As if Burnout Paradise (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) wasn't enough of  a car crashing heaven, Criterion Games recently revealed that free downloadable is coming soon to add new islands and cars to the frantic racing game. Like what devs mentioned before, everything will be free. For more free details, read the full article.

The latest update at Criterion Games' website wishes everyone a merry Christmas, and addresses the flak Burnout Paradise (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) has been receiving since its demo went live. Find out what Alex Ward and the Burnout team wants to tell naysayers by checking out the full article.

Electronic Arts has sent word announcing that Burnout Paradise (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) will hit stores in North America on January 22, 2008. A downloadable demo is also in the works and should be on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace this December.

Burnout Paradise is the latest iteration of Electronic Arts' highly successful Burnout racing franchise. All the action takes place in a seamless open-world environment set in the fictional Paradise City. Gamers can also invite a friend for some online play to complete three online challenges or simply smash each other up.

Alex Ward, Creative Director at EA Criterion, had the following to say about Burnout Paradise:

This is the definitive Burnout experience because Paradise removes all restrictions, breaks all the rules and puts the control in your hands. We're taking risks with Paradise but we believe that every iteration of Burnout stands on its own and we feel Paradise is the best Burnout yet.

Buy: [Burnout Paradise (PS3)]
Buy: [Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360)]

The Eye Toy HD and Live Vision Camera weren't the only topics of discussion in Criterion Games' interview with CVG. Now, we recall that Creative Director Alex Ward promised that "we're really going to be surprised" with Burnout 5 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Wonder if this is what he meant by that:

Ward: If somebody asked me what game is Burnout 5 most like -

CVG: What game is Burnout 5 most like?

Ward: - it's probably most like Crackdown than anything else. It's the closest thing in terms of it's your game at your pace. You can do it in any order, anyway you want.

The big problem is that I think some people are thinking we're doing a big Test Drive game, some sort of MMO. But we're not. We're doing Burnout.

Well, that certainly narrows down the picture of Burnout 5... a bit. Ward never specified how much like Crackdown Burnout 5 will be, though. We can probably guess (optimistically) open-world free-roam environments like Crackdown - or for that matter, Need for Speed - and you can plug into mission events as they pop up.

Or better yet, the events themselves in Burnout 5 (or some of them) will take place in open-world environments: no closed circuits, little in the way of guardrails, that sort of thing. We're basing this on the point that throughout the series, the Burnout events have always been mostly closed-circuit (even the Crash events), never arena-type.

But it's still a wild-rear bumper guess at this point in time. Hey, what kind of analysis do you expect from "it's probably most like Crackdown than anything else?"

You have to ask what Alex Ward of Criterion Games really meant when he tells CVG: "How you use the controller is key, how you play the game online, how you use the HD Eye Toy and the 360 Vision Camera online is really important." So when he says that the camera accessories for the PS3 and Xbox 360 are "important" (but hopefully still optional, just in case), what does he mean?

Those working on both Microsoft and Sony cameras have been integrating motion-capture control technologies into them (and we thought this 3D mo-cap gaming feature would be useful for a High School Musical-themed Dance Dance Revolution game...). Now, mug shots of the oncoming traffic is the most obvious use for cameras in a Burnout online mulltiplayer, as is video chat, but if mo-cap gesture control is successfully integrated into the game, what are the other uses of such a camera with in a game that's essentially a controlled car crash?

• Gesture control could be used in place of or complimentary with the controller, at least as an option?
• You could probably change your point of view (POV) like in Test Drive Unlimited by slightly turning your head left or right, thus allowing you to see more of the competition?
• The cars will ALSO include modeled characters in them whose reactions (from taunting to panic) will be based on your facial reactions?
• Or perhaps, as part of some grand conspiracy to improve driving safety in the streets, every time you pull off a billion-dollar-damage crash, the Live Vision Camera/Eye Toy HD will snap your mug and email it directly to the DMV and State Highway Patrol, where your face will end up plastered in a Wall of (Potential) Driving Shame?
• Of course we're kidding on this one, lighten up.

  

Let's listen to Alex Ward, Creative Director at Criterion Games, talk to GameTrailers about Burnout 5 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Don't worry about the fact that the gameplay comes from Burnout: Revenge, because Alex says that Criterion is rebuilding the game from the ground up: "we're really going to be surprised" he says, and "it's not interesting to make the same game again." A promise we'd certainly want to hold Mr. Ward to.

Criterion, as of now, is charging through Burnout 5, plus a few other small projects on the side they could probably announce later in the year. But then, Criterion is not just about Burnout. So, what's next after the team burns themselves out getting Burnout out? (Say that three times fast.) Maybe a sequel to the trigger-happy shooter Black? Click Play to find out more.

A lengthy game preview over at 1UP of Criterion Games' upcoming Burnout 5 reveals several amusing points about the game. Yes, we like watching cars hit each other at high velocity. There's just primal sense of satisfaction when you see a car beaten-up, leaking gas, and on fire, and you know you're responsible for the mayhem that is soon to follow. The viscid, flammable game details follow. Enjoy folks.

The engine: While previous Burnouts have been built on the technology established by their predecessors, Burnout 5 goes back to square one. Alex Ward, director of game design for Burnout 5, says that for them, this is a total reset from one generation to another. According to him, for this game to be truly "next-gen" they will have to start again from the ground up. The audience is expecting a leap, and they have to satisfy.

On high-velocity impact and processing power: Matt Webster, the executive producer, explains that due to the processing power of the Cell processor, the development team didn't have to pull back on game audio and game physics when the need for computing the graphics related to crashes arises. They also say that they didn't need to dial down just to keep that sense of speed.

Imagine this: The cars in Burnout Revenge had 12 different parts that could be blown off the car. Burnout 5 will have 80. Fun right?

Cruising: Due to the size of the city maps in the game, the developers estimate that it will take about five or six minutes driving uninterrupted at top speed to get from one side of town to another. Furthermore, the skyline is clearly defined, iconic landmarks are put into place, and they made sure that this open-world game won't feel repetitive.

Oh, and if you're anal about control: These last two tidbits inform about how the SIXAXIS affects gameplay. First, they're planning to make full use of the SIXAXIS' tilt functionality within the game. When in Crash mode: Through controller manipulation, you'll be able to control your car's trajectory and flipping. Of course, there will be other tilt functions, but the team is keeping that under wraps.

Second, because the controller buttons have changed slightly, and the lower shoulder buttons are now trigger-like, the R2 is the accelerator, L2 is the brake, and X is boost. However, the team plans to include the ability to remap the controls if you prefer the old button configuration.

That's that. For a more detailed look, feel free to use our "Read" link below.

QJ reader Bobby has pointed us in the direction of new images of Criterion Games' upcoming title Burnout 5 (thanks, Bobby!). According to the website where we got these images from, these are ripped from "a PDF document of the article in OPM about Burnout 5".

These images are really looking pretty good, especially the awesome crash images. Alex Ward has talked about how good the crashes will look like in Burnout 5 (he said it was gonna be "beyond everything you've ever seen, beyond anything that we've ever done"), and by the look of things, he sure wasn't lying.

Anyway, check out the images below. If you wanna check out the PDF of the OPM article you can get it from the Criterion Games website.

  

  
 

One of the big genres we've been looking at for the PS3 has got to be racing. And while we've been focusing our attention to launch titles like MotorStorm and Ridge Racer 7, we'll be shifting our attention to another racing title that's making its way to the Xbox 360 and PS3: Burnout 5.

In a two-part interview with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Criterion's Alex Ward talks about his work on their upcoming title, and why they're not doing the Wii (*gasp*)...just yet.

Strangely enough for Mr. Ward, his talk wasn't so much about making a difference on the racing aspect, but on a factor that's something of a guilty pleasure among even hardcore racers: Crashing (and burning?). As Mr. Alex Ward explained:

The first crash you see on PlayStation 3 has got to go way beyond everything you've ever seen, beyond anything that we've ever done. Because every time we put our game out, people say, "It's the best crashes ever in a game." We've got to go beyond that now. We have to go beyond a game, and we have to go beyond a game car crash. That's what all of our work is focused on right now.

Just how far do they want to go on crashing? Ward says that they're aiming to try making this first year PS3 game look good enough to classify as a second year title, even as he does say he's a fan of several of the launch games like Ridge Racer 7, Resistance: Fall of Man, and of course - MotorStorm.

Moving on with the interview, Ward also reiterated on the game's development based on their past success on titles like Burnout Revenge, and even then, its ability to be a complete retake on the whole Burnout franchise as a means of keeping the whole line fresh.

At the moment, we're only working on Playstation 3 and 360. We're into the Wii. It's not like we're not. We used to get all the hate mail from people saying, "Why aren't you doing this?" I'd love to do something on that system. We'd like to think about exactly about what it would be. And we'd have to build something bespoke. I've met with the Nintendo guys. They've shown me their stuff. It's cool. I think we'd have to look at very bespoke experiences.

For more of the interview, click on the read link.