Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cops and Robbers is here!

Cops and Robbers is here today! It will take some time for it to be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace, the PlayStation Network Store and the in-game Burnout Store. I will update the blog when the Online Stores have been updated, but for now, just carry on with what you're doing.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Fixes Coming Tomorrow...

There will be a fix coming tomorrow, Thursday the 30th of April, for the bugs listed underneath. These are listed exactly as they were on Criterion's site. Please note that the patch will be SEPARATE from the Cops and Robbers pack, and that you will not have to pay for it.



GT Nighthawk PlayStation 3 Trophy

Something that only became apparent once the Legendary Cars went live is that if you already had the 2x Boost Chain Trophy it was impossible to get the GT Nighthawk one. We're pleased to say this is now fixed and everyone will be able to earn this Trophy once the update goes live tomorrow.



Game freezing on the start line of an online ranked race

We had a number of reports about this though we have had difficulty reproducing it in-house. However, we did find one possible issue which we have now fixed and we very much hope this fixes the issue some players have been reporting. We're monitoring the situation and will make improvements where we can.



Not being able to select purchased vehicles in the Junkyard

In the majority of cases we found the cause of this was that people had purchased the vehicles but not downloaded AND installed them.Correctly downloading and installing the vehicles fixed the issue. However there was a rare bug seen with a handful of customers who achieved their Elite license during a specific period of time last year which meant that some of the vehicles had indeed disappeared. We have now fixed this issue and that fix appears in the new update.



Smashes and billboards resetting after playing the Party Mode

This was a problem that occasionally happened when you started a Party then re-entered Paradise City.
They weren't actually reset. When you restarted the game everything was back to normal. However, it was annoying and we are pleased to say it has now been fixed.



To get these fixes you must download version 1.8 once it is released on April 30th 2009. Criterion will post a story as soon as the update is live.

When you boot Burnout Paradise tomorrow, if you are online, the 1.8 update should automatically download and install. Once it has done so, all the bugs will (hopefully) be fixed.

Sometimes the Xbox 360 will not do this, so you should head over to the Xbox Live Marketplace in order to get it. You will not be able to play online if you do not do so.

This is an exciting fix and game pack. I will hopefully be able to buy it by the weekend, but I may not be able to. As I said before, the prices for the Cops and Robbers mode (Not the patch) are $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 / 800MS. See you online!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Pricing for Cops and Robbers

An announcement on the Criterion Games website has indicated that the Cops and Robbers online game mode and police skins pack will cost $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 / 800MS. Not bad for extra gameplay. It is coming out this Thursday, or Friday if you live on the other side of the globe (like me). Hope to see you online and playing Cops and Robbers!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Cops and Robbers World Premiere

After weeks of filler material, Criterion Games have now released a new podcast with the unusual suspects playing some Cops and Robbers! Check it out below:


Saturday, April 18, 2009

24 Hours of Paradise

Criterion have added some humour to their website with their new post on the attempt at 24 hours of Burnout Paradise straight by a group of people. The 24 hours of Le Mans has turned into the 24 hours of Paradise, no doubt with more crashes, more stunts and more fun. Here's the post:


A group of Burnout Paradise fans are aiming to set a world record for video game playing. They aim to get into the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition by playing the game for a staggering 24hrs non-stop!

The video gaming marathon will take place at Esc Gaming Centre in Glasgow, Scotland on 18th April. The six gamers from gaming website Ready Up will be playing the Xbox 360 version of the game in front of Guinness's official adjudicators.

The event will also raise money for UK video game charity Games Aid so it's all in a good cause. Playing for 24hrs is sure to a challenge but think of the fun these lucky gamers will have!

Official Release Date for Cops and Robbers

The official release date for the Cops and Robbers pack has been announced: the 30th of April. Of course we knew this already, thanks to EA's newsletter.

The most interesting thing in the post is the confirmation of 'significant police reinforcements to crackdown on any illegal activity around Paradise City." Does this mean that we will see police chases even when cruising the city? I for one find this interesting, having had a game with similar gameplay on the original PlayStation, The Italian Job.

However, it may get annoying and there would be a way to turn it off if Criterion did this. I'm waiting for this and Big Surf Island anxiously. Here's the post on the Criterion Games website:


Hello Readers,

This week's Breaking News is that the hotly anticipated Cops and Robbers update will be released on Thursday April the 30th.

The latest paid content for Burnout Paradise, Cops and Robbers is rumoured to be the greatest freeburn game mode yet, perfectly complimenting current favourites Marked Man, Road Rage and Stunt Run.

I caught up with the Paradise City Police Chief, and he confirmed the impending arrival of 'significant police reinforcements' to 'crackdown on any illegal activity around Paradise City'.

Stay tuned to this channel to find out the hottest details..

Doug The Newsreader



Friday, April 17, 2009

Crash TV 30 Out Now!

Crash TV 30 has just been released. There aren't more major details that weren't known before, but it's interesting to watch

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

New Teaser Trailer for Cops and Robbers

A new teaser trailer has been released for the Cops and Robbers pack, to be released "very soon". How soon it will be is now certain: the EA newsletter has reported that it will be released on the 30th of April.



I hope all of you enjoyed the Easter weekend. See you on Freeburn!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

About Me

Most of you probably have no idea who I am or what I'm like. I'm not a hardcore fan. In fact, I only bought Burnout Paradise a few months ago. I was contemplating the purchase of a driving game, and simply decided on Burnout Paradise after many months of research. It seemed the obvious choice, what with all the recent updates (The bikes pack had been released for a couple of months then). The competitors, Need for Speed and Midnight Club didn't appeal to me as much.

So, after a few months of ownership, I am now only at 50% of the game. I am now 27 or so wins from my Burnout License, and then from there can move on to the challenging task of achieving an Elite License. Yes, I'm not experienced in the ways of Burnout, but I research a lot and find out things. A few months of gaming and I'm only at 50%? Yes, but I have numerous other duties to perform.

Most of my time is spent on Freeburn. The rest is spent on upgrading my license. I have so little time to play that after all these months I have only put in a total of 25+ hours offline.

I use a PlayStation 3. Not that I have anything against the Xbox 360, its just that I had it. So I bought the game in a PS3 format.

I play online on the weekend, but I'm in a different timezone to most of the world's population which causes some difficulties. My gamer ID is ecyrblim if you want to know.

I hope this answers some of your questions about me, and I hope to see you online!

Monday, April 13, 2009

30th of April

As far as I know, the only definite date for the release of Cops and Robbers is the 30th of April. My recent hours of trawling the web for any information led me to a comment on a Burnout fan club page which listed the date. This seems like a reasonable release date.

Crash TV 30 will be released this week, and will definitely be giving at least a hint on the pack. Meanwhile, enjoy what's left of the Easter break, preferably on Freeburn. See you there.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Cops and Robbers Info

Crash TV 29 has been released, and it contains a lot of info on Cops and Robbers. Criterion Gmaes has confirmed that ALL cars will be given police liveries. For more, check out the new episode of Crash TV on http://www.criteriongames.com/podcast/.

All the details for the Cops and Robbers pack are in it. The release date is still not confirmed, but I think it will be out in the next 2 weeks.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Hints...?

Check out this new post on the Criterion Games site:


Hey Island Pete here again, calling in from the crane cab looking over Paradise Keys Bridge.

Man it's a great view from up here. You can see all the way to Deeses Donuts.. man that makes me hungry.

We're lowering the final section onto the bridge today, 20 tons of concrete hanging from a few inches of steel cable. I love my job; hard hats, power tools and hard graft. Woah, steady with the grip Hudson!

That was close... we've had some tough times this last week, darn punks been breaking though the toll booth and causing chaos around Perren's Point in their damn Hot Rods. I've put in so many calls to the PCPD, they are now on speed dial.

Those punks won't know what's hit them though, I've heard the boys in blue are getting some outside help. Reinforcements from outta town, top of the crop forces being flown in. Oh yeah.

That'll teach ‘em. I need to get this construction finished, lots of eager people looking to book their vacation. Suits putting pressure on me...

Gotta go, until those cops arrive I need to try and sort this mess out myself.

Hey, careful on crane 5.. keep it level...Darn it.. Island Pete out.



What do you think of that? It obviously points towards the upcoming release of Big Surf Island and Cops and Robbers Packs being completed now. Hopefully they should be released in a few weeks or so. A Twitter post has said that the latest Crash TV will include details on this. I will post the video as soon as it is released.

Record Attempt

Six people have decided to make a record attempt: Play Burnout Paradise for 24 hours on the Xbox Live Network. Straight. Apart from brief toilet and eating breaks, they are not allowed to stop playing, and will be observed by the Guinness World Record Team. This record was inspired by the Guinness Book of Records Gamers Edition, and these men are trying to get into the books for next year. The record will also attempt to raise money for Games Aid. Go to http://www.justgiving.com/gamesaid-readyup to see how to donate.

The record will be attempted on the 18th of April in Glasgow. One of the participants said that“Going for this kind of marathon gaming record is a lot harder than you might think. Keeping your morale up while concentrating on a screen and maintaining hand-eye coordination is tough, and you have to rely on using your second and third wind to help you through hardest going parts. It's made easier by the fact that we have chosen a game like Burnout Paradise, which has a great deal of variety and fresh downloadable content that we can use.”

Just shows you how awesome Burnout is. If you don't have it, you really owe it to yourself to go out and buy it now, or online at the EA website or PlayStation Network. Go. Do it now.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Cops and Robbers

Still no news on what the heck is up with the planes, so I've moved on to our next release: Cops and Robbers. The game, as I stated before, is in its final stages of development, and this is confirmed by the release of the trophies set to come out with the pack. They are:

Bank the Gold
Awarded for successfully delivering the Gold to your team base in an Online Cops and Robbers game.

Take down the Gold carrier
Awarded for successfully performing a Takedown on the player carrying the Gold in an Online Cops and Robbers game.

Win a game on the Cops team
Awarded for being on the winning Cops team in an Online Cops and Robbers game.

Win a game on the Robbers team
Awarded for being on the winning Robbers team in an Online Cops and Robbers game.

Win a best of five rounds game
Awarded for being on the winning team of a best of five round game of Online Cops and Robbers.

Be the first to reach the Gold
Awarded for being the first player in an Online Cops and Robbers game to pick up the Gold.

Pick up dropped Gold
Awarded for successfully picking up the Gold once it has been dropped in an Online Cops and Robbers game.

Win a game driving the Watson R-turbo Roadster
Awarded for being on the winning team of an Online Cops and Robbers game driving the Watson R-turbo Roadster.


Really looking forward to this. Criterion is great for releasing all these game-changing updates over the past year or so, so what's the problem with paying a little bit to help support them? Anyway, as soon as updates are released I will post them on this website.

Bye for now.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

No time...

Haven't had time to see the recent happenings in Paradise City, so I'm relying on you, the readers, to comment and help me out when this happens.

Friday, April 3, 2009

References to Planes

For those who don't yet know, there have been a few references on Twitter regarding planes. They are:

http://twitter.com/IslandPete/status/1430285375

http://twitter.com/TheWebsterHoff/status/1430285493

http://twitter.com/SargeSullivan/status/1431245128

Check them out and tell us what you think!


FAQ Planes

The post on the FAQ page of criteriongames.com regarding planes has been removed. WTF? If this is a joke, it's not funny.

Cops and Robbers

I just saw a banner saying "Cops and Robbers pack: coming very soon!" on the front page of the Criterion Games website. When I went back to see what it was, it had disappeared. Check it out for yourself and report back to us.

Hmm...

By now, I'm thinking the planes update is either a joke or has been delayed by bugs. Or something else. Comment!

Planes are awesome

If you saw the post before this, it shows the planes getting billboards. How cool would this be??? It is so hard getting them with cars, so planes would mean getting them in maybe an hour.

Still waiting for an official announcement...

Planes

Sorry I didn't mention this earlier, but planes were actually announced last May then scrapped because it was just a 'bit of fun for the team". Here's a video from back then to show you what the planes looked and may/may not look after release.

Still No News

What the hell? Still no news on planes, and though this seems like it is a joke, I recently found out that this was said on Twitter;

Twitter criterion updates:

SargeSullivan: "is looking down on Paradise City"

TheWebsterHoff: "Will you come fly with us today?"

Maybe it isn't out just to tease us, but if I were Criterion then I would be hoping for someone to make this public, then say that it is a joke. So I'm just doing my part. Hopefully it isn't joke though.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

New Updates

For those wondering when the Island and Cops and Robbers packs are being released, I just want to inform you that Criterion is still working on them and that as of right now, a release date has not yet been decided upon.

I will update this blog when the dates are announced, but until then keep your eyes peeled and keep watching www.criteriongames.com for more.

I am sure that they will be out by July-ish, but the Island pack has been delayed somewhat (During production, the producers started again from scratch and by doing so made the release even further away, and making it Premium Downloadable Content (i.e. Paid content).

This is, in a word, crap, but on all the recent CrashTV episodes (Which by the way is a podcast available for free on iTunes, Youtube or the Criterion Website) the island is looking pretty much finished and I suppose is going through final bug testing etc.

Oh, and since we're on the subject of CrashTV, it is a great podcast, and from there you will learn all the release dates for content, recent happenings, and just random Burnout News. Of course, this is invaluable for those who are eagerly watching for news on that kind of stuff, and of course you can be sure that I will update you on that.

The latest episode is Episode 28 on Twittering and such-like, and from Twitter.com I have also found that a new one is currently being filmed, so watch out for that! Also, there is a slight delay in the uploading of videos to the iTunes store, so be wary of that. If you need to watch the episode urgently, there is of course another option (two actually), and they are to go to Youtube or the Criterion Games site.

Super Jumps?

While we wait for Criterion to announce their updates, why not try to find all the Super Jumps and get that Carbon Jansen P12? Charnjit, a Criterion Games designer, shows how in these great videos. I've got 3 to go. Hope this helps!









Burnout Trailer

For those who don't own Burnout, here's a video showing you why you MUST buy it now;

Probably April Fools

I've been following the team's Twitters (Not sure what the plural for Twitter accounts are), and there is no sign that they even remember anything about the planes update.

What...?

Still no update from Criterion Games; am not very happy. They are writing from Twitter, however. You can visit their sites at www.twitter.com/thewebsterhoff, www.twitter.com/crashtvjez, www.twitter.com/islandpete, and www.twitter.com/sargesullivan.

April Fools?

Criterion Games announced on their FAQ page that they would announce the release of planes to Paradise City. This may be an April fools day joke, as it is now April the 2nd and still nothing. Waiting anxiously, though; it'll be fun to see Paradise City from the sky!

Paradise

My first post on the blog. Just want to say hi!