"Paradise in a box, defiant must have for 2008"
Graphics/Visual Appearance
The graphics in Paradise City are absolutely amazing. And the brand-new "Night" feature Criterion just released adds *Big Time* to that. Down to every brick on a building, every curb on a sidewalk, every single part on a car is simply perfectly done. Sure, some times the crashes can be a little out of reality, but still some of the best I've seen. The cars will shine like crazy in the sun, and the new Bikes look even better. Don't believe me? Look for yourself.
So, Graphics:
10/10 - Perfect!
Gameplay:
Now, Paradise is different from any other Burnout game, the main gameplay is located in the streets of Paradise City, where you can roam for hours just for fun. The whole city is a free-roam, why I said it was like Carbon. But unlink Carbon, to engage in an event, you must find an intersection where one is held. There are still classics like Road Rage and Race, but new ones like Marked Man, where you have to make it to a point without being taken-down, and Stunt Run, where you have to get a certain amount of points by doing several things. Also, instead of crashes this time, there is something called Showtime, where you can roll and bounce your car through traffic to gain money and beat scores. The more you look around the City, the more events you will find. Also a new addition for the free-roam, are Drive-Thrus. These consist of Gas Stations ( Automatically fills your boost), Auto Repair (Fixes your car to perfect condition) and Paint Shops (Gives you a new paint job, but this is just for looks). Again, the more you wander, the more you will find. But, there is a downside to free-roam, however. When you do an event, you cannot restart, you must win or lose. and the only way to redo it, is to go all the way back to the start, and do it again. Usually it's OK, because you will usually end at another event, and do that one, but for things like Burning Routes, it can be very frustrating. Another thing I would like to see is a GPS system, where it tells you where to go, also like Carbon. But, there is none. (For now, anyways)
Gameplay:
9.9/10 - 1 or 2 things I'd like to see, but overall very very fun.
Sound:
The sound in Paradise is just as good as the graphics. Every tire screeching, every motor running, every crash is perfectly synced, plus they're real car recordings. Very good for a game. But, the soundtrack isn't so good, as usual. There are a few good songs, including the one and only Paradise City by Guns N' Roses, but the rest kind of suck IMO. (Like the classical music put in there. Who the @$#6& in their right mind would want to listen to Mozart while blowing up cars? But, still OK.
Sound:
10/10 - Perfect, but the soundtrack gets a 5.
Cars:
The cars in Paradise are amazing. You can get up to 70-something cars (Sorry, but I forget the real number at the moment) All of which you can get a customized version by winning a Burning Route. To unlock a new car, you must do one of 4 things:
1. Win an event
2. Get a certain number of wins, and "Shut it Down to own it" during free-roam
3. Upgrade your license
4. Find something in the game (Like smash all 400 gates)
And now, with the Bikes, there is even more to do. (But the bikes are also limited to Burning Ride, and Midnight Ride as events) Overall, I'm very pleased.
Cars:
9/10 - Customization would be cool, but we'll have to wait for it.
Overall:
Very VERY good game, I recommend it to everyone in to Burnout and Racing games. If you like Burnout 3, you'll love Paradise. And the best part is, Criterion is always tweaking the game, and adding new features as updates. Who knows, when you read this you might have double what it is now, but there's always something to look forward to. It's a must have game.
Overall:
10/10