt is half-way across the map. Sound like fun? It gets worse. When you manage to get the car stuck on scenery and not wrecked, you're going to have to do a K-turn the car to get out. At that time, you've already failed the event. It's about as much fun and driving the kids back and forth to school. The skill level is all over the place. Road Rage and Marked Man events are painfully easy if you've played any prior Burnout title -- to the point of not being rewarding or fun. Races and Burning events will be frustrating until you learn the city and will prove diabolical in the mountain routes. Crash mode and Crash party? NOPE. Local Multiplayer Split Screen? NOPE. I played Burnout Revenge on the 360 more/less non-stop until I unlocked all the cars and races -- then, I kept playing it online and with friends. I'm 3 days in to Paradise City and it's probably going to back to GameFly tomorrow. I am a huge fan of the series, but Paradise City is a disappointment. It looks great, controls are tight, excellent sense of speed, and is polished to a shimmer, but the gameplay just isn't there yet.… Expand

Burnout is one of the best driving games I have played in my life. The graphics are wonderful, even though I think the physics could have been fleshed out more, the sound and soundtrack is wonderful, the premise is awesome, and the control and sens of speed are great. It makes me wonder how need for speed prostreet or Carbon came from the same company that made burnout. To me EA needs to let Criterion work on Need for Speed as well, may be it will bring it back to its roots.… Expand

I wonder what people were thinking when they heard that the next Burnout would be open world. Did they expect that it would be just like Burnout Revenge in an open world? Because it is. The demo doesn't do it justice, and aside from getting the option to restart burning routes or stunt runs I don't see a point in restarting races or marked man or road rage since those events are at every other corner. The game was developed to make you explore the world. A major fault is that this game is no longer fun in local multiplayer since there is no local multiplayer. That's truly a shame.… Expand

I'm a veteran of the burnout games and sadly Criterion messed this one up. Many things wrong. There is no speedometer, can't restart races or quit them, the car has an infinite amount of gears, offline there is no CRASH MODE or 2 Player, how can you make a burnout game where you can't play your buddies on your own console, that GOD-AWFUL song that plays everytime you start up the game and finally the rest of the soundtrack is easy to cringe at. however they threw in some good old classic techno songs from previous games. Oh I almost forgot the on screen navigation of the city, during the race is impossible to follow. Your blinker turns on at unpredictable times compared to where your turn is and sometimes it completely forgets or turns on when there isn't a street change. Please rent this game or play the DEMO first.… Expand

The open world concept is compelling but the execution is poor. The best thing about the previous Burnout games- the awesome sensation of speed - is absent in this game. The turn signals and indicators are completely useless. The cars aren't as good as in Revenge. One good thing is the integration of elements from the past Burnout titles: You can crash cars from behind to gain boost with some of the aggressive boost cars, and you can do burnouts ala Dominator with the speed cars. But this game could have been so much better. The reason the experts are rating it so highly is due to the Grand Theft Auto effect. Just for the record, I hate GTA.… Expand

Well... It's not the "Burnout" I used to like. I don't like driving for half an hour to find a race. I don't like trying to find my way while racing, looking at a tiny map. I don't like to spend so much time taking care of my car. I just want to drive and have fun. And this game is not fun. Period. Rent it, but don't buy it.

No crash is bad. Showtime is poor. No instant restarts bad. Nav system bad. Open worlds in race game a mistake.

A 7.1 so far? you have to be kidding. If you played just the demo, you're missing out. This game is great online, smooth as butter.

I've had some great fun with this game. The races are fun, road rage is great, and the online challenges with up to 7 other players is awesome. There are some pretty annoying flaws, though. The retry for a race is annoying, as well as not being able to abandon the race in the middle. I have accidently launched a race/roadrage/etc that I have already completed and I'm forced to complete the damn thing again. The sense of speed isn't very good until you start getting some decent cars, but then it gets immensely better. I would recommend renting the game first (as I recommend with all games, even though I myself don't follow that advice most of the time).… Expand

Good game but not a great one, quite simply put. For the first time on Burnout, I prefer to play offline than on, as online gets really boring very quickly as you have to complete stupid mini games rather than going straight into Road rage or a race. And I am no a great fan of the open world either, as finding races and events are fine but the choice of what you do is taken out of your hands almost completely. And Crash mode and the very annoying DJ whatever are crap! But there are more positives than negatives here, much more, but having gone through most of the series in a set way I guess I wasn't ready for change. In time though, I reckon will be! For now I will continue to burn offline, thats where Burnout lives strong for me!… Expand

If you look through these user scores - and all of the forum posts - you'll find that the low scores come from folks that wanted yet another iteration of the same game they've played 4 times before. Well, I'm happy to say that Criterion didn't give them what they wanted. Instead, they gave us one of the best gaming values on the planet next to N+ (400 levels for $10 - come on... that's bang for the buck!). Here's why: 1) There is over 200 miles of road to be had... from the very start. Hidden throughout are Billboards to drive through, fences to smash, and Super Jumps to hit. Finding all of these is no easy task, so they reward you with pimpy wheels for finding all of each set. 2) The online racing and co-op challenges make for great times. 3) There are cool little places hidden around the game world like an abandoned airport that is reminiscent of a skatepark. 4) When you get bored with something, there is always something else to do. Tired of racing? Get an SUV and do Road Rage or Marked Man. Tired of those? Look for some billboards/smashes/Super Jumps. Tired of those? Try setting the fastest time on a particular street and have your friends' times auto-streamed for comparison. Tired of that? Geez... you're picky, but there's still Showtime - which warrants it's own bullet. 5) Showtime: Now here's a matter of great consternation. Remember Crash mode? Well, it's gone. Get over it. Now imagine that you can trigger your own crash mode at any time during nearly any event - online or off. While is loses the puzzle element that was great about Crach mode, what you gain is the same thing that Criterion has given you everywhere else in this title: FREEDOM! 5) Speaking of which, this open world model allows you to do whatever events you want in whatever order you want. No more getting stuck because you have to re-race the same event over and over to eek out enough points to open the next tier of events. It's all available to you from the start. 6) Most importantly, they have dedicated the next year to constantly improve Burnout Paradise! There are new game modes coming online, an entire new Island, and a host of other goodies that they are going for absolutely free. Hopefully the reasons are apparent why you need to at lest rent this game to give it a shot. The demo on XBL/PSN doesn't do it justice.… Expand

In a word, Overrated. This game was penned by critics as the best open-world racer to date. However, what the game fails at is being a Burnout game. I've been a fan of the Burnout series since number 1, and this attempt at bringing something new to the franchise quite frankly disappoints. Get Burnout Revenge for half the price, or if you want a decent open-world racer, try Midnight Club: LA.

Great game and good concept but I don't think that the burnout series should of been changed to an open world.It gets very frustrating especially not being able to restart a race immediately.We'll see where they go from here,hopefully they will learn from reviewers and peoples opinion to perfect a package that is mind blowing and solid in every way.