Burnout Paradise: A Fun Game! But also maybe kind of a toy. And also maybe something about open worlds. And also some cars crash. ---- This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon! / errantsignal ----
I really wanted to work on this when I was doing QA back then. Ended up on Battlefield (which was better for job length to be honest). Anyway, one thing that's excellent about this game's design, which I rarely see people notice, is the finish lines. There's only 8. One at each compass point. This means that as you explore and race you accumulate the knowledge you need to, at any time, know the exact route you need to be fastest. The races will all gradually pull into the same sets of roads and as you know them better you'll know what shortcuts you can hit or if going off the suggested path is actually better. By the halfway point most players will be experts at navigating this city in a way you'd struggle to in many other open world games. Also, the game is clearly set in a dystopia where cars gained sentience and the only human left is a DJ narrating the action he sees unfold, documenting what is left of the world as the new automobile overlords do the only thing they ever learned from humans to do... destroy.
Another interesting plus of this game is the soundtrack, its accessible to different music fans, rock, rap, techno and even classical music that ranges from different eras from the hair metal era of the 80s to the 2000s rock scene.Oh and the fact it has Alice in Chains in the soundtrack is also a plus.
+Lee Torry One of my favourite things that the game does is when you leave the controller/keyboard and don't touch anything. Your car will shut down and the camera will slowly drift away throughout the city in tune of one of the classical melodies from the soundtrack. It's such a brilliant contrast to the usual adrenaline-fueled mayhem and one quite neat screensaver.
"What can this car do? Can it do things? Let's find out!" "What do celebrities know? Do they know things? Let's find out!" Nice Bojack Horseman reference (I hope)
+TheDominitri not at all. the contrary. a "racing" game is a game like GT or Forza, because the main focus is the cars as characters. this is pretty much a more teen and american Mario Kart without the ridiculous weapons (even if Burnout 3 had a option to explode the car when crashed, at least I Remember something similar)
On this day, I eliminate the words "car" and "automobile" from my vocabulary. From now on, I shall only refer to such vehicles as "vroom-vroom crash machines." I should try it out with my coworkers at Ford.
I never thought I'd add a racing game to my list, but damned if you didn't describe what I've always wanted in a racing game. Gotta tell you, I'm really glad I found your channel, man.
Wow you really nailed it here. I have been in love with the Burnout series since the beginning, and I too still fire up Paradise just to run a few races or crash courses. Unfortunately Paradise is also the game where EA's influence started to have a negative impact. Those annoying login screens at the start of the game weren't there in the beginning; Criterion's original vision was to get you in to the action as quick as possible, dumping you straight in to the game. Also, selling a "complete pack" version on the PC sans any of the DLC was just shady as hell. At least the PC port was well done, and is still very playable on new hardware. The crashes still look incredible and the sense speed and intensity in Burnout titles is unmatched.
An Errant Signal about Burnout Paradise? Never thought I'd see that. Love the game, and I'm glad to see it get some recognition in a more academic sense. It's a brilliantly designed game. Racing games in general tend to get unfairly snubbed by more intelligent games critique too. I guess it's because there aren't that many people who are in to games in a more academic way, as well as being in to cars, even in a casual way. Plus their lack of narrative to use as an easy and familiar framework of media criticism probably has something to do with it as well.
PoliteTimesplitter You don't get the DLC anymore, they didn't even release Paradise Island for PC, the servers are shut down. They did not show any support whatsoever.
Burnout Paradise has a special place in my heart as what racing games should want to be:genuine unadulterated fun. I come back to paradise city every once in a while and even tho i know the city like the back of my hand, i still find new stuff every time. Its a complete playground.
This has got to be ome of the best and most unique ways I've ever seen someone describe this game. Excellent work! Now I'm filled with all that 2008 nostalgia.
It bears mentioning that Burnout Paradise perfected the kinaesthetics that Burnout 2 and onwards tried to capture. Special shout-out to the Carson Hot Rod Coupe for letting you pop a wheelie essentially at will by pushing the boost button.
Thank you so much for this analysis. It's shockingly difficult to get any kind of takes on modern racing games, despite the ubiquity of them. I have a lot of people ask me about racing games at my job and I've always had difficulty giving them a strong recommendation due to most of my experience with racing games being the Mario Kart series. I knew Burnout was a pretty decent series, but now I feel like I have more to work with! I love whenever you upload a video, man. Keep up the great work.
This game is a jewel. Criterion are kings and queens of the arcade racing realm. Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 was a corporate compromise, but it's still my favourite NFS game because, while in some fronts it doesn't attain Paradise's highs, it does refine its core mechanics to further demand and reward precision recklessness. These games are in my regard the gold standard for arcade racing. Open world, and sandbox are terms that seem to fit any sort of free roaming stage for a videogame. Paradise's world is more than those terms, it's a playground. Designing a playground has another set of priorities, most importantly: flow. Both Burnout Paradise and Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 have unmatched flow to their worlds, where Paradise's world feels better, and edges out Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012's is with the second most important priority: density. Paradise's world is tighter than MW2012's, it offers more activities per square kilopixel. And while Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 is more sober in it's presentation, it's does offer its fair (and more) share of outrageousness. There's a lot more to be said about the differences between Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed Most Wanted 2012, deeper to a more nuanced mechanical and design decisions level. It is obvious than in pleasing its overlords, Criterion's flair was dimmed in certain aspects, mostly aesthetics ones; but I firmly believe that the driving model in Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 is the best driving model in any arcade racing game ever: It's exhilarating, demanding, unforgiving, precise and responsive, and extremely rewarding. Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 suffers when it tries to spin classic AAA design tropes into the Burnout Paradise formula: the car unlocking system, the compromised crashes, the brand pleasing... It all also hurt the game when it came to reaching a target audience: It wasn't pleasing anybody by trying to please everybody. Traditional Need For Speed fans are still offended for tarnishing the Most Wanted franchise. I love Burnout Paradise, I love Need for Speed Most Wanted 2012, and I love Criterion. And I feel the same type of love for racing and cars that I have elevated through them. As far as I'm concerned, only one game comes close to the same type of adrenaline pumping exhilaration of barely keeping control at unsustainable speeds: Star Wars Episode I Pod Racer. Fantastic video. I specially loved the analysis on what makes Burnout Paradise different from other racing games, the particular design decisions that make this game a crowning jewel in the arcade racing genre.
Good point on open world designs. So many open world games only have huge, soulless spaces filled with filler content and busy work. Burnout Paradise is about the only open world game of which I actually enjoy the open world aspect (sunset overdrive being close, but not quite). It's such a shame that Criterion don't make burnout any more. And what ever happened to that new racing game featured ATV and helicopters?
This video is so spot on. I love this game, and all the burnout games. Seriously, the burnout 3 menu music you played at the end brought back so many memories.
One of my most favorite games of all time. The talk on the "density" of the game reminded me of SSX3, another game that has a moderately sized map that's stuffed with so much to do. I still remember nearly every track in that game, along with all the nooks and crannies in Burnout: Paradise.
Your analysis can go beyond this. If you include the fact that 5 of the game's songs are from the 1980's-90's (Paradise City, Would?, Route 66, I Wanna Rock, and Epic), an abnormality considering Burnout's past. The only game which had this era of music present was Dominator, with Would? again, but that game shares a lot of music with Paradise anyway, so doubt that one counts. The songs chosen too are also quite nostalgic. They're not nameless bands, these are all distinctive. Alice in Chains, GnR, Faith No More, Twisted Sister, Depeche Mode/Beatmasters. It's a subtle hint that this is their childhood we're playing through. Even the more generic EA Trax contrast this subtly, dealing with subjects more relative to maturity. Songs like Going Through Changes talk about how you change as you grow up. Fake It, along with sounding like a Hair Rock song, also discusses hypocrisy and reality. Everyone has their Secrets, about your past and acknowledging its flaws and glorifications. Listen through the entire song track, the other subtle references to this get obvious after a while. Even further, the fact only one car has a driver inside it, and that one car is the indycar. Like a Hot Wheels, they are cars which are "driven" by themselves. Similar to how a kid makes the car move with his hand, through your controller, you make the car move in a way more similar to a hand on the back of it rather than with a steering wheel and pedals. Another fun fact: Know how kids tend to be fascinated with the hot rods and other cars with big engines which stick out? Well, the fastest car in Paradise City isn't the Indycar. It isn't the GT1 Racing car. It isn't the bloody cop car. It's tied between two hot rods. The fact that of the fastest speeds in the game, a total of 5 of them are neither sports cars nor race cars cements this. It's distinctively childish, and no adult would consider the 1930's hot rod would head faster than a purpose built supercar in a straight line.
I love that this video is basically a genuine love-letter to this game as you show everyone why you clearly love it so much. I'm not much of a racing guy, but I heard so much about this game that I bought it, played some, and ended up stopping. But after this video, I'm very tempted to give it a second shot, even just to indulge in those "vroooom, vrooom, crash!" car fantasies from my childhood. Thanks so much even more great content. *thumbs up*
Holy crap this is an amazing analysis of a game - just in general. I wouldn't have given this game the time of day and now I truly respect it. Awesome vid!
Great video! The burnout series has to be one of the best racing games ever ( the 3rd is probably my favorite), i think one of the best aspects of the game that you left out of the video is the sense of speed, i never felt "oh shit im really going too fast now" in any other racing game, but burnout gave me an adrenaline rush every time i played it.
Great video. Personally Im a bit more partial towards the older Burnout games for their instant action modes that cut out the exploring and just bring the racing front and center. But Paradise is still a great sendoff to the series!(I say sendoff because the cynic in me says there wont be another one of these).
It might just be that I'm playing them both at the same time, but I think Borderland 2 has the same attitude to guns as Paradise City has to cars. The guns in that game are titanic, candy-coloured Nerf-esque affairs with all sorts of crazy modifications, that do far more damage than makes sense. Add that to the heavy old-west feel and the fact that none of the deaths you cause actually matter IN UNIVERSE, and it feels very much like a child's attitude to guns, a "bang bang bang" to Burnout's "vroom vroom crash"
Omg, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reminding me of this game! I had completely forgotten how much fun I had playing it, I'm not the biggest fan of racing games but this was definitely one of those few exceptions within a genre that was just too special to not captivate me.
Absolutely loved this game. When i first got my hands on the demo, my jaw dropped to the floor. It had everything I've ever wanted from a car game: awesomely destructable cars (that do so in slowmo!), a nice map, and cars that go really, really fast. It was just raw, pure ....fun. And you really put it into better words why i liked it that much. Good stuff, good stuff.
This was an excellent review. I didn't know what made me like this game so much, but when you were talking about how it resembles the way kids play with cars, I got some really happy memories back from my lost childhood. I am now smiling like an idiot, thank you, you've earned a subscriber!
As you have several times before, you have completely captured the reasons underlying the fascination I have with this game. It sits in my Steam library, ready to go and recreate those care-free childhood moments crashing die-cast cars while also being packed full of meaningful interaction -- meaningful in the context of the game.
I never thought of it that way, but then again I was 12 when it came out and cared little for that stuff. Instead I was amazed at technical marvel of what this game could do. The environments all interconnected while like the cars had callbacks to previous Burnout titles and the soundtrack in which I could customize or leave it be to see what tone or feel the song would create. Trying my best to the best derp driver I could be, all while choosing any random car to go vroom vroom crarsh. What I'm trying to say is, this is another excellent video and I'm glad to have come across your channel.
I always knew there was something special about Paradise, I just couldn't explain why it was so Much better than any other racing game, you finally made me understand. Great video thanks!
I haven't been able to make the time to play games in what feels like an eternity, but now, you've really made me miss a video game that I've never played. This game has been on my "to-play" list for years. I feel like I've given up on games. Now I might get back into it for a short stint for this game alone. Thank you.
haven't played this one yet but this video and your description actually make it sound a lot like a spiritual successor to the san francisco rush series - i'll have to check it out.
It always makes me so disappointed in developers of racing games where they say how much they love cars but are bound by this "You must never let them get hurt in your game or we'll hurt you" rule from the car manufacturers. I don't know if they think that if the car can never crash in a videogame then players will think it will never crash in real life.
The manufacturers are too egotistic with their cars which makes them think that their cars should always retain their "perfect" image despite the fact that you can crash them. This is one of the reasons has to why I prefer games like burnout and motorstorm, they can allow you to see your opponents get literally destroyed while the ones with real cars only get a few scratches or no damage at all!
You know, this video made me realize why my four favorite racing games are regarded so highly by myself and many others. NFSUG2, Midnight Club 3, Burnout Paradise and Forza Horizon 3. They simply are giant toy boxes of very expensive cars and fun stuff to do, I can customize them, find things in the world, race, drift and just have mindless fun.
This still has to be one of my favorite games, combining my second and third favorite genres (open world adventure and racing games), and I always love when this relatively forgotten game gets talked about.
Great commentary as always. This one really helped me nail down why I feel the way I do about this game. When I played it as a teenager, I loved it, and considered it my favorite racing game I'd ever played. Years later, having not played any racing game in a long time, I decided to go back and play my favorite, but I found that I just wasn't that interested. I vaguely understood why, but I can put it more clearly now. Burnout Paradise isn't a racing game in the sense that most other racing games are. It's not about speed and skill as much is at is about exploration and goofing off. That's what made it so enjoyable for me as a teenager going in with no expectations, but it's also why I felt a little bored when I went back after years looking to play my favorite "racing game". Instead of the streamlined adrenaline and precision of racing, I was goofing around not doing much. Such a good game, though.
This video is more than just a simple review, it's showing the reasons why this game is amazing, it's love to racing games and why this one is the best of them.
That's my biggest problem with open world games like Skyrim: There can be no sense of urgency when at any given moment you can just peace the fuck out and do whatever you like with no consequences.
+Art Stug i agree too, Skryim main quest was always urgent, going really against what the game want us to do. not want to be one of the nostalgic assholes talking abotu how old games are better (my first Elder Scrolls was Skryim), Morrowind deal better with this. there are parts of the main quest when a character says you should try to gain experience or new views of the world by exploring other parts of the continent, go and join a clan, train in other stuff, go in a pilgrimage to put sponges on things if you want to. People treat you like someone who needs to have some training and some experience with the world (you are a outsider, like in Skyrim too) to understrand your place in the quest and the true or not, prophecy
This reminds me of The Crew, where the skeleton of the main game (plus world exploration) is connected with additional outer quests. The Crew has the same "knowledge" of the road helps later feeling.
Very, very good video, my man. Watched it in its entirity from start to finnish, never quitting full screen-mode once. You have a apparent grasp of language, something that makes you stand out, but you are also not afraid to sound silly or funny, without apologizing for it or being too self-aware. If you would ever give a lecture on gaming psychology or something like that, I'd definately buy a ticket! :)
I had this game on the 360 at one point (until the disk got scratched beyond repair somehow) and i remember it being my favourite game at the time. Not only was it a blast to play, but OMG DAT SOUNDTRACK THO!
Road Rage in the top end speed type cars was just the best thing ever. I miss the burnout series. In particular I miss those 20minute long medly tracks you unlocked in the original game.
Was and still is the best racing game I've ever played. I bought it physically, on origin and on steam because I liked it so much. This and trackmania were the best things that could have happened to my childhood.
Bravo! You actually put my sentiments to words. I always thought that Burnout Paradise is doing something right which actually appeals to me. But i wasn't able to pinpoint it ever. You sir, have totally shot a bullseye. you earned my subscription
9:15 Props to my fav car, the Krieger Pioneer. So maneuverable. So tough. Also, props to the licensed EA soundtrack because the first time Avril Lavinge's 'Girlfriend' popped up during a race, my skill level shot up 50% from the sick beats.
As a fanatical racing game fan, this game is kind of a godsend. Occasionally, I get sick of racers just feeding me car porn relentlessly (Forza being the biggest culprit), so I need something that doesn't give a fuck about the cars. Burnout does this superbly across the whole series. In Burnout 3, the naming of cars is more like an equation, being Characteristic+Class=Name. The car drifts a lot, and is in the Coupe Class? Its the Coupe DX. The downside of this is it removes the sense of wonder of "What is the car like?", as you can figure it out by looking at the name. This is also extended by the Crash modes being counted in dollars. It creates a little bit more absurdity to the situation, just to make sure you laugh at how silly the events on screen are. When I play Forza, I get pissed at the AI, because they hit my car, making it look all beat up and tainting the 'car porn' image the game tries so hard to build up. When I play Burnout, I hit the AI back. This is because they don't make the cars gratuitous, they make the crashing gratuitous.
Oh man I haven't played Burnout since the early xbox days, god damn it man this takes me back so much, I never followed Burnout after that but I'm gonna buy this one on steam. Great review
Now This is the perfect marriage of the words "Gaming Journalism!" From a 60 year old Journalist (and teenaged gamer since "Pong,") your balance of comparison and content gave me the insight I needed to pop the clutch on the upcoming "Remastered" edition. For what it's worth, you just helped some old guy haul it out of Haran long enough to hit the subscribe button. It is heartening to see that someone truly appreciates "The Ethic" AND gaming as much as I do! Game on, Reporter. You have the poise and eloquence to one day "Carry The LEAD!"
Burnout Paradise is for me, still almost 10 years later, my all time favorite game. When I got my PS3 for Christmas I only had one game and it was this (because PS3 games were more expensive than the PS2 games used to be). It would end up being the only PS3 game I had for about 6 months. Now, this sounds like it would be boring but I honestly didn't care. Hell, for the entire first year I didn't have wifi but I still played it. I eventually learned every jump, parking garage, and alley to the point where knew Paradise City better than my own hometown. Today I don't get the chance to play it as often as I'd like, but every once in a while, Paradise City comes through my car's radio and instantly I'm taken back to my basement staring at the tail lights of the blue and black Cavalry you start the game with.
I wish more racing games introduced you to the game like this one does. I remember starting up to Guns & Roses playing in the background, a gentle female voice welcoming me to the paradise city, "here have this car, go wherever you wish, pick any type of race you want and most importantly...have fun!" Only other racing games I remember giving me this warm and fuzzy feeling were Dirt2, Colin McRae3 and Nfs Porshe 2000 back in the day.
I think the one game that captured the pure fun of just driving around a city doing whatever I wanted and getting into crashes that didn't matter ultimately, was probably Driver San Fransisco. The story was nuts and kinda campy, the cars had the perfect amount of drift, and winning races didn't just feel like chaining boost together to vastly outstrip all competitors.
I've never liked cars. I had action figures instead of car toys as a kid, but this video totally sells me the idea that cars can be fun. Good job, Chris! :D
