Criterion explains Burnout Paradise online hard drive requirement
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Feb 4th 2008 at 10:55PM }
The Burnout team explains that it was a priority to have the offline and online modes of the game transition seamlessly into each other, something that wouldn't be possible using the limited space of a memory card. Criterion states that they had been in talks with Microsoft to work out a solution for Core and Arcade owners, but when none could be found they opted to not limit the robust online gameplay experience in order to facilitate HDD-less 360 owners.
While this does leave Core and Arcade users in the lurch, Criterion does point out that the online leaderboards for Burnout Paradise are fully accessible without the hard disk drive, meaning players can compete for best times with their friends, just not during the same race.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Huey2k2 @ Feb 4th 2008 11:00PM
Solution:
Get a 360 with a HDD.
Problem Solved.
kingofwale @ Feb 4th 2008 11:08PM
>Get a 360 with a HDD.
or.... stop selling 20gb hard-drive for ridiculous amount of money?
Huey2k2 @ Feb 4th 2008 11:09PM
You wouldn't have to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a HDD if you got a 360 with one in the first place.
The only people that should be buying HDless 360's are people who do not intend to use Live.
fwacce @ Feb 4th 2008 11:20PM
To be fair, it was always said by MS that Core owners would never run into this problem with Live. So, you can't hardly say that they shouldn't have bought it to begin with if they wanted to use Live.
Huey2k2 @ Feb 4th 2008 11:23PM
If you're going to be buying a Core or Arcade or any HDless 360 in the first place and then shell out the ~$60 a year for Live, you could have afforded a 360 with a HDD in the first place.
If you cheap out you get the bare minimum, deal with it.
fwacce @ Feb 4th 2008 11:51PM
You lost me, Huey. Does the 360 Pro come with a year's membership to Live or would you have to buy that anyway? I thought it didn't.
Either way, your argument may be a good one as to that the 360 Pro is the better deal. I certainly think it is. However, if anyone bought the Core thinking they would not need the HD to play Live games based on MS word, then I don't see how you can just say "Oh well, too bad." I mean, you're not Fernando. You show rational thought, so I'm sure you can see how both would be true.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Feb 5th 2008 1:47AM
The argument that the pro is some kind of good deal is only because MS charges so much for the items the pro comes with. If I could put in a $40 hard drive like I can with the PS3, then paying $80 more to get one wouldn't seem like a great deal, would it?
The Pro is a great deal for MS. It bundles in a lot of profit for them that isn't in the core. For us it's a great deal only because you're pretty much going to need the HDD anyway and MS has made sure you can't get it truly affordably so their "deal" seems like a good one.
upz @ Feb 5th 2008 12:29PM
November 2007
PS3 Loses Backwards Compatibility, Gamers Feel Cheated Out of Something They Were Promised from Day One
"But they promised! Well we'll show that bunch of arrogant, money grubbing liars what we think of their PSTriple!"
January 2008
Burnout Paradise Requires HDD to Play on XBox Live, Gamers Feel Cheated Out of Something They Were Promised from Day One
"Hey you, yeah, the one complaining. Shut up."
Deck @ Feb 4th 2008 11:09PM
How about this:
Read the box before buying the game.
Don't buy a 360 without a HDD. What's the point anyway?
Done.
Ebola @ Feb 4th 2008 11:10PM
Hmmmm...
Poisoned Al @ Feb 4th 2008 11:12PM
I have little sympathy for 360 owners without a HDD, but it still does kinda suck that there is this problem at all.
guidedbyvoip @ Feb 4th 2008 11:18PM
mmmk, you paid $60 for a game. why can't you pay $100 (or less used/ebay) for a HDD? the number of features it adds to the 360 is worth it. why complain about $100 for crackdown/burnout multi, video/demo downloads, library o' arcade games? why complain?
Ohhh Rrrright, because God gave you fingers to type with and Al Gore gave you the Internet to whine with. bleh.
klitorisaurus @ Feb 4th 2008 11:21PM
I took the hard drive out of my PS3 to show my support
Spiza @ Feb 4th 2008 11:25PM
And replaced it with a $100 200GB (or maybe even larger) hdd?
Fox318 @ Feb 4th 2008 11:25PM
I took the hard rive out of my PC to show my support.
Wait a min---
Kola @ Feb 5th 2008 8:46AM
Hey I think thats a great idea. I'm going to take mine out as well. (the 250 gig from ebay is coming today)
mike @ Feb 4th 2008 11:28PM
I think microsoft needs to rework the arcade system yet again. They messed up with the core, and again with the arcade. This is what they should do, lose the memory card, lose the wireless controller, lose the arcade games include harmony 360 remote only and drop the price to $150. This way people can buy a 360 to use as a media center extender or use its streaming or hardware for playback of wmvhd and .avi and dvd files. Then for those who want to upgrade to gaming console from media center, can go purchase a controller, a hard drive, and some games.
Then they need to eliminatne the need to cater to anybody without a hard drive, assume that if you play games, arcade or retail, you own a hard drive
I still wonder why microsoft releases a console without a hard drive. Whos actually buying it?
SoulBlade @ Feb 4th 2008 11:35PM
Uninformed parents who love the fact that the 360 starts at 280 as advertised.
SoulBlade @ Feb 4th 2008 11:34PM
Are any of you guys saying to "just go buy a hard drive" the same ones that blasted the PS3 for being expensive? Just curious...
Some people bought the HD-less one because they were under the impression that MS would make sure that every game for the 360 would work on it regardless of the HD existence. That's pretty much what MS said would happen, and they didn't come through. I think it's great that Criterion decided to make a game they could be proud of, but it sucks for those who now have to shell out some extra cash to get the full experience.
Ranko @ Feb 4th 2008 11:35PM
I think people have forgotten that Microsoft is in it for the money. They make products to make money. The HDD is a product, they will do whatever it takes to sell this product. You are not forced to purchase this product but they aren't going to stop simply because certain consumers don't want to buy that particular product. Either you want it or not. Don't complain when you don't want it. That's stupid.
sp @ Feb 5th 2008 12:05AM
What?! A cheaper, feature-deprived, base(less) model has run into limitations?!?! I don't know what's more shocking - that people are actually shocked about it or that Criterion bothered to explain themselves to el cheapos. When you cheap out, you've gambled away your whining rights. For the record, this is not a whine, it is a condescending scold.
Rawnzilla @ Feb 5th 2008 12:11AM
I didn't know that people who bought X-Box 360 Arcades could afford internet access. Colored me surprised.
Greyseal @ Feb 5th 2008 12:42AM
"Dude, I just got Super Mario Bros. 3! Have you played it yet?"
"No... I only have the Core NES."
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Feb 5th 2008 1:00AM
What did you expect them to say? Of course they're going to try to turn an admittedly small negative into a positive. Welcome to marketing.
I still feel the core is a millstone around MS' neck. Ideally, they should have waited until it was possible to ship it with 4-8GB of flash. That doesn't sound like much, but if you subtract the 6-8GB of backward compatibility stuff on the regular edition's HD, it's comparable to as much space as 20GB HDD users get.
JRM @ Feb 5th 2008 2:18AM
This is only the beginning for 'two-tiered' gaming...
It's what we were all predicting long before the many xbox sku's came out.
Chad @ Feb 5th 2008 2:24AM
I was one of the people that originally bought a core back on release day. Then I remember waiting patiently for the demo of FFXI on the official OXM disc. I rushed to the shop, bought it, only to find in very small print on the back of the magazine that a hard drive was required. I felt cheated but went out the next day and bought a hard drive. I am sure something similar has happened to other users.
Now with the advent of the arcade models, the customers who buy burnout will find out they can't play on live. While I think it's a poor decision on MS part to have released a console without a hard drive, I imagine hard drive sales will increase sightly
Anticrawl @ Feb 5th 2008 2:38AM
Anyone who bought the xbox 360 for xbox live most likely had some experience with the Xbox and Live on it as well. If that was the case I can't imagine how they would not want a hard drive. Farcry used a harddrive on the xbox to store extra maps and whatnot so why the fuck would you want a harddrive-less "upgrade"?
Honestly anyone complaining I'll sell you one or both of my 2 20gig drives for like 20-60 bucks so you'll quit bitching. Bah! Do away with the arcade I say! Develope games with a harddrive in mind.
Synner @ Feb 5th 2008 4:17AM
You little bitches are essentially complaining that the car you bought with an AM only radio won't play your new brittney spears cd.
Get over yourselves, rather than bitch post here, go to www.ebay.com and buy a harddrive
MS never said that games wouldn't require hard drives, only that SINGLE PLAYER EXPERIENCE wouldn't require one.
you are probably the same retards applauding sony's decision to remove card reader slots on the cheaper PS3s because after all, a multi USB reader is only $20.
Scotto @ Feb 5th 2008 4:22AM
It should be worth noting that HDD-less XBOX 360 owners aren't actually deprived of the ability to play Burnout Paradise - they are being deprived of the ability to play online.
I don't what guarantees Microsoft made regarding all features of games working without a HDD, but if they did, they should retract that. Instead, they should basically be saying "be advised that by buying the cheap-ass version of this console, there is no guarantee 100% of features in all games will work", and telling people to look at the back of the case before purchasing.
If you buy a computer but are too cheap to get a network card, then you get no internet. If you buy an XBOX 360, but are too cheap to get a HDD, then you take your chances with online play. Microsoft should just clarify this fact, instead of being misleading.
- Scott
Synner @ Feb 5th 2008 4:33AM
Why are all you people that WERE prescient enough to buy the Pro or Elite even bothering with this post.
A: A lot of people bought core systems to replace rrod or because they want hdmi
B: Of those that are left, many will not be EVER using live.
C: Of those that remain, you can remove anyone who is not a racing game/burnout fan.
Now, the people that remain (probably all 5 of them) can make the value judgment themselves of whether the added expense of a HD is worth to ONLY enable online for this ONE GAME.
I mean fucks sakes, if Timmy's mom got him a core, and he hasn't needed any of the features that not having a hard drive precludes him from, then chances are, he is not going to want to run out and buy it when he gets burnout.
This is why I bought the 60GB PS3, I knew I would rather pay a little more now and get all the features, than be complaining later when the skimping up front cost me functionality.
If others haven't made the same research, than they probably throw money away on more than having to buy the HD after the fact.
Tridus @ Feb 5th 2008 8:51AM
Its funny, I always thought the point of a console over a PC was that you didn't have to do all sorts of research before buying one.
Kid says he wants an Xbox. Parent goes and buys one. Kid then discovers its an Arcade. Oh dear.
The fact that a HD-less model exists at all is a mistake, and the fact that it still exists today is an even bigger one. Microsoft screwed this up.
(The HD addons are also hillariously expensive for what you get, but I guess Xbox folks like being gouged.)
Synner @ Feb 5th 2008 2:41PM
Yeah, except when you see 3 different boxes all next to each other with different prices and you don't take the 15 seconds to check for the differences, then you are a fucking retard.
MagusDF @ Feb 5th 2008 11:03AM
Many people make the assumption that the majrity of the owners actually knew the diference between the core/arcade and the others. Most of them just saw a price diference, I have little to no sympathy for the people that chose knowing what they were going into. There are however may that had absolutly no idea, or many kids whos parents just bought them the cheaper one ecause of the price diference. Thats where MS is at fault for creating a tiered system.
Synner @ Feb 5th 2008 2:45PM
let me reiterate:
when you see 3 different boxes all next to each other with different prices and you don't take the 15 seconds to check for the differences, then you are a fucking retard.
If your kid doesn't know the difference, he probably isn't getting the online features anyway.
Plus I have yet to be at a store selling this shit where some annoying ass know it all sales clerk isn't trying to climb up my ass to explain the diferences and why I need the warranty.
meow mix @ Feb 5th 2008 11:04AM
haha!
Synner @ Feb 5th 2008 2:38PM
Wow, you have all swayed me. MS is at fault for people's poor purchasing decisions.
Yep, just like cigarette manufacturers are at fault for your 4 pack a day habit, and Mcdonald's is at fault because you eat like a pig.
Oh, wait it's the company you wroked for's fault you got fired when you told your manager to fuck off too.
Yep, it's never YOUR fault, always blame someone else.
sorry, your kid can ask for a computer or a bike, too, and if you go buy the cheapest fucking one available, don't blame dell or Huffy when the thing is shit.
Your kid can ask for a TV. You could go buy the $400 HDTV or the $279 RCA POS CRT. Then go blame RCA for not allowing oyu to see HD programming.
Fuck you bunch of whiney little girls.
PiratePete @ Feb 5th 2008 4:36PM
wow, rage much?