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Burnout Paradise Gets Free Updates. Makes You Wonder Why Other Companies Make You Pay?

Criterion Games are literally showing every other games company up for what they are. Literally money-grabbing-pound-driven apes with saliva running from their sharpened teeth as they will another “buck” from our already crunched plastics.

In an age where developers charge £0.69 to have more than one character selectable (Pain I’mma looking at you!) it’s absolutely refreshing to see Criterion consistently putting out patches for their acclaimed racer Burnout Paradise.

The latest patch (which is actually the third of a touted five) includes motorbike support, a bunch (and I mean a BUNCH) of new races and time trials to beat, a collection of new Paradise Awards to unlock, day and night cycle support and some new Freeburn Challenges (online co-op type thing-ma-jigs). There’s probably tons more stuff I didn’t mention too.

I’m a very big believer in downloadable-content you know. I’m happy to pay a reasonable price for something that is going to extend the enjoyment of my game. In the case of Burnout Paradise I’m totally stoked to get an extra 5 hours play out of my game for absolutely free.

The fact of the matter is this: Criterion obviously have a model in place that’s allowing them to work on this game and extend it for free so surely this suggests other developers could do a similar thing?

The thing is, it’s totally not the paying that I have a problem with. It’s the amount. £6.99 for three new COD4 maps? Free game-changing Burnout update. £3.99 for a single level in PAIN? Free game-changing Burnout update.

I’m totally wondering how much Namco will charge for the “missing” Star Wars character on your relevent Soul Calibur 4 disc.

Criterion, I love you. Let it be known that I appreciate all your hard work and your entertainment-led (as opposed to financially-led) morals.

11/10.

Bionic Commando Rearmed on Playstation 3, XBOX 360 & PC

Bionic Commando is simplistic genius from the 80’s. I say simplistic because the formula may seem very basic now — but back in the day it was ground breaking. Coupling a swing mechanic with 2D shooting opened up a whole new plain for platforming puzzles. You’d have tow swing and grapple to get yourself up into new areas. One of the most polished, fun and downright exciting experiences that could be found on the NES.

Bionic Commando Rearmed is essentially a remake of the game that many of us remember so fondly. A few tweaks have been made to the gameplay including the ability to pick up health packs and barrels with the arm. Said barrels can be thrown into enemies. Boss battles have also been reworked for the better.

Graphically Bionic Commando is unreal — set in a 2.5D perspective with vibrant colours and awesome character models. The bosses are particularly impressive with some filling the entire screen. It’s enriching, totally over-the-top and just generally awesome. The presentation is spectacular too, with the menu’s slanting across the screen and the cutscenes that are done in a comic-book style. All the art is so well drawn and there are plenty of easter eggs in this game for fans of the original and for gamers in general. The whole game has a tongue-in-cheek kind of humour which keeps dialogue fresh and the thin-but interesting story flowing.

If the awesome graphics and polished gameplay weren’t enough though — the music is where Bionic Commando Rearmed really shines. So much so that the soundtrack of the game is available on iTunes. It’s hard for me to stress how much this game rules musically. I’ve literally never heard anything like it. A collection of 8-bit techno hits that just keep coming and coming. The only way to better explain is to show you, so without further adieu, here are some choice tracks:

Capcom could be forgiven for just including the 3-4 hour singleplayer experience that Bionic Commando Rearmed boasts for roughly £7 (price fluctuates depending on which platform you buy the game for) but much to their credit the game supports a “Medals” system which sets some difficult objectives, mlutiplayer co-op and a new Challenge Rooms area which provides the most replay value. These are mini-puzzle rooms where you must use skill to traverse the levels in the quickest time. The levels are hooked up to scoreboards so you can find the worlds best player and as you can imagine the scores set are already virtually unbeatable.

That said though it’s still fun trying.

Bionic Commando is going to appeal to fans of the original and general newcomers. It’s unreal value for money (and by that I mean I’d probably pay £30 for this game) and thus I recommend it to everyone who has a compatible platform.

Buy this game.

10/10.