Did i just buy this? how did this get a 9.0

User Rating: 7.5 | Burnout Paradise PS3
Graphics: The graphics in this game are ok. There is aliasing all over. (Im using 1080i hdmi) When you buy a racing game u normally expect really nice graphics, but not with this one. There is also pop up with some cars which can get annoying. They really put no effort into camera angles for driving. You can have 3rd person or really crappy first person. You can see your hood or nething. The slow motion crashes are cool at first but get annoying after a while. You will have alot of fun just going extremely fast then t-boning someone into oblivion. But its gonna get old.

Gameplay: No real story at all, not even like what is seen in need for speed. There are a couple types of races which are all pretty fun. However you will do these same 4 or so types of races over and over and over til the game is done. The racing in this game is horrible. There are shortcuts that will make you completely loose the race, yet they often encourage you to use them. I was in first place and a mile away from the end and i took a shortcut that brought me to a completely wrong street and i lost. The free roam in this game can ruin races. The only way you are told to turn by a flashing signal at the top of your screen which may come in too late in several occasions. Also you may look at it and crash into another car because you lost focus. The other game type are very fun and i liked most of them with the exception of racing and stunt.
The worst part of this game is the sheer repetitiveness of it. There are like 100 races which are all the same 4 or 5 games types on the same 10 or 15 tracks. At a point i just wanted to beat races so i could finish the game, loosing all joy that i had when i first started.

Lasting appeal: I beat the game in about a week of non consistent play. Although by the time i was finished i didn't want to play multi player even though it is an option. I would suggest renting this one unless your a hardcore racing fan. For gamers like me who play a bunch of types i would only rent it. even though i bought it >:(

Sound: Cars sounded cool and realistic. The soundtrack to this was very nice and went along with the races fairly well.

Controls: Easy standard issue controls except i dont believe you can drive manually which kinda bugs me. Also they really explain some things like how to drift or how to stop a race until after you have figured it out on you own.

Other: I felt a little mislead by some reviews about this game. I believe a 7.5 is about where it stands because it is a fun game to rent for a weekend but when you try to play it all day, like you could with bio shock or devil may cry, it becomes more of a head ache throw your controller at the wall type of game.