After recently playing some classic Burnout Paradise, we couldn’t help but think of our retrogaming review for Hard Drivin’ from a few months back. After all, it’s not only the stunt driving aspect of Burnout Paradise that draws a direct origin link back to classic arcade games like Hard Drivin’, but the open world racing concept as well. Now if you go back and play Hard Drivin’, you’ll find that the idea of open world racing is very limited by today’s standards, but the idea is still there, even if it’s a tiny glimmer of an idea shaped like a polygon.
Fast forward to 2008 with the release of Burnout Paradise (which itself grew out of the Burnout series), and you’ll find a racing game that took open world racing and stunts to the next level. Looking back to Hard Drivin’, you could feel what the designers were dreaming of. Burnout Paradise realizes those early dreams and allows you to drive just about wherever you want while exploring Paradise City in great detail. And that’s where the fun is: exploration. Burnout Paradise indeed provided a great racing experience, but what really captured the fan’s imagination was the ability to drive anywhere while picking up collectibles, unlocking different parts of the map and performing insane stunts. It’s like combining the joy of driving while satisfying everyone’s inner desire to hurtle their car off a high rise. That’s a common desire, right? Right.
Check out some Burnout Paradise tips, tricks and cool stunts:
Year: 2008
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Designer: Craig Sullivan
Platforms: PlayStation3/4, Xbox360/One, Windows, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Racing