He made the comment in a conference call earlier today, which was held to provide a "please explain" for the company's decision to axe a whopping 1500 employees.

Next year, eh? Not bad for a game we've literally heard or seen nothing about.

Tiny versions of the cars based on Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Knight Rider are unlocked by completing various tasks in the new Big Surf Island content. It's all stuff Burnout junkies would be doing anyway. You're going to want to hit all 15 Mega Jumps, 45 Billboards, 75 Smashes, and complete all 24 Road Rules, so you might as well be rewarded, right?

Hit up the link below to see exactly which feat nets you which car.

Unlock Legendary cars (for free!) in Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island [Joystiq]

Such a claim is "proof that you're not the best," Richard Parr said to Eurogamer. "It means you're out of ideas."

The line of reasoning - those who are truly pushing the boundaries of game development are discovering more and different things to do, not finding their options limited and shrinking. I agree. The capabilities of a console can be measured objectively in, say, polygons, framerate, etc. But the totality of a game experience? How do you honestly get to a point where you say "Well, that game is right at the limit"?

Criterion senior engineer Alex Fry chimed in: "You always find new ways to do things, the constraints lift. Not just with a new console generation but with every game you do. ... The constraints go away because you learn. While it's nice to say you've maxed something out, there's not really any point."

Criterion: Nobody's Maxed Out a PS3/360 [Eurogamer]

It's not cheap, but it should be worth it, adding a much-needed infusion of new drivable real estate to Burnout Paradise, with a handful of new cars to boot. How much will it set you back? We're looking at 1,000 Microsoft points on the Xbox 360, which translates to $12.99 on the PlayStation 3. For those of you in foreign lands, that's €12.99 or £9.99.

Certainly seems like a fair price to me, though your mileage may of course vary. Too much, or just enough? The comments section is all yours.

Big Surf Island - Pricing Confirmed [Criterion Games]

Tipsters who spotted the price page before it was removed said the game will cost $12.99 (€12.99 in Europe, £9.99 UK) on PlayStation Network and list for 1000 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. Couldn't confirm that this morning, but it sounds reasonable.

The achievements page was dated yesterday, so perhaps it wasn't a mistake. But it added 10 new Trophies, three silver and seven bronze, bringing the total in Burnout Paradise on the PS3 to 98. They are:

Drive through 20 Island Smash Gates
Smash 15 Island Billboards
Land 5 Island Mega-Jumps
Jump through Deese's Donut
4.5 seconds of Crash TV Air Time
Complete a 750 yard drift inside the Inspiral Car Park
Complete your first Island Tour
Find all Island Events
Complete all 10 Island Freeburn Challenges
Smash all 45 Island Billboards

Criterion Games brags that the 98 trophies in Burnout Paradise is 32 more than the next closest game on the PS3. For the Xbox 360, Big Surf Island adds five achievements worth 110 Gamerscore, bringing those totals to 60 achievements, 1,250 total Gamerscore. The new achievements are:

Smash n' Grab - Drive through 20 Island Smash Gates
Surf Boards - Smash 15 Island Billboards
Island Explorer - Find all 15 Island Events
Crash TV Air Time - Get at least 4.5 seconds Air Time from the Ski Jump
People Person - Complete all 10 Island Freeburn Challenges. These can be completed by 2 - 8 players

Big Surf Island: Trophies and Achievements [Criterion, thanks DCJoeDog, Jeremy, anonymous and others]

The Burnout Paradise Cops & Robbers pack introduces a ton of new police-themed makeovers for your favorite Paradise City rides, along with a brand-new online mode that pits criminals and the authorities against each other in a tug-of-war with a load of stolen gold. How much is all of this going to run? $9.99 or 800 Microsoft points, with Europe paying €9.99 and the UK forking over £7.99.

Seems like a reasonable price to me, though I tend to prefer simply driving around and crashing into things randomly to any sort of organized play. So who plans on picking up the pack?

This is a teaser trailer for the new Cops and Robbers mode, the latest in a long string of attempts by Criterion Games to slowly turn Burnout Paradise into a completely different game from the one we originally purchased. Not too much to tell so far; we assume there will be cops, robbers, and more than likely some sort of chase mechanic.

The only other thing we can determine from this teaser is that the Paradise City police department is ridiculously over funded.

Two cars make up the Boost Specials Collection. The first, pictured here, is the Carson Extreme Hotrod, which Criterion calls the fastest car in Paradise City. It features a new vehicle dynamics system, granting it more intuitive handling and better drifting than any car in the game.

The second was supposed to remain a secret, but a Microsoft error that listed the downloadable content earlier than intended revealed that it is the Hawker Mech 400, a car that can be modified to drive the way you want it to drive.

The Boost Specials Collection hits Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this Thursday, March 9th, as revealed by producer Matt Webster's Twitter. If the leaked data holds as true as it did for the Toy Cars Collection, it should ring up at 400 Microsoft Points, or roughly $5.

Then don't get a box. Get an intangible collection of files instead! Because Criterion announced on Friday that The Ultimate Box will be available soon on Valve's Steam service. Course, it's already available on that other major PC downloadable service, Direct2Drive, but since so many of you use/prefer Steam you'll probably be more interested in that.

Nine little racers make their way to the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace this Thursday, adding a whole new, much smaller dimension to Burnout Paradise gameplay. With the entire game built around normal scale vehicles, it should be interesting to see what kind of trouble we can get into once we get behind the wheel of these tiny toy versions.

Criterion hasn't listed a price, though the Microsoft screw-up last month indicated that the cars would be 160 Microsoft points a piece, with a tiny model of the Firehawk motorcycle slightly more expensive at 240, and the whole bundle running 1,000.

Criterion will release official pricing details and the full car list on Thursday morning.
Burnout Paradise Toy Pack Dated [Criterion Blog]

So how much will you have to pay in order to tool around Paradise City in a reasonable facsimile of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee, the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, or the Delorean from Back to the Future? Well that depends on how you're willing to pay, partner. Three of the cars will be available come Thursday for 160 Microsoft points or $1.99 a piece, while one is a bit pricier at $3.99 or 320 Microsoft points. Can you guess which one costs the most?

It's the one we've been drooling over the longest, of course. The 88 Special, which channels Doc Brown's ride from the classic Back to the Future movie series clocks in at double the normal price, possibly due to its unique hovering action. It's two cars in one!

those who can't decide can also pick up all four Legendary Cars for the low price of 600 Microsoft points, or $7.99 real money points, which is a savings of $2, give or take. Me? Going to have to opt for the who shebang. As a child of the 80's, there is too much nostalgia here for me to pick just one.

Legendary Cars Collection [Criterion Blog]

In a free update that hits on February 6th, Criterion adds several new features to the ever-evolving Burnout Paradise. Some are merely tweaks, such as turning the performance on the starting cars, changing the way barrel roll ramps work, and a general rebalancing of events. Others are a bit more visual, such as the recoloring of billboards, smashes, and super jumps to make them easier to spot, or the introduction of a new in-game Burnout Store, that allows players to purchase DLC without leaving the game.

The most exciting change, however, is the ability to restart a race. It's the simplest feature for a racing game, yet it never quite made it in - until now, of course. It'll be like you've started all over again.

Check out the Criterion post for a complete rundown of the changes coming on February 5th.

Everything you need to know about our FREE 6th Feb update [Criterion]

Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box will be available in retail stores on February 5th, giving new PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and now PC players a chance to catch up on all of the updates Criterion has released over the past year in an all-in-one package. You get the motorcycle update, the Cagney Update, and the all-new Party Pack, which features pass-the-controller style challenges perfect for your next social gathering, possibly.

If you've already got Burnout Paradise for the 360 or PS3, the Party pack will be available as premium DLC day and date with the retail release. If you've yet to get behind the wheel of the game, February 5th is the perfect time to do so.

EA Announces that Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box is Coming in February

Special Edition Lets Players Experience the Ultimate Social Driving Game Now with Pass-the-Pad Party Pack and Additional Content

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Criterion Games, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio today announced that Burnout™ Paradise The Ultimate Box will be available in stores on February 5th in North America exclusively for the PC. For PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system owners of Burnout™ Paradise in North America, the Party pack will be sold separately as a premium download February 5th on the PLAYSTATION®Network and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace.

Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box will be available in stores on February 6th in Europe for the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360 and the PC. The Party pack will also be sold separately in Europe February 5th on the PLAYSTATION Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box is a special edition release that includes the award-winning Burnout Paradise game, the previously-released Cagney and Bikes downloadable content updates, plus the brand new Burnout Paradise Party pack. The Party pack brings the social fun of Burnout Paradise into an offline multiplayer mode where players compete in different stunt, speed and skill events. The mode is designed to allow up to eight friends to “pass-the-pad” in dozens of quick-fire, turn-based challenges. The Party pack will also include a host of new features including a restart option added for racing, easier control of the early vehicles, and for the PLAYSTATION 3 the new Burnout Paradise Network. Burnout Paradise Network is a live news page that enables players to keep track of friends and keep up with all the latest Burnout news from either inside or outside the game.

Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box marks the debut of the game on PC. The PC version specifically includes multiple monitor displays support, ultra high resolution graphics, motion blur, soft shadow effects and more.

Developed at Criterion Games in Guildford, England, Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box is rated E10+ by the ESRB and 7+ for PEGI. Burnout Paradise is available now for $19.99 on the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360.

For more information about the game, please go to http://www.criteriongames.com or http://info.ea.com.

Carrying on the proud tradition of the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters is the Manhattan Spirit, a slow but stunt-friendly vehicle with a hidden secret. Then we have the Carson Nighthawk, which has the slick look and strobing lights of Michal Knight's ride. Get it? KITT Carson? Tee hee! Last, but definitely not least, there's the Cavalry Bootlegger. It may bear the Mexican flag instead of the Confederate flag, but old 01 is every bit the General Lee from Hazzard County.

The three new Legendary Cars join the previously announced Jansen 88, which of course pays homage to the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Never before have I wanted to pay for DLC so badly.

Criterion Unveils 3 More Legendary Cars [Criterion - Thanks Jamezorzlolz!]

[via X3F]

Big Shot Island is a huge new playground for Burnout Paradise, with an emphasis on huge jumps and plenty of opportunities to wreck your vehicles in creative ways. Originally slated to be free DLC, that has since changed. Why?

Big Surf is the culmination of everything we learned creating Paradise City, and we want it to bring you a truly spectacular new experience – the highlight of a year of incredible premium content. Burnout already delivers incredible value for money – literally hundreds of hours of gameplay with your original disk or PSN purchase, plus more with the free Cagney Pack and free Burnout Paradise Bikes.

I say thank goodness. They were giving us so much free stuff I was pretty sure we were going to have to sleep with them sooner or later.

Welcome to Big Surf Island! [Criterion Blog via Eurogamer]

The tiny cars will be released next year as part of Criterion's continuing efforts to work themselves to death. Not sure if they'll be drivable, but then what else would you do with them? Until they announce the "Putting Things Into Your Orifices" pack, it's probably safe to assume.

Criterion Announces Burnout Paradise Toy Cars [Criterion Blog]

Sweet, but that's not all. Hit the jump to see what happens when you hit the L3 button.

That's right. This motherf***er hovers.

The Jansen 88 Special is the first of four Legendary Cars being introduced to the series as next year, along with the Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and the GT Nighthawk. Each car will be available for purchase separately, or as part of a discounted pack of four.

Generally I am not a big fan of purchasing extra vehicles, but when said extra vehicle can possibly break the space time continuum I take exception.

Criterion Announces Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars [Criterion Blog]

Along with the party announcement, they've also announced Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box, also coming in February, which combines all of the recent updates (including Party) into one retail package for those late adapters, offline players, and PC players out there. Yes, The Ultimate Box marks the release of the game on the PC as well. Huzzah! Hit the link for pictures of the Criterion team in bad Halloween costumes, celebrating the news.

Burnout™ Paradise Party [Criterion Games Blog]

It's like adding a whole new game to an already existing game, for free. Makes you wonder if there'll be another Burnout game this console generation or they're just continue modding this one until the next systems come out. Either way, your bikes are here. Be sure to drive irresponsibly.