Multiplayer

So like I stated in my introduction EA was working on a similar racing MMO akin to Test Drive Unlimited. Be prepared to see this feature in a lot of games in the future the multiplayer system in this game is just flat out awesome. All you have to do is press the right on the d pad choose an online mode and your set. The game must be searching for multiplayer sessions in the background because in less than 5 seconds you’re in a game with fellow Burnout fans. EA did a fantastic job with keeping the concept of playing the game as you wish and having as little transitions to various game modes. It’s all integrated very well and smoothly.

You can create your own customized races, events and challenges. Hell if you want to go around and just take out everybody else you can do that. If that have the Eyetoy you can see their faces thanks to the mug shot feature that captures their reaction at the time of impact. The host of the game can create challenges for individuals to tackle. Such as first to have 10 seconds of total airtime, or as a team where everybody has to have1500 consecutive meters in on coming lane as examples. These can be customized to the hosts liking. The transition to online is so smooth and painless and thanks to the large amount of customization EA has created one the best online experiences out there. Nothing is more fun than taking part in a super tight race with 7 other racers, being taken out often by the more experienced races only to find a secret jump which took you from last to 1st and win the race. This happened to me by the way. I’ve yet to experience any type of lag, hats off to EA for pulling this off so well. Don’t forget to hook up your Bluetooth headset either. Nothing is better than trash talking a rival after you just made him drive into an oncoming bus.

Graphics and sound

Probably the biggest sigh of relief is that Burnout: Paradise isn’t pulling a Madden this year. As in the PS3 version isn’t severely gimped when compared to its 360 counter part. The PS3 version of Burnout: Paradise was the lead platform when it was being developed. The developers definitely made the most of it. The game is locked at a solid 60 FPS. The cars are exquisitely detailed, everything from grills, rims, body panels are really well done. Each cars has its own distinct design and as stated previously is quite easy to tell which real life vehicle they are based on. The cars cast realistic reflections from everything in the environment and look fantastic even while standing still. Cars launch forward when you hit the boost button, you can see body rolls in the heavier vehicles and there are some pretty awesome smoke effect. Again the game is visually impressive.