In what could be the sign of the start of a really interesting paradigm shift in the industry, EA announced that its smash-em-up driving hit Burnout Paradise will be arriving on PSN this fall for $29.99. Those are pretty much all the details available right now, but we can't help but be captivated by the possibilities.

Is this going to be a new trend, offering up titles via PSN that have lost some of their retail luster? Because, honestly, we've braved numerous excursions outside of our living rooms, and anything we can do to keep those to an absolute minimum is truly appreciated.

Oh, and GameStop? This is how it begins.

Previously known as the "Davis" update, the next major content infusion for Burnout Paradise has been renamed ... and delayed by a month. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Criterion producer Jeremy Chubb reveals that the update is now going by the designation "Bikes Pack" and will hit in September, not August as originally planned.

When it finally hits, the pack will feature two motorcycles: a street chopper and a racing bike. Criterion has also divulged more details on night racing. It turns out that the time of day will change dynamically, and, along with it, so will the bike challenges available. Special "Midnight Rides" will only be accessible after the sun sets on Paradise City. Not that it will always be sunny during the day or moonlit at night – in yet another surprise announcement, Criterion is implementing a dynamic weather system in this update. The dev says it's "serious about DLC," and given this latest news we're even more inclined to respond: "No, really?"

Burnout Paradise finally got its 381 MB update on Xbox 360 today -- no, not that one. While PlayStation 3 owners have been warming up to the "Cagney" content for nearly a month, Xbox 360 players have had to wait out Microsoft's grueling certification process, and then the "final stages of testing." But, Cagney's here now, and still free. Just press A.

Check out Criterion's site for the full list of features. [Note: Obscured text in image above reads, "Without this update you will be unable to play online."]

Criterion's forthcoming "Davis" update for Burnout Paradise will deliver not only an array of two-wheeled vehicles, but a taste of automotive irony. Whereas the series' signature sports cars all spectacularly crumple into balls of mangled metal when they collide with walls, poles and, best of all, other signature sports cars, the bikes won't bend or buckle or break. And neither will the riders, safely disappearing from the game's E10-rated environment whenever they wipe out.

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo explains that when it comes to Burnout Bikes, it's less about SMASH! and more about ZOOM! -- particularly in the update's speedy new single-player challenges and 8-player online, motorcycle-only events. Players can also expect a day-night cycle, weather effects (no, really!) and yes, wheelies.

We imagine plenty of people will bemoan the absence of bikers smashing their heads open on Burnout Paradise's pavements, but hey, Criterion is still giving us a pretty substantial (also: free) addition. The only drawback we can think of is not having a place to hang our pair o' dice.

Have you ever had that dream where you're running down a hallway but are unable to reach the exit because the doorway is constantly stretching out of reach? For fans of Burnout Paradise for the Xbox 360, this has become a waking nightmare, as Criterion has again pushed back the title's forthcoming "Cagney" update until early August.

Criterion is currently "aiming" to release the free update on August 4, nearly a month after the patch arrived on the PS3. However, according to a post on the dev's website, this merely represents the "earliest" that we can expect it to show up. Interestingly, while the previous hold-up was laid at the feet of Xbox Live's burdensome certification process, this latest information indicates that the update, much like the patience of street carnage virtuosos, is now in the "final stages of testing."

[Thanks Greg]

Step right this way 360 owners, past the bearded woman, under the tent flap and into "Bizarro World!" In this world, 360 versions of things are always delayed, while PS3 players get to enjoy them first. Look, over there! That's a PS3 owner enjoying the new Burnout Paradise update "Cagney" today, and you've got to wait for it! And not just a few days like we originally thought! No, Criterion's now saying you're going to be waiting until at least July 24! The terror!

And look, over there, it's ... actually, that's the only exhibit we've got, sorry folks. Drive safely don't forget that your ticket stubs are good for 50 percent off at Pizza In a Cup.

[Thanks, SharpShooter]

Fans of Criterion's vehicular vehicleslaughter sim Burnout Paradise were supposed to receive the title's third major update this coming Thursday, codenamed "Cagney". The vaudevillian actor-turned-downloadable content will give Paradisians the opportunity to play through more than 70 events online in FreeBurn mode -- unfortunately, Paradisians of the Xbox 360 variety will have to wait a bit longer than their PS3 counterparts to enjoy the free update.

Unsurprisingly, the source of the hold-up is the rigorous Xbox Live certification process, which took longer than Criterion had expected. Their new release date for "Cagney" is the following Monday, July 14 -- though this delay won't affect PS3 owners. Nor will it affect DS owners, restaurant entrepreneurs, professional poker players, the current Dalai Lama, or the actual James Cagney, who is, in fact, deceased.

With nine days to go until Criterion's crazy-fast racer gets an infusion of new content via the "Codename: Cagney" update, designer Simon Phipps has confirmed on the PlayStation Blog that the game will also receive support for PlayStation Trophies "soon." He says that Trophy support won't be part of "Cagney," which will introduce 70 timed Freeburn challenges for the game's online component.

In a surprise turn, Phipps also revealed that Criterion was "thinking ahead" and the Trophies will, in fact, be retroactive, meaning that players will receive them for feats already performed in the game. This is, according to Phipps, possible because of the way Burnout Paradise save data is linked to players' PSN accounts, which also means it won't be happening in other PS3 games en masse.

When Criterion Games announced that it was building a version of Burnout Paradise "specifically" for the PC, our minds raced with ideas of what the devs might have in store of armchair racers unable to break away from their keyboard and mouse. While we're still in the dark concerning the port's "expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content," Criterion has softened those shadows by announcing that the PC version will support some fancy techno-babble known as 'ambient occlusion.'

Wondering what this will mean for you as you're barreling down the streets of Paradise City? We'll let Criterion explain: "It's an effect that uses soft shadows to add extra depth. Enclosed spaces naturally receive less light than open spaces and look darker – that helps us to see how close objects are to each other." We'll be honest, just judging by the above comparison shot it's difficult for our eyeballs to tell much of a difference, though admittedly Burnout Paradise was already easy on the eyes. Besides, shadows are the last thing on our mind as we smash headlong into the concrete median.

Burnout Paradise's forthcoming "Cagney" patch will peel out on Thursday, July 10 according to developer Criterion Games, finally letting Paradise City motorists take the game's Stunt Run, Road Rage, and Marked Man events online in FreeBurn.

The previously announced update will also introduce 70 new FreeBurn challenges, a handful of new liveries, a trunk full of bug fixes, and a pair of new vehicles just waiting to be wrapped around a light pole. Once applied, PS3 drivers can also look forward to finally being able to orchestrate their crashes to custom soundtracks. As the first of three new expansion islands, "Cagney" looks to include plenty to keep our four wheels spinning, at least until August when we begin to send motorcycles careening onto oncoming traffic.

Unbeknownst to us Earthdwellers, a week in Paradise is like really long. 19 days after Criterion assured us that its update to an update would be released "in around a week's time" (by May 2, at least), Burnout Paradise's "Bogart" content has been reissued for Xbox 360 and freed of any totally un-paradise-like frame rate issues. The revised update will auto-download for players connected to Xbox Live. Next up: "Cagney."

Console sandbox racer Burnout Paradise will soon be careening into oncoming traffic for PC, as developer Criterion announced this morning that it is rebuilding the title "specifically" to be played on a computer.

As the the first Burnout title to make the leap to the kingdom of the keyboard and mouse, Criterion is keeping mum on exactly what about Burnout Paradise is being tweaked in the move, stating only that the version will include "expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content." More information is expected to be announced later this morning as part of a live webcast on the Criterion Games website, so look for more PC-centric street carnage soon.

For the second time in as many weeks the developers at Criterion have given players of the PS3 version of Burnout Paradise a little extra hug. However, this time, instead of simply leveling the playing field, the devs have announced that they're working on what's called the Save Game Analyser -- a fancy way of letting perfectionists look at what they have and have not accomplished in the game.

The feature will let players import Burnout Paradise saves from the PS3 using a USB drive or Memory Stick and onto the official Criterion website in order to view all of their unfinished business on the streets of Paradise City. A post on the Criterion website points out that the developers are putting the final coat of paint on the feature, and while no release date as been announced the post notes that it's expected to go live "imminently," which if we're lucky will give us just enough time to get our Hunter Citizen out of the shop.

On top of the previously announced three new online modes to be introduced in Burnout Paradise's so-called "Cagney" software update, developer Criterion has revealed that the forthcoming download will also level the pavement between the open-world racer's two console versions, finally bringing custom soundtracks to Burnout Paradise for the PS3.

After the update, PS3 owners will be able to get at their own music using the game's Easy Drive in-game menu, allowing them to cycle through their own collection of tunes while trying to avoid careening into oncoming traffic. Even better, this update, welcome as it is, is just one of several Criterion has planned this year, ensuring many repeat visits to the junk yard in the months ahead.