Paradise City! If you haven’t been, you need to put your coffee down and book a flight right now! Or just pick up your Switch. Whichever is easier. Whether it’s the winding trails of White Mountain, or the adrenaline-pumping tight turns of downtown, racing junkies will find ridiculously wild roadways wherever they go. Burnout is back, baby! Welcome to Paradise.
Story
Burnout Paradise: Remastered is all about speed and cars. Loosely wrapped in an open-ended journey of an up-and-coming street racer, you are quickly guided through a short tutorial that gets you your first car and on your way to being the speediest of demons on the road. Just try not to get lost in the vastness of it all: you might accidentally accept a race to the other side of the city before the tutorial’s waypoint! If you do manage to finish the tutorial and get your official license, developer Criterion and publisher Electronic Arts, release you into the wild streets of Paradise City to complete challenges, compete in races, and raise your rank as high as it can possibly go, all while collecting new cars, unlocking more challenges, and filling the streets with your skidmarks.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Burnout Paradise Remastered is an arcade racer. It is not Forza or Moto G. Not that either one of those games are bad. Burnout Paradise Remastered just knows what it wants to be and it does it well. As an arcade racer, there is never a shortage of mile-long drifts, ridiculous jumps, and plenty of signs to smash through going 200mph. Burnout is about driving fast, and the game does not get in the way of that feeling. In fact, Criterion does everything in its power to tempt you to go even faster. Wanna fill up your nitros bar? Drive as reckless as possible. Somebody trying to pass you in a race? Introduce them to oncoming traffic. See something that looks like a shortcut? Smash through the gates: it probably is. As open as Paradise City is, all roads lead to fun. Exploration is also encouraged. Driving in oncoming traffic? Planning to seek out the highest ramp in the city? There’s a challenge for that. Like driving as close to other cars as possible without hitting them? There’s a challenge for that. Accidentally spun out and smashed into a wall? There’s a challenge for that.
While the controls are easy to figure out, in the heat of an intense Takedown event, the wide grips of the Switch can sometimes be uncomfortable. Fortunately there are numerous control adaptations for the Switch itself. While the minimap and road signs are helpful in directing you, Burnout Paradise Remastered allows you the freedom to carve your own path to victory. As you cruise the city, you will slowly learn the layouts, which you can use during your races to cut through the competition as fast as possible. There are very few races that force you to follow a specific path and if you’re worried about getting lost. Don’t be. That’s the best part of the game.
Aesthetics & Sound
Burnout Paradise Remastered has aged well. While it might not have the photorealistic polish of its traditional competitors, it has a consistent art style that is pleasing to the eye. Never has piles of twisted metal smashing into trees been so aesthetically appealing. Paradise City is also in no short supply of visual cues. You begin to figure out where shortcuts are just by seeing the familiar signs and markings along the tracks. The cars are smooth and rearing to be torn to shreds as sparks fly from smashing against your opponents. Even in the starter cars, squeezing the accelerator and zooming through the streets feels like you’re really moving. Some of the fastest vehicles may steal your breath. Literally. Whether you’re cruising freely through the city looking for hidden challenges or if you stop and allow the game to treat you to a visual cinematic of your current location, there is no shortage of beauty in Burnout Paradise Remastered.
Summary
Whether you’re a fan of the series or a newcomer to the title, there is a lot of fun to be had with Burnout Paradise Remastered. From the high-speed races to the visceral crashes, there never seems to be a shortage of roaring engines or fiery explosions. While using the Switch in its handheld form may be tiring after extended periods, the alternate control adaptations for the console, as well as the Switch Lite, give a variety of options to maximize comfort. In the wide world of Paradise City, there’s never a shortage of places to go and challenges to conquer! If you were on the fence about picking up this title, grab it. You won’t be disappointed.
9/10
Check Out the Burnout Paradise Remastered Nintendo Switch Trailer:
Burnout Paradise Remastered is rated E10 by the ESRB and is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
For more information, please visit the official website.
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Nintendo Switch Review
As the (self-proclaimed) King of Casuals, I'm always seeking out new titles to play and experience across all platforms. Eventually, I have ambitions to take the many different styles of this medium to create titles that will wow the masses in fresh, innovative ways.
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