Xbox 360
‘Free' is most definitely the best price. Too often, the downloadable content available on Xbox Live Arcade, Wii Virtual Console and Playstation Network is sold at highway robbery prices. The latest expansion pack for the explosive racer Burnout Paradise, however, screeches onto the scene amid a fireball of twisted car wreckage and smashes the rulebook of digital distribution into tiny, unidentifiable and still slightly warm bits.
Always a game based on the destruction of cars, this new and totally free expansion pack chucks superbikes into the mix, giving you a completely new take on the immensely popular racer. However, the goodies don't stop there, as the first thing you notice after updating is the initial title screen, which has been replaced by an info hub called 'Paradise News'.
This is a stat-whore's dream, as a news reel shows-off figures from the game's massive online community. You can check out anything: from how many people were online on a particular day, to how many people just checked out some of the things you just checked. The entire interface is like a statisticians fevered dream. You also get a calendar and round-the-globe weather reports, if that takes your fancy.
Besides this largely aesthetic, the expansion also boasts some 38 new 'Beat the Clock' events, which include the familiar 'Burning Ride' mode (essentially 'Burning Route' from the car mode) and 'Midnight Ride': introducing an impressive day-night cycle which only unlocks certain challenges in the wee small hours.
What's more, not only does bad weather affect your handling, the weather and day/night effects themselves look stunning. There's something Zen, if not a tad suicidal, about screaming down the rain-slick side of the game's expansive mountain range while the sun sets in the horizon.
Speaking of suicidal, the bikes are extremely fun, if not a tad ludicrous. While the handling is grippy and responsive, be prepared to crash a lot. There's something enticing about popping a wheelie at 300MPH, even when you know it's a bad idea. Wheelies are mainly for show, however, as the bikes cannot boost like their four-wheeled counterparts. Trust us when we say they are fast enough without any form of boost option.
The aim is to beat the punishing time-attacks strewn across the urban maze, in a bid to earn your full bike license. Some of these really are harsh, but immensely satisfying when you zip over the finish line with half a second left to spare. Fail, however and you still have to manually go back to the start of the trial and start over. The lack of a 'restart race' option still stings a lot, but the generosity of this expansion almost makes up for it.
One other gripe is that you can't race bikes and cars together. This would have been a lot of fun, but the gameplay is just so different, you can understand why it was omitted.
What is really neat, however, is the plethora of new online challenges designed for bikes. There is still a lot to be said for wasting an hour or two with a friend messing about or completing tasks in Paradise City. It's hands-down one of the best implementations of an online mode in the current generation of consoles, and continues to shine here.
Being free, the value of this expansion can't be faulted. Plus, it ticks all the Burnout boxes: from the breakneck speed to the explosive destruction. All in all, this is another worthy edition to what is already a brilliant game.
