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Suda 51 plays Burnout Paradise (a lot) more than you

by Randy Nelson { Jul 1st 2009 at 9:00PM }

Grasshopper Manfacture boss Goichi "Suda 51" Suda likes to do everything to the extreme, whether it's the ultra-violence of No More Heroes or -- as we now know -- playing other developers' games, specifically Criterion's Burnout Paradise. The British dev's head honcho, Alex Ward, issued a tweet revealing that Suda had recently popped by his studio (likely after the recent Nordic Game Conference) and is a "hardcore Burnout fan."

"Hardcore" may be an understatement, as Ward disclosed that server logs show Suda has played more than 700 hours of Burnout Paradise. So, there it is: Even more proof that Suda 51 knows great games and takes everything to the extreme. It may also explain why we haven't heard anything more about the horror title he's working on for EA alongside Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.

[Via VG247]

Big Surf Island still closed to tourists, Criterion working on a fix [update]

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 18th 2009 at 10:22AM }

Fans of Criterion's beloved Billy Joel driving/crashing simulator, Burnout Paradise, were hit hard by the events of yesterday's Xbox Live Marketplace implosion -- frequent Burn-ers have been unable to download the game's long anticipated territorial expansion, Big Surf Island. According to Criterion, "unforeseen technical problems caused this content to be to be removed from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace." Fortunately, the Burnout team is all up on it, working with Microsoft to get a fix out as soon as possible. We'll let you know when they're successful!

Update: Success! Just like that, Criterion's got Big Surf Island online. If you've got $12.99 to drop, Burnout Paradise has a new landmass for you explore.

Criterion thinks if you've maxed out the 360, you're not trying hard enough

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 13th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Apparently the company that owns Criterion (EA -- duh!) and the company itself don't agree on whether or not the Xbox 360 has been "maxed out." Speaking to Eurogamer, Criterion's technical director Richard Parr said, "That's proof that you're not the best ... it means you're out of ideas."

Dedicated Joystiq Biomass™ members will remember when, just three days ago, vice president of EA Europe Patrick Soderlund said, "I think that we've maxed out the 360 but we haven't maxed out the PS3." So, what is it, folks? Is the 360 already meeting its limits? Will the rumored new Xbox console of Fall 2010 help to assuage Mr. Soderlund's claims? Will Criterion get in a slapfight with EA Europe? We'll just have to wait and see.

Report: Battlefield 3, Criterion-developed Need for Speed underway

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jun 10th 2009 at 4:15PM }

During a William Blair Growth Stock Conference presentation, EA's COO (John Pleasants, FYI) noted the existence of two unannounced titles -- neither of them particularly surprising if you've been keeping up on your spurious internet rumors. The first, Battlefield 3, is said to be in good shape and, even better, in good hands over at developer DICE. Unfortunately, it appears fans of frenzied first-person shootery will have to wait until the next fiscal year before returning to the field.

According to G4TV's Patrick Klepek, the second title is yet another Need for Speed game, this one developed by the team behind Burnout. Pleasants allegedly praised the team for being "online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." There's little else to go on at the moment, but we're certainly intrigued by the collision of those two racing franchises. There will be collisions, right?

Source -- Need for Speed
Source -- Battlefield 3

Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island hangs ten (and then some) in debut trailer

by Kevin Kelly { May 22nd 2009 at 11:25AM }

We warmly invite you to watch this first video of the upcoming Burnout Paradise DLC, Big Surf Island, in action, but please don't try any of these stunts at home. That's just silly. No one lives in a ginormous fun park! Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off in search of a colossal doughnut to launch our car through. Preferably with sprinkles.

Big Surf Island will be available for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on ... oh, right, we promised Criterion we wouldn't spoil it. Just watch the video ...

Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island

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Big Surf Island adds 15 events, 10 freeburn challenges to Burnout Paradise

by Andrew Yoon { May 15th 2009 at 3:45PM }

With Cops and Robbers out of the way, Criterion is free to finish up the last of the announced Burnout Paradise premium DLC -- Big Surf Island. This is the first new locale to be introduced into the ever-evolving racing game, and it'll add 15 events and 10 online freeburn challenges to the game. Criterion is promising big air for the expansion, and completionists will want to look for all 45 Billboards hidden on the island. For comparison purposes, the original game featured 120 events and 350 freeburn challenges.

These early details come courtesy of an early look at the DLC's Trophies. (Check out the new Trophies after the break.) One particularly intriguing achievement involves getting a whopping 4.5 seconds of air time in a single jump. Who needs Burnout Planes when you have massive jumps like that?

Our very own Randy Nelson got some hands-on time with the DLC pack, but he can't report on the details quite yet. Expect a full preview on May 28.

Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island

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Joystiq Review: Burnout Paradise Cops & Robbers

by Andrew Yoon { May 5th 2009 at 1:45PM }

Gamers are in the middle of a love/hate relationship with Criterion. Costly and often-underwhelming "premium" DLC has tarnished the goodwill earned by Burnout Paradise's free Cagney and Bikes updates. The $10 Party pack was a misstep for the series, but does Cops & Robbers steer the game back in the right direction? The answer, thankfully, is a resounding "yes."

At its core, Cops & Robbers is a simple retooling of the game's already-existing online Marked Man mode. However, some key tweaks make it a much more focused and entertaining experience. While the $10 price point will give some sticker shock, the addition of more than 30 repainted vehicles makes it an easier buy than Criterion's "Toys" and "Legendary Cars" packs.

Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Cops and Robbers

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Burnout Cops and Robbers DLC hits the streets, new trailer

by Richard Mitchell { Apr 30th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Just a reminder folks, the latest DLC for Burnout Paradise, Cops and Robbers, is now available. The new game mode, surprisingly, pits cops against robbers in a mad dash for some sweet, sweet gold. Alongside the newly released DLC, we have a trailer of the new game mode in action. You can also find the latest episode of Crash TV, which explains the mode in great detail, after the break.

The Cops and Robbers DLC is available now for $10 / 800

on PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Burnout Paradise: Cops and Robbers is a steal at $10

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 27th 2009 at 3:30PM }

It looks like Criterion has finally figured out how much to charge for its upcoming Cops and Robbers DLC. The multiplayer-only premium DLC for Burnout Paradise will release this Thursday and will cost $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 / 800

. The expansion not only adds the CTF-inspired online mode, but will also add 33 new international police cars to your Junkyard.

At $10, Cops and Robbers looks to be a much better value than all of Criterion's previously released DLC. The price is (finally) right -- let's hope the trend continues for the upcoming Big Surf Island.

Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Cops and Robbers

Criterion has too much fun playing Burnout Paradise: Cops and Robbers

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 24th 2009 at 12:55PM }

A lot of Burnout Paradise's "premium DLC" packs have left gamers out in the cold. The "Party" DLC didn't add much to the Burnout experience. The movie-inspired DLC cars were fun, but a bit pricey. However, Criterion may have crafted a truly worthwhile add-on with its upcoming "Cops and Robbers" pack, available next week.

The latest episode of CrashTV (after the break) shows the Burnout team enjoying three rounds of their upcoming multiplayer expansion. Essentially, "Cops and Robbers" is the Paradise version of Capture the Flag, with cars trying to capture a floating collection of gold. The gold will spawn at random points on the map, and teams will have to reclaim the treasure and drive back to their designated checkpoint. Expect tons of Takedowns.

The team at Criterion looks to be having a lot of fun with this new expansion -- maybe too much fun. As generally grumpy people, we always keep a suspicious eye on people that appear to be happy. We're watching you, Criterion ...

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Cops and Robbers coming to Burnout Paradise April 30 [update]

by David Hinkle { Apr 17th 2009 at 11:00AM }

Update: We've heard back from EA, and a company spokesperson said no details on pricing are available right now. EA will reveal those details "soon."

We admire Criterion Games' dedication to its racer, Burnout Paradise. Countless updates have added tremendous value to the game, and on April 30, the next update will be rolled out for one and all to enjoy: Cops and Robbers.

There's no word on a price as of yet, but we've put in word to Criterion Games for clarification on that. We'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear back.

Gallery: Burnout Paradise: Cops and Robbers

Burnout Paradise teases 'Cops and Robbers'

by Jason Dobson { Apr 15th 2009 at 11:00AM }

We're not exactly sure what they stole, but judging by the teaser trailer for Burnout Paradise's looming Cops and Robbers mode, criminals will have their jobs cut out for them outrunning the Paradise City fuzz.

As a latest move to "change the way people think about and experience" the chaotic racer, much of Cops and Robbers' details remain behind bars, including the premium DLC's as-yet-unannounced release date. Still, if nothing else, this early look shows that Paradise City's police force is more than equipped to keep pace with lead foots on the wrong side of the law.

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Burnout Paradise planes could be an April Fool's joke

by Majed Athab { Mar 17th 2009 at 3:00AM }

Back in July of last year, Criterion Games mentioned that it had been experimenting with airplanes as a potential Burnout Paradise add-on; however, with new info claiming that an announcement regarding this is due on April 1st, there's suspicion that such an update could be nothing more than a really long-running April Fool's joke. This information comes from the FAQ section on Criterion's website, where it was specifically stated to "check for an exciting announcement on April 1" for more on the inclusion of planes.

Now, there are a number of ways we can read this quoted sentence. We can take it for face value and what it says directly, or we can assume that there's sarcasm and allusion in the type. Preferably, we'd like to think Criterion is serious about making plane crashes in Paradise City a reality, but the proposition of planes in Burnout is hard to believe. Associate that with April Fool's and, well, it's really hard to believe. It seems the real joke is on us trying to figure out which is which. We've contacted Criterion and EA to see if we can get a straight answer.

[Thanks, Joey B.!]

Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box speeds onto Steam

by Dustin Burg { Mar 13th 2009 at 2:58PM }

As foretold by the all-knowing prophet Criterion, Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box is now available for purchase on Steam for $39.99. The Ultimate Box includes the full version of Burnout Paradise and all of its free updates, including the Cagney and Bike content, plus the premium Party Pack (sadly, Legendary Cars and newer DLC are not included). As a special bonus, only applicable to this downloadable version, none of the excessive packaging or nasty shrink wrap is included. We can already feel the environment's warming approval.

Criterion reveals Boost Specials Collection for this Thursday

by David Hinkle { Mar 9th 2009 at 12:13PM }

Criterion Games, the nutty folks who just can't stop tinkering with Burnout Paradise, are preparing to unload yet another pile of DLC goodness onto the game in the form of The Boost Specials Collection. If you're finding a lapse in your memory regarding the Boost DLC, then read up on it here.

If you're too lazy to click (it's Monday, we totally understand), then here's a quick rundown: The Boost Specials Collection DLC features two cars -- the Hawker Mech and the Carson Extreme Hotrod -- priced at 240

($3) each. You can buy both in a single download for 400

($5). Look for these new cars on PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace this Thursday.

Essential reading: Joystiq interview: Downloading Criterion's thoughts on DLC