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Awhile back, Criterion rolled out the newest update for Burnout Paradise with the Bogart patch…and then they quickly rolled it back up again. Turned out patch gave users some serious frame rate issues, so they recalled the patch, stating that they would fix it and re-release it within a week. Well, apparently their definition of a week differs from ours — since it’s been three — but now they have announced that the Bogart update has gone live once more. This one doesn’t really add too many huge new features itself, but it is supposed to pave the way for future major updates to the game. he new patch should auto-download as soon as you log into the game.

Via Criterion

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Everybody seemed pretty happy yesterday when we posted the news about Burnout Paradise heading to the PC. Today, we have a new trailer for the PC version up on FileFront for your viewing pleasure.

Ya know, I have not really been into racing games since Pole Position at the arcade or Diddy Kong Racing (which I have told you about before) but this trailer makes me want to give it another go.

Criterion Games announced this morning that the popular driving game Burnout Paradise is being rebuilt specifically for the PC. Burnout Paradise will be the first Burnout title ever made for the PC, customized with expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content.

Originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Burnout Paradise has won over 55 awards worldwide and delivers an open-world environment built for speed, excitement and exploration and boasts a nice transition from single-player offline to online gameplay. The PC version will combine all the open world racing, speed and action of the original game with additional new gameplay.

Want to know more? Then tune into a live webcast on the Criterion Games website at 8:00 AM PST on Friday, May 9th for more details on this announcement.

Via: Press Release
Thumbnail images courtesy of: Videogaming247

Def Leppard’s Guitar Hero III outing and the obligatory weekly dose of Rock Band tracks (now finally with a full album!), there’s a ton of great new content now available on the PlayStation Store. The biggest release is certainly the Variety Map Pack ($10) for Call of Duty 4 which naturally includes four new multiplayer maps.

A new PS one Classic was also released today with R-Types ($6), ending that particular drought. (Even though you and I both know we probably won’t see another Classic for weeks.) There’s also the Biolith Rebellion 2 expansion set for The Eye of Judgment, whichs adds more than 100 new creatures, spells and abilities, so that sounds like a must-buy for fans of The Eye.

There’s also plenty of videos, demos of both echochrome and Iron Man, a map pack for Army of Two, downloadable songs for Karaoke Revolution, and more. So hit the break and check out everything now available for download.

Read the full article

Criterion has announced — and I quote — “the biggest news in Burnout history!” What could they possibly be talking about? Why motorcycles, of course. Yes, it seems the Davis software update for Burnout Paradise in August will add motorcycles to the list of vehicles populating the game. The bikes will also come with special challenges, game modes, and locations specifically tailored for them. Criterion also mentioned that a new night-time mode would soon be added to the game as well, which will also offer gameplay with reduced traffic.

I’m still having trouble wrapping my mind around this concept. The whole Burnout franchise is practically based on brutal crashes and being able to take down other cars. How are they going to maintain either of those using motorcycles? Well, unless they somehow slipp into “M” territory, in which case things could get interesting, not to mention messy.

Via Criterion

Criterion has apparently identified some frame rate issues with the recently released Bogart patch for Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360. Specifically, they noticed some problems whenever the player reached high speeds, which is kind of the point of the whole game. As such, they’re planning to recall the patch on Friday until they can fix the frame rate problems, which should take about a week. Yeah, it’s quite an inconvenience, but I guess it beats having to wait for a patch for the patch.

Via Criterion

Criterion Games has announced another new feature of the Cagney update for Burnout Paradise, besides the new online multiplayer modes. The new update will also allow you to play your own music in the game. Since this utilizes the Easydrive, you won’t even have to exit the game to select what music you want to hear. The player will work a lot like the music player on the Xbox 360, allowing you to select individual tracks or groups to either shuffle or repeat. Sounds like that software update might encourage more gamers to take to the online streets again.

Via Criterion

Criterion has unveiled three new FreeBurn gameplay modes for Burnout Paradise that should become available when the next software upgrade hits. One mode, Online Stunt Run, will have up to 8 players competing for the highest score in a two minute time-limit. Another mode, Online Road Rage, will divide players into two teams: one trying to make it through a series of checkpoints, and the other trying to take them down. Finally, Online Marked Man will have one person tagged as the “Marked Man,” who must try to survive while everyone else tries to take him out. No word yet on exactly when the next software update will be released, but it should pull in a few more online players at least for a short while.

Via Press Release

Over on the Criterion website is a friendly little reminder that the patch for Burnout Paradise is on the way. The patch is codenamed “Bogart” and will be available on PSN and Xbox Live on 24th April.Here is what you can expect with the download:

The Top 10 problems reported by you have been fixed, these are:

• PS3 game can crash when a player is taken down and the player that has performed the Takedown leaves the game.
• The game indefinitely displays “Connecting to Paradise City Servers” if it’s having problems communicating with the rebroadcast server.
• Disconnecting the controller before a race begins can mean that race timings can be manipulated with players who didn’t cross the line first being awarded the win.
• Repeatedly joining and leaving a game with 8 players can cause the game to hang.
• Hammering the A (360) or X (PS3) after unlocking a car can cause the game to hang.
• East Crawford and Watt St achievements cannot be achieved if the player goes online and sets road rules before attempting them.
• Audio distortion when using 5.1 / DTS and looking back at the car.
• Enhanced 360 streaming performance stops instances where the game seems to pause for a second or so.
• Total time driven in player stats would stick at 145 hours.
• VoIP connection problems with 8 player games. This is now live on the Paradise City servers.

The update also adds the following game experience enhancements:

• We fixed Head-on Takedowns as these seemed generally unfair and unrealistic. Unfair low speed Takedowns have now been eradicated.
• Increase online race timer timeout so players have a greater chance of finishing the race.
• Fix drifting bug when drifting and boosting. There wasn’t any real control on the brake so players would grind around the walls of the corners. Giving you all better control of the car.
• Stabbing the boost has too much of a jerky behaviour in the car handling, when in Stunt Run.
• Surround sound fix - Centre speaker was 4dB louder, ruining the mix. The speech has now been positioned correctly.
• Increase the # of search results returned for online games.
• Increase Picture Paradise timer so it doesn’t kick in so quickly.
• Post event ticker commentary is not now displayed for disconnected players.
• Show player the number of Complete Challenges easily by listing X/50 in the Challenges menu.

Other high priority issues that have been fixed:

• Instances where Barrel rolls were not registering correctly in Stunt Run.
• Takedowns online were not counting towards the Total Takedowns.
• Some instances where Revenge Rivalries desync & don’t get fixed until players are updated online.
• Some instance where the Host couldn’t change the game access if the game was created through an invite.
• Online challenge issues where the challenge couldn’t be completed if it was started at the exact time that a player left the game.
• Incorrect rivalry updates when European players played against English or Japanese players. Online connection issues.
• Rich presence on 360 didn’t change correctly when there is a change in the game parameters.
• Instances where Friends were not being displayed on the mini map.
• Some online race start points face the players in the wrong direction.

You can review all of this information and more via Criterion’s website.

If you’ve become bored with Burnout Paradise (I know I’ve set it aside for the time being) but were left wanting more, then Criterion is going to make you a very happy gamer over the course of the next year. A story posted on their official website explained what the new names for future content meant – they have names like “Cagney” and “Eastwood,” rather than numbers as designations. This is, as they claim, due to these updates being much more than what you’d expect from version 1.1 or 1.2.

What we’re working on now goes way beyond conventional content updates, so we figured the usual 1.1, 1.2 version numbers didn’t do it justice.

We will TRANSFORM Paradise over the coming year.

All I will say is this: crash mode. Bring it back, baby.

via Eurogamer

A few days ago, Wyclef Jean debuted his newest music video which, strangely enough, takes place in the Burnout Paradise universe. The video features the song “Fast Car” off his newest album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant, and has Wyclef basically racing in the Burnout Paradise game. It combines some actual gameplay footage with shots of Wyclef in the car and a kid he’s playing against online, not to mention some gratuitous shots of a PS3 and PSP driving the action along.

“When you’re on tour, you have plenty of time, and every artist I know spends time on a tour bus with two things: PlayStation® and the recording studio,” Jean said. “The PlayStation brand and Burnout Paradise fit perfectly with my vision for the ‘Fast Car’ music video. ‘Fast Car’ is like life – the pace of life is moving so fast, where you can burn yourselves out at times. The concept was about taking a song with such meaning and combining it with technology, but still keeping the essence of what we’re talking about and getting kids to listen to that message. A game like Burnout Paradise helps us get the attention of youngsters.”

It’s kind of a cool video, but it really doesn’t seem to match the actual song except for the title. Maybe it’s the slower pacing of the song compared with the video, maybe it’s the somewhat awkward product placement, or maybe it’s the fact that the lyrics of the song seem to indicate the “fast car” is more of a metaphor for life and death (and Wyclef noted) than a setup for an action-packed story. Personally, I think he just wanted a new PS3. Oh well, at least his new album’s pretty good overall.

Via Press Release

Electronic Arts and Massive Inc. announced this morning that they have signed a deal to extended in-game advertising within Xbox 360 titles and a “majority of EA’s premium PC products” during the next two years. Titles that will see dynamic ads included in-game will be Madden NFL, NBA Live, NASCAR, and the NHL which if you watch any of these on television you are used to them being heavily laden with ads anyway, so it should not make much of a difference to you when playing the game. Massive Inc. will also continue to supply the ads you see in Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed.

Kathy Vrabeck, President of the Causal Entertainment Label at EA had this to say about the agreement:

“EA strongly believes that dynamic in-game advertising is an important growth area for our business, and is one of many opportunities we are pursuing in growing the advertising market. We selected Massive because they are the industry leader in this space with a global sales footprint, solid brand recognition and in-depth experience in video game advertising.”

Developers and publishers see in-game advertising as a way to help with the cost of creation, production and marketing, and if it works, be prepared to see this occurring in more and more games in the future.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

It was fairly expected that Burnout Paradise would be getting some downloadable content. What wasn’t expected is that this DLC might be 100% free. That’s right, a representative from Criterion Games has revealed that Burnout Paradise will be getting new areas in the form of downloadable islands for the low, low cost of nothing. That might be enough to breathe a little more life into the title, but we shall see. Still, I’m not going to argue with free stuff.

Via Criterion Forum

It’s Wednesday, so naturally The Escapist’s Yahtzee Croshaw is back with another hilarious video game review. This week, he’s tackling Burnout Paradise, the latest installment of the racing-and-crashing-but-mostly-crashing series. As is usual for his reviews, he finds plenty at fault with the title and spares no amount of laughs at its expense. This is a little strange, since he starts out sounding like he actually enjoyed the game somewhat, but that’s never stopped him before.

For our take on Burnout Paradise, check out William’s impressions of it here.

Via The Escapist

The v1.2 update for Burnout Paradise is almost complete and Criterion has provided a list of the many changes, tweaks and fixes it will be making. Chiefly among them, issues with the game crashing or hanging have been addressed, including one PS3-specific crash that involves a Takedown and the takedowner (what, you have a better way to describe it?) leaving the game.

Overall it looks like a solid patch that will increase the overall performance of the game. Don’t expect much in the way of new features, but there’s no need to worry – Criterion has already made it clear that DLC is going to be a major part of the game, moving forward.

You can check out the full changelist at Criterion’s website.

via Game|Life

Who said split screen was dead? The sequel to the gorgeous but clearly released too early Motorstorm is headed to the PlayStation 3 later this year. And among its many features will be support for 4-player split screen action, acknowledging one of the many faults the original game suffered from.

As I said, the original game was a beauty but it was so blatantly obvious that the game was rushed. That isn’t to say it wasn’t fun, but so much of the game was simply missing; hence all of the downloadable content that we’ve seen since the game’s release.

The BBC only has a scant few details on the game, which they referred to as being “some months away from completion” but that it “looked rock solid.” If Motorstorm 2 can really take things up another notch from the original and Burnout Paradise, I’d be truly impressed.

via Evil Avatar

Occasionally, a piece of video game news surfaces that I honestly don’t think I could make up. In this case, I wouldn’t even want to try. Apparently, at EA’s Burnout Paradise pre-Valentines Day lounge last week, Spencer Pratt commented that he and The Hills co-star, Heidi Montag, had a game in development based around them. He said the duo are collaborating with EA on the game, and that they think it should be out around Christmas 2009. He stated the game is “top secret” and that there will be two versions: one for adults and one for minors. Players will also apparently be able to “torture” him, which is something I’m sure plenty of people would like to do.

Of course, there’s about a 90% chance that Pratt is just doing what he does best: talking out of his ass. I’d mostly be surprised if their celebrity status manages to hold up for the next two years. Look, I’m just going to post a picture of Heidi Montag, since she’s the only one of the two I can stand to look at; you know, provided she doesn’t talk or dance or even move at all.

Via Usmagazine.com

Like any other month, we’ve gotten Microsoft’s spin on the latest NPD figures. But unlike most months, the Xbox 360 was outsold by both the Wii and PlayStation 3 – so where does that leave Microsoft to spin things in a positive way? Plenty of places, apparently, as they flouted the total amount spent on the platform and how games sell better on 360.

Hit the jump for the spin and my thoughts. Read the full article

Much unlike the hardware NPDs for January, the software numbers aren’t at all surprising. While seeing Call of Duty 4 continue to rock the charts at #1 for the third straight month, with the PlayStation 3 version also making an appearance at #8. Other than that, it was a pretty standard month – Wii Play sold lots, as did Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, and of course a Mario trifecta of Mario Galaxy, Mario Party, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

January 2008 Software Sales

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) - 330,900
2. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 239,600
4. Rock Band (Xbox 360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360) - 144,100
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PlayStation 3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party DS (Nintendo DS) - 138,500
10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo DS) - 133,000

Burnout Paradise did fairly well with just over 144k given that it only had a little over a week to sell; the same goes for Mario & Sonic. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin likely suffered from that release period, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it make it into the top ten next month.

Activision seems poised to have another huge year (even though the fiscal year isn’t even up), and that Vivendi merger still isn’t complete. That must be scary for other publishers.

There’s not much new this week on the PlayStation Store in terms of interactive content. Three new Rock Band songs form the (Arguably) Punk Pack 2, which costs $5.49 or you can get the three songs individually for $1.99 each. A demo of MLB 08 The Show is available as well. I was a big fan of MLB 07 on PlayStation Portable, so I’m definitely looking forward to trying out the PS3 version of 08.

Additionally, there are a ton of trailers, including a tutorial for MLB 08 and a new Create-A-Level trailer for LittleBigPlanet.

Hit the jump for the full list of content. Read the full article