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Burnout DLC adds Ecto-1, KITT & The General Lee ... 'parodies'
Just click: Hop inside our gallery tour of Legendary Cars! You've seen Criterion's hovering DeLorean 88 Special in action. Now meet the rest of the Burnout Paradise "Legendary Cars." They're, like, totally original, we swear: %Gallery-41360%Update: Gallery now features Burnout vs. "real" cars comparison pics -- plus video reveal after the break![Thanks Travis!]
All four Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars revealed
Click for high-resolution image. The Back to the Future-inspired hovering 88 Special was just one of four cars to be introduced in the upcoming Legendary Cars DLC pack. Today, Criterion has revealed all four, one of them taking a cue from Ghostbusters. The Manhattan Spirit is based on the film's Ecto-1 -- in the game, it's a stunt car that has some kind of special ability when players hit L3. Hrm.The Carson Nighthawk, based on Night Rider's KITT, has a special lighting array triggered by boosting, which should look fantastic at night. Finally, the Cavalry Bootlegger is a tribute to "The Chicanator," with a massive horn that can be triggered with L3. The fanservice can be seen in all its glory in our gallery.Update: Video after the break.%Gallery-41361%
See Burnout's Jansen 88 Special fly into action
What it lacks in a Flux Capacitor and time circuits, Burnout Paradise's hover-enabled "Jansen 88 Special" more than makes up for in its ability to make us drool, as evidenced in new footage released by Criterion Games. View it after the break!The car, which certainly meets with Doc Brown's seal of approval, is one quarter of the upcoming Legendary Cars Pack, which will also include the Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and GT Nighthawk. Now, if only our Flux Capacitor would start fluxing so we could leap ahead a few months and try this DLC out for ourselves.
Trophy Guide: Burnout Paradise
Read more 'Burnout Paradise' stories Although there are 64 Trophies available for Burnout Paradise; 48 Bronze, 11 Silver, 4 Gold and a Platinum. It is currently one of the easier games to achieve Platinum on. Unfortunately you will need a PSEye in order to clear the game. But as a rule, there are few thumb-breakers in this game. So strap in and get at it. There are trophies to be won. Warning: Trophies are not retroactive, a new game save will be needed if play started before the Trophy patch was released. View Trophy Guide | View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
MMOGology: Can Wrath keep us entertained?
My World of Warcraft guild is fairly casual - so why do we already have level 80s? Pre-Wrath of the Lich King we farmed Karazhan. Gruul's Lair and Zul'Aman were regular runs, but we never tackled Black Temple or Sunwell as a guild. We leveled alts, crafted, PvP'd and told bad jokes in guild chat. Despite our relatively casual nature, five of our members hit 80 just two weeks after Wrath of the Lich King's release. There's already talk of running Naxxramas in the not too distant future (perhaps next Sunday A.D.). I know that's not record speed, but holy crap! If my guild of casual players is quickly level capping, a good percentage of WoW players must also be nearing the end game. There were at least forty of them on my server late last night. It took Blizzard nearly two years to release Wrath and it seems like a lot of people are already prepping for end-game raids. How in the world will this expansion hold players' attentions past Christmas, much less until the next expansion? How long before we hear cries of, "There's nothing to do!"?
Burnout Paradise's Big Surf Island now premium DLC
Criterion has announced that its upcoming Burnout Paradise downloadable content Big Surf Island, contrary to previous statements in the developer's podcast, will no longer be offered gratis. Said the developer, "Big Surf is the culmination of everything we learned creating Paradise City, and we want it to bring you a truly spectacular new experience – the highlight of a year of incredible premium content."Surf Island will focus heavily on stunts -- in Criterion's words, the mantra is, "If you can see it, you can drive it." What we don't know at the moment is how much it will cost, or when it will be made available. The car shown in the images, the Dust Storm, will also be available the same time as Surf Island, although there is no indication if it will be free or premium DLC. If you haven't jumped on the Burnout Paradise bandwagon (and subsequently rammed it into a busy intersection, sending the bandwagon flying into a nearby construction site), the Ultimate Box edition is coming in February 2009. Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
Burnout Big Surf Island DLC detailed
click to enlarge Criterion has posted an update about the upcoming Burnout Paradise DLC, Big Surf Island. As you may have guessed, the DLC adds an entirely new island to the world of Burnout Paradise and it features lots of new locations and things to do. For example, you can drive all the way to the top of the cylindrcal tower in the image above. Big Surf Island also hosts a construction yard which is filled with scaffolds and lots of jumps. Criterion also announced that a new vehicle will be released at the same time as Big Surf Island, a dune buggy called the Dust Storm. You can see several locations from Big Surf Island as well as the Dust Storm in the gallery below.While a specific release date hasn't been announced -- sounds like early next year -- Criterion did announce that Big Surf Island will be premium content, though a specific price has not been revealed.%Gallery-38261%
Burnout Paradise's new island detailed
Ready to check out "Big Surf Island"? Burnout Paradise is expanding quite a bit in 2009, and that includes a brand new island to drive around. The premium DLC won't be free, but considering how much Criterion has already added to the game, we don't mind the opportunity to finally give them money for something. The island is all about crazy jumps, as this new episode of the CrashTV podcast reveals. Don't want to watch the podcast? Check out the screens in our new gallery.[Thanks, Monik!]%Gallery-38136%
Criterion teases next Burnout Paradise DLC pack
That's right, the next one. As in the one after the flying cars, the toy cars and the not-actually-cars. Criterion just keeps on stuffing more content into its open-world racer, with the latest vehicular addition taking the form of the Carson Extreme Hotrod, a "stripped down, ultra low, overpowered straight line monster." You'll find it, along with another impossibly fast hunk of metal, in 2009's "Paradise Boost Specials Pack." According to the developers, both vrooooooms are designed to "re-imagine Burnout Boost." And we doubt they're imagining it any slower. Here we come, walls!
Burnout Paradise gets monster truck and more in Toy Cars DLC
Another Friday, another Burnout Paradise DLC announcement. It looks like Criterion is expanding the game yet again in 2009, with a new series of vehicles in their planned "Toy Cars" pack. This expansion will add a number of interesting cars to the Burnout franchise, such as a monster truck. Simon Phipps from Criterion Games notes on the PlayStation.blog: "We hope you agree that we're keeping up our promise to take Burnout Paradise into places you'd never imagined."There's still more DLC to be announced in the coming weeks. By the end of 2009, we're pretty sure Burnout Paradise will be a completely different game. Wow.
Burnout Paradise's Legendary Jansen 88 Special
After numerous updates, free content and even motorbikes, Criterion will be bringing a set of paid Legendary Cars to Burnout Paradise in 2009. This week, they unveiled the first of four, the Jansen 88 Special which is based on the fan favorite Jansen P12. And the first thing you'll notice is that this Back to the Future inspired ride can hover. Yes sir, a hovering, flame trail creating Jansen 88 Special that (sadly) lacks the ability to travel back in time. Keep on the look out for more Legendary Cars reveals in the weeks to come (Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and GT Nighthawk) and remember to change your car's oil every 3,000 miles.[Thanks, Cube]
Burnout Paradise goes Back to the Future
Go ahead: Blink twice. Yep, it's still here. You're not dreaming. Now, would somebody please whip up an award for Best DLC Ever? Thanks -- just hand it over to the folks at Criterion Games.It may be the first time you actually pay for Burnout Paradise DLC, but we're gonna go ahead and put in writing that the Legendary Cars Pack will be well worth your hard-earned PSN money / . Exhibit A: The DeLorean DMC-12 "Jansen 88 Special" (see above). Time traveling? No*. Hovering? Yes! And be on the lookout for Exhibits B, C & D: The Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and GT Nighthawk. (One of those has to be codename for the "Tumbler," right?) *But there are burning flame trails! %Gallery-36402%[Thanks, Bob]
Burnout Paradise sells 20k copies via PS Store
In an earnings call yesterday, Electronic Arts revealed that Burnout Paradise had been downloaded over 20,000 times in the first three weeks of launch on the PlayStation Store. "In the future we see slower growth in the basic packaged goods business, and higher margins, greater growth and reduced cyclicality [sic] with these new direct-to-consumer businesses," said CEO John Riccitiello, who added that the company is investing $150 million in digital distribution. At $30 per download, that amounts to $600,000 for the publisher (and Sony, who undoubtedly gets a share of that). Riccitiello also said that on average, $14.50 has been spent per user in The Sims 2 online store. For this fiscal year, EA expects $185 million in online revenue. Burnout Paradise "Party" DLC and Ultimate Box set are coming February 2009.
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.
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]
The Daily Grind: When is a grind not a grind?
According to a history documentary this blogger remembers watching some time back, 'the daily grind' was originally a literal grind; the processing of cultivated grain to make flour for bread, which people would do on small stone wheels. In their thatch roof cottages. Before the Trogdor came in the niiiiight.But in the context of MMOs, such as Scott Jennings' recent criticism of Warhammer Online for being grindy, what exactly makes a grind? It's easy to come up with a rough definition: doing the same thing over and over with little variation and modest but predictable reward, a bit like grinding little stone wheels to make enough flour for one family sized loaf. However, given that pretty much everything you do in an MMO is a task carried out for some sort of reward or other, what stops it all from feeling like one big grind - variations in quest type, changes of scenery, or changes of mob type? What features work best - and worst - to break up the monotony? What makes the difference between feeling like you're playing and feeling like you're grinding?
That's it, I'm quitting MMOs forever!
MMO burnout is an interesting creature. Rarely do people who quit MMOs do it quietly; it's usually crowned by a forum or blog post addressing the fact that this person has now "found a life" and are going outside more. In the process of burning bridges, these posts usually make two distinctively recycled points: All MMO players are overweight, and they never leave the house.Such is a recent post at MMOCrunch regarding a player who has quit MMOs forever. Burnout is certainly understandable, especially in today's oversaturated market, but it's the method of the quitting that's always interesting to us. What does this say about MMOs and their impact on us, as players? Do people quit scrapbooking by burning their fancy paper and glue-on letters?
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]
