burnout paradise
Latest
Burnout Paradise scores 20k downloads on PSN
Sorry Gamestop, but publishers are increasingly turning towards digital distribution. EA experimented with Burnout Paradise, by releasing the full retail game on the PlayStation Network. Its budget price ($30) certainly attracted quite a number of fans, as it was able to earn 20,000 downloads since its release, only three weeks ago.20k is a small figure compared to the total number of units the game has sold since its release in January (at least 1.6 million units). However, EA is able to make a greater profit off of direct-to-consumer sales. The digital release of Burnout Paradise is quite late -- we're certain it would've done even better were it to have launched simultaneously with the retail release.Still, digital distribution has many hurdles to overcome. For many, digital distribution isn't a viable means of acquiring games, due to slow connection speeds or bandwidth caps. For others, the lack of packaging far outweighs any other potential benefits, like launching from the hard drive and lessened load times. As the industry progresses, it's clear that publishers will continue experimenting with digital distribution.
Burnout Paradise Party, Ultimate Box coming Feb. 2009
As we warned you, Criterion has released the details on the first of four planned 2009 DLC updates to its open-world driving juggernaut: Burnout Paradise "Party," coming in February 2009. The premium content (that means "not for free") will add a pass-the-pad party mode for those who've got a room full of up to eight gearheads, each taking their shot at tests of stunt abilities, speed and general skill. There's also a whole new party aesthetic if you don't want to spring for streamers.Released alongside the "Party" pack will be an "Ultimate Box" edition of the game which will include all previously released DLC, including "Party," for an undisclosed price. So if that's the next big thing for Burnout, what's the next-next big thing? You'll have to wait until Nov. 7 to find out.
The free ride ends? Burnout Paradise pay DLC coming
The Criterion Games guys are still working hard on Burnout Paradise. In fact, they'll be working on their critically acclaimed racer well into 2009. Their constant updates in BP have added a slew of new features, like new races, challenges and even vehicles. The amount of content they've released for free post-release has been absolutely astounding.The free ride may be ending soon, though. The first pack of 2009 for BP will be called Burnout Paradise Party, and it will feature 8-player pass-the-controller multiplayer. Players will compete in a party-themed challenge. Interestingly, not only will Party add more gameplay, it will also revamp the visuals. "We've overhauled not just the presentation screens but also the in-game visuals, which are now brighter and more colourful in recognition of Burnout's new party theme."No word on price yet, but Party will be available as DLC next year. It will also be included in a new retail disc called Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box, which will include all the free packs released so far and the Party pack.%Gallery-35782%
Obama billed $44.5K for in-game advertising
How much did it cost 2008 US Presidential Candidate Barack Obama to put ads inside of Burnout Paradise and other titles? According to a Federal Election Commission filing (via Gamespot), Obama's campaign sent $44,465.78 to Massive Incorporated to run in-game advertisements, from October 6 to November 3, in 18 separate titles. The real winner of these in-game ads, of course, was Tim the Paradise City Street Sweeper.Comparatively, the campaign has spent a estimated total of $205 million on TV ads, about $4 to $5 million of which was for last night's 30-minute infomercial on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, Fox, BET, TV One and Univision. Fun statistic: The amount spent on TV ads was 455,555% higher than in-game advertisement. According to previous statements, Massive had approached the McCain campaign about doing a similar advertising deal, but they had passed on it.
Criterion prepping four more Burnout Paradise updates
Motorcycles in Burnout Paradise? Awesome. Even, er ... awesome-r is today's announcement that Criterion is planning at least four additional DLC content packs for the game. Placeholder images for the packs are already up on the developer's newly revamped site, along with word that the contents of the first pack will be laid bare on Friday, Oct. 31.The remaining three packs will be revealed each subsequent Friday (Nov. 7, Nov. 14, and Nov. 24). It's almost certain that one of the packs will introduce an entirely new island, which Criterion has been working on for some time. As for the others ... what would you like to see? (If they aren't, in fact, additional islands.)[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Four more Burnout Paradise updates incoming
Checked out CriterionGames.com recently? You might have noticed that they've completely revamped the site. Not only does it look swish and sexy, but it harbors some interesting information about upcoming Burnout Paradise content. You know, that game which came out in January but which people are still playing today? The game that's had copious amounts of free downloadable expansions and which was the first third party disc-based title to patch in trophies?Four new expansions are listed on the "coming soon" section of the new Criterion Games website. While at the moment they're simply numbered packs, they will be unveiled, one by one, over the next four fridays, starting on October 31st. The only other information we're given about these packs is that we expect to see them arrive in Spring 2009. So after all this year's great games are played and forgotten, we're convinced we'll still be playing Burnout Paradise well after a year since release.We'll keep you informed as and when these expansion packs are unveiled.[Thanks Andrew Gaspar]
Deal: Burnout Paradise for $20
Well, there's really no excuse now. You must buy Burnout Paradise. It's only $20 on amazon.com. Make sure you look at the right hand side of the screen for all your buying options. It may be one of the smaller options!If it's sold out, you can also buy it on Newegg.com for the same price. With motorcycles, Trophies, and more to come, this is one of the easiest no-brain purchases we've seen in quite some time. Go, go, go![Via Slickdeals.net]
Dead Space includes Burnout & Bad Company demos
Being one of the biggest publishers in the world has its advantages. One of these advantages, particularly in EA's case, is being able to pull from their catalog of games for extra content. For example, the PS3 version of Dead Space comes with two demos for other EA titles: Burnout Paradise and Battlefield: Bad Company. These demos are accessible from the XMB, where two Blu-ray discs will appear once you insert the Dead Space disc. One for the game itself and the other titled "EA Demos."These demos need to be installed, but can be run without having the disc in the drive. In other words, it saves you having to download. Not exactly a selling point, but definitely a clever way for EA to leverage their other publishing properties.
Obama ads arrive in Burnout Paradise
Of all the advertisements we've ever thought would show up in our ad-enabled video games, we have to admit we never even considered the possibility of political ads. And yet, there they are. The next time you fire up Burnout Paradise, you may notice some new billboard ads advocating Barack Obama's bid for the US presidency. The ads mention that early voting has begun and list the address of an Obama campaign website.Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, told GigaOM, "I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout," adding that the company accepts advertisements from "credible political candidates" and that, just like ads on TV and radio, they don't necessarily reflect the opinions of EA or its employees. Our suggestion for the next candidate to buy some in-game ads: Ed Hermes.[Via Joystiq]
Obama ad appears in Burnout Paradise [Update]
[Update -- Though Ms. Rockwood was unclear in her response to Gigaom, MTV Multiplayer has discovered that, for whatever reason, the ad only appears in the Xbox 360 version. Furthermore, a certain AlexW at Criterion Games have stepped forward to say the advertising in Burnout Paradise do not fund the awesome updates they've been providing. So now the question is, what do they fund? Thanks, Enrique!]Enjoying those free Burnout Paradise updates? Well, they are free partly due to the in-game advertisements, such as this one placed by Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama. Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, has confirmed that the above ad is an official one placed by Senator Obama's campaign team.Rockwood explains that EA will "accept advertising from credible political candidates ... Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams."Obama's use of in-game campaign ads strikes us as a bit strange -- because as of yesterday, Senator Obama is still placing television and video games (and yes, bad parenting too) at the forefront of the causes for underachievement.[Via Joystiq]
Obama takes campaign to Burnout's Paradise City
It looks like US Presidential Nominee Barack Obama is seeking out the oft-overlooked "virtual maniac driver" voting bloc. Gamers who fire up their copy of Burnout Paradise for Xbox 360 will notice that some of the bilboards now feature an advertisement from Obama that says early voting has begun and features the URL of his campaign website. Electronic Arts Director of Coroporate Communications told GigaOM, "I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout," while also noting that they accept ads from "credible political candidates" and that such ads do not reflect the opinion of EA or its employees. As recently as yesterday, Obama is still citing video games in stump speech about underachieving kids.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
European PSN releases for September 25th
Are you ready for the best PSN update you've ever seen? Until the US update occurs later today, that is. We had no idea it was coming to Europe, but Burnout Paradise is now available at the ridiculously affordable price of £25/€30. Definitely worth picking up if you don't have it, especially after today's trophy patch. WipEout HD makes its triumphant debut today as well, alongside Mega Man 9 and two Burnout titles for the PSP. Blimey. There are also more demos, add ons, videos and themes (including a Bioshock one which we're looking forward to seeing). Stop reading this blurb and check out the full list of content:Playable content WipEout HD full game (£11.99/€17.99) Burnout Paradise full game (£24.99/€29.99) Mega Man 9 full game (£6.99/€9.99) Mercenaries 2 demo Beijing 2008 demo Mega Man 9 demo Burnout Legends full PSP game (£14.99/€19.99) Burnout Dominator full PSP game (£17.99/€24.99) Add-on content Buzz! Quiz TV "Video Games" quiz (£3.49/€4.99) Rock Band DLC (listed after the break) High Stakes Poker add-on 2 (free)
Burnout Paradise PS3 Trophies patch released, not retroactive
Folks, we've got good news and bad news. Okay, the good news first: Criterion Games has released a patch for Burnout Paradise that adds Trophies. The bad news is those Trophies are not going to be awarded retroactively. Despite having previously stating they were "thinking ahead" with Trophy support, the developers said today, "We had hoped to use this to retroactively award trophies, but we discovered during testing that this is not possible." A new game save will be required. Criterion notes this is the same as with all other PS3 games that patched in Trophies. Though that's true, we're admittedly a bit bummed since we had been replaying the game under the promise that we'd retroactively get some (online) street cred for our PSN ID. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Burnout Paradise Trophy patch now live, not retroactive
Burnout Paradise Trophies are now live. Simply stick your disc in the tray and start playing and you'll be prompted to download the latest update. Check out the full list of Trophies in order to prepare yourself for what you're in for. Unfortunately, it seems that trophies will not be retroactive in Burnout Paradise. You'll have to start a fresh game in order to acquire all these shiny prizes. We imagine some of you might be quite angry about that. Feel free to let loose in the comments but, please, don't shoot the messenger![Thanks DeforMAKulizer, Snowy & Conor Buckley]
Trophies: Burnout Paradise
1 Platinum4 Gold28 Silver65 Bronze Difficulty: Easy Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 30 hoursDLC Trophies? Yes**Trophies requiring DLC are highlighted in yellow. View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-12560%%Gallery-41361%%Gallery-35782%%Gallery-38136%%Gallery-49268%
Burnout Paradise up for download on PSN Thursday, Sept. 25
As announced during last month's EA Studio Showcase event, Burnout Paradise will become the first previously retail-only PS3 game offered for download in its entirety from the PlayStation Store. Developer Criterion Games has updated its Burnout blog with news that the game will be available this Thursday, Sept. 25, as part of the store's weekly update (which usually goes live at 2 p.m. PST).The game download will cost $29.99, the same price as the disc-based retail release. If you don't already own Burnout Paradise, this is a great opportunity to get in on a superb racer ... without having to bust out the game disc every time you want to play. No stats on the download's size have been revealed, but we've contacted EA for details and will update when we get them. Criterion has announced that, upon starting the game, buyers will be prompted to download all of the (free) content that it has cooked up since launch, including last week's Bikes Pack.
Reminder: Fracture demo, Burnout bikes go live today
The hardest of hardcore among you probably have this marked on your calendar, but, in case you've forgotten, allow us to remind you that the demo for LucasArts' terraforming action game Fracture and "Burnout Paradise Bikes," which ... adds bikes ... to Burnout Paradise, both go live on Xbox Live and PSN today.To help us stay well below our Comcast 250 GB limit, we'd like to humbly suggest these two products be merged into one. "Earthosaur: The Terraforming Bike: The Game," puts you, Det. Dirk Dangerstein behind the handlebars of Earthosaur, a bike that has the power to shift the very earth it prowls like a silent, prowling fox. ... Also, the bike is possessed by your ex-partner, who was killed in a gangland shootout. ... And it can transform into a robot dinosaur.How about it, Silicon Valley? How about it?
Burnout in Paradise with new bike DLC
Today, September 18th, 2008 is a monumental day for Burnout Paradise fanboys, because today is the day Criterion graces us with a new set of Burnout Paradise downloadable content. New DLC that brings bikes into the mix as well as a bunch of new challenges all for (get this) FREE! The new 445MB Burnout Paradise Bike DLC is waiting to make a home on your 360's HDD so, please, make your way to the XBLM and give it a download. Won't you think of the children?
Burnout Paradise bikes patch available now
Burnout Paradise's latest patch is now available. To download your new bikes, simply load the game up and you will be prompted to update, as normal. Criterion is becoming well known for offering unparalleled free content and this latest patch is no exception. As well as the ability to ride bikes around Paradise City, this patch brings 38 timed races, day/night and weather cycles and 70 freeburn challenges. Did we mention it was all free? For full details check out the official Criterion blog. Don't forget, too, that Criterion will be making an appearance on the PlayStation Blog at some point this week to discuss trophies. Hopefully we'll be seeing that patch very soon. So dust off your copy of Burnout Paradise and off you go. On yer bike.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
