Burnout Party Review

Last week, Criterion released its latest downloadable content (DLC) for its constantly evolving arcade racer “Burnout Paradise“. The new content, dubbed Burnout Party, is Criterion’s first attempt at local multiplayer for Burnout Paradise. So how does this $10 (or 800 Microsoft points) DLC fair?

Burnout Party enables up to eight gamers to play amongst each other on a single television using one controller. How is that possible you ask? The concept is pretty simple, the game dishes out mini-game challenges that players must complete within a certain time frame or under specific conditions. When an attempt is completed, the gamer then passes the controller to the next player. After a round is completed, scores are tallied-up and posted on a leader board, the players move to the next challenge (up to eight rounds).

The challenges are fairly easy and will surely please every type of gamer, whether you’re casual or hardcore. The challenges range from racing through oncoming traffic to completing a double-barrel roll. The update features enough mini-games that gamers might start ignoring their Wii’s when friends come over. The add-on is even as exciting when playing with as little as two people.

The latest Burnout Paradise patch must be installed in order to play the Party Pack. Don’t worry, the patch is mandatory and you are automatically prompted to download it as soon as you launch the game. The new patch is well worth the download as it not only includes the highly touted race restart feature, but also comes with minor gameplay and graphical enhancements.

Sure this might not be the split screen gaming we’ve grown accustomed to with past Burnout iterations, but Burnout Party is a pretty decent replacement that is well worth its meager $10. Burnout Party is available on both PS3 and Xbox 360, and is also available within the “Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box” for the PC.

Andre runs the blog GamingCult.com, an independent website dedicated to the world of gaming, entertainment and technology. You can also follow him on Twitter.