 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Burnout Paradise
- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: Racing
Common Sense Media says
Intense racer where harsh crashes dominate.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that reckless driving dominates the action in this game and that it is glorified. Players are rewarded for driving in oncoming traffic, slamming into other vehicles, and creating overall citywide carnage. Parents of new teen drivers might want to consider a recent study which suggests that playing some racing games can increase one's willingness to take risks while driving in real life. Collision carnage is shown in great detail, but no person is ever shown injured. Advertising is rampant within this game, as the city is littered with billboards, vehicles, and other signs of sponsorship. This game also features an online component which allows for chat so that kids will be exposed to whatever other online racers care to say. In addition, kids can attach cameras to take photos during the gameplay that can be shared online during the game.
What's it about?
The Burnout franchise has never been about going out for a leisurely drive. Really, only one rule of the road exists: Create mass highway carnage. BURNOUT PARADISE takes Criterion Games' concept a step further, replacing the linear driving campaign with the open road world of Paradise City. Players can navigate a large map, choosing their own path to conquering this large metropolis. Each stoplight in Paradise City represents a different event. Challenges vary from races to road rage, with the latter being an event where you must wreck a specific number of opposing cars. In Stunt Run, you'll speed over ramps and through billboards to rack up points. Each victory earns you points on your license. After completing a certain number of challenges, you'll get an upgrade.
Is it any good?
For kids old enough to know that reckless driving only has a place in video games and not in real life, this game can be an exciting fantasy to explore. Cars are categorized based on speed, strength, and stunt ability. This also determines how to increase their boost meters. Stronger cars, for example, will use an aggression boost meter which rises with overly assertive driving. The natural fallout of this aggressive driving are the explosive crashes. Wrecks look cinematic, as glass shards and chunks of metal shoot across in slow-motion before the full effects of your collision are realized.
Burnout Paradise's greatest achievement is eradicating almost all down time. Load screens and menus are rarely seen. Cars can zip into repair shops and gas stations with no break in action. And if you want to move online, a quick flip of the directional pad takes you to Freeburn Mode. Players attempt to top each other in a variety of small challenges, like farthest jump or most near misses of other vehicles. Multiplayer could have been perfected with a wider array of events and an offline two-player option. But those are small dents in the finish of Burnout Paradise.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the appeal of this type of driving game. What makes a title focused on reckless driving so entertaining? How do these compare to the more realistic racing titles? Do you think there is any connection between playing this kind of game and becoming more reckless when driving in real life?
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AGE
Welcome to Anti-Driver's Ed.
Burnout Paradise is probably the best of the series. First, it gives the player the option of competition-free 'Freeburning' while not racing (or doing other illicit driving activities such as Road Rage and Stunt Run). This allows the player to cruise around Paradise City, driving in fictional cars (based on real ones, though) and become more familiar with the city so that they can play better in events.
The maniacal driving can become very violent-cars can be compacted to half their size, torn in half, and, plainly, disfigured. Fortunately, no human beings drive these cars. They eerily drive themselves, so blood and gore is not an issue.
The most important factor is that this game encourages players to slam, crush and obliterate cars in a way that demonstrates a total lack of respect for the other drivers' safety. Paradise should only be given to your kid (or teen) after a thorough discussion of how these intended car crashes (known as Takedowns) are meant to stay in the game. And if they are not convinced, make sure they know that if they attempt to barrel roll off the side of a parking garage, their car will end up as a pile of twisted metal, not the car of a brave daredevil.
Burnout Paradise is a fun game, and can be expanded with add-on's from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace or the Playstation Store. Have fun burning through Paradise City in an intensely maniacal fashion!
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Kid, 12 years old
August 17, 2010
AGE
Medioker racing game is ok for kids.
The gameplay is kinda clunky, but the cars are awesome. and i guess you could call it violent cause you have to crash a car REALLY bad to unlock it. it also has bad messages, but i would rather call it bad education, because its pretty much teaching you how to drive like a maniac and wreck other cars, which teens shouldnt see if their the ride-in-the-back-of-pickup-truck type.
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AGE
A good game for kids
I feel that this game is great for kids over 11 years old. The only things to worry about Burnout: Paradise are that there is a lot of violence and there are billboards with commercials including Gillette and diesel signs. This game is great unless you have a who you wouldn't trust to tell the difference between the game and real life. The only major problem in this game is cars crashing and slamming into one another
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AGE
best racing game ever!
the crashes in this game rock. the graphics and city rock. and its totally fine for kids. If you're gonna get a racing game than u should get this one.
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AGE
Burnout Revew
I Beleave That Burnout Paradise is an Fun, Addicting game for Teens-Adults,
Online can be a bit harsh due to adults cussing each other out, its quite funny sometimes,But sometimes People talk about Important Things,
Anyway, I have Made a Mental Map (I know i play a lot) Of where everything is, So it will help with memory
Sure the Wrecks should kill you, Luckily there is no actual humans walking or driving
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AGE
greatest racing game ever
The best racing game ever!Killer graphics,cool cars, it's awesome!
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AGE
not a Paradise City
the aim of this this game is to use your car to race and pulverise, the main way to get cars is to destroy them, there are no people in the cars and is definetly not violent. So if your worried to let your kids play this game there is NOTHING wrong with.
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AGE
Good for anyone!
WHAT? The common sense people put this on IFFY for 10-16 but not for 17+??? ARE YOU SERIOUS? Cmoon, there are no people in the cars. The crashes are realistic. The stunts are awesome. :D well I cant find anything wrong that made it get and iffy for 10-16 yrs old....
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AGE
Take me down to the paradise city...
For those of you who have no idea what the Burnout franchise is, it is essentially an arcade racing series that started in 2002. The games contain a great sense of speed and features spectacular crashes.The main difference in Paradise is that it now has an open world whereas the others didn't. That means that in a race, you could take any route to the goal. Let me list off the events in BP. The Race event is pretty self explanatory. Road Rage is a returning event, where the goal is to destroy your opponent's cars up, and is my favorite. Marked Man is a mode where you go from point A to point B while trying not to be taken out by cars that were probably made by the British Secret Service. In Stunt Run, you basically do all kinds of stunts to rack up the most points possible. Every car you unlock has a corresponding Burning Lap, which is just a Point A to Point B run. Nothing special. Finally, there's Showtime. If you played Burnout 2,3, or 4, you know that there is a crash mode where you make the biggest traffic pile-up possible. Showtime is the replacement of Crash Mode, where you hit a couple buttons and start destroying cars. You just hit a button and keep plowing into these cars and is so incredibly entertaining. It's the most "objectionable" part of the game, so if you're having trouble deciding if it's appropriate for your children, I'd recommend checking out a YouTube video or something. Lastly, there are the updates you can get if your PS3/X360 is hooked up to the internet. These include new online events, motorbikes, and a day/night cycle. Now that I'm finished rambling on about the game, is it the best Burnout game? The answer is: No. Burnout 3 for the PS2/Xbox (and the Xbox 360 via the Marketplace) is the best Burnout title. But nonetheless, this game is a must own in your gaming library.
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AGE
Great for 10+
This is an awesome, fast, adrenaline fueled racer. There are NO people anywhere in the city so running people over like in GTA is not an issue.
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Racing |
| Developer: | Electronic Arts |
| Release date: | January 22, 2008 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Language and violence. |
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