First Impressions: Burnout Paradise

Yes, I know that it should be a little late to be doing a "first impression" on a game that was released over a year ago, but I honestly have not bought a racing game in several years, so when it came out, my reaction was little more than "meh" and I passed it by. It wasn't until the game started popping up on Game of the Year lists, and on the podcasts that I listen to regularly that I took notice of it, and downloaded the demo. Five minutes into the demo, I was hooked.

As of yesterday, I'm the proud owner of a new copy of Paradise, and so far, I'm pleased as hell. The game is what the Need For Speed series should have been. Open world, fun as hell weaving through traffic, fast game play (even on your first car) that you never get tired of. The game so far has the perfect balance of control, while keeping you on the edge of destruction right around every corner. The relatively small crashing penalty is a major plus as well. Watch your car crumble to bits, and a couple seconds later, your car is good as new, and you're back on the road.

I've only unlocked a few cars so far, but the latest patch and the legendary cars will probably keep me from caring if I unlock more.

Yes, that's pretty much the DeLorean.

Final word: Burnout Paradise is a blast at a bargain ($20 for a new copy) and I'm loving every minute of it so far.