The results for last week's Burnout Paradise fanpoll are in, and we're actually a little surprised. For those that don't recall, we asked how gamers felt about the treatment of Crash Mode in Burnout Paradise. While previous iterations of Burnout had dedicated Crash Modes with pre-designed courses, Burnout Paradise introduces Showtime, which essentially allows players to turn any crash into an impromptu Crash Mode. So how did our readers feel about Showtime? Find out after the break.
As you can see, the result is fairly split. One thing is immediately clear though, the majority of players would prefer a dedicated Crash Mode than the current Showtime model, with only 21.3% of readers voting that they were happy with the current system. Exactly how Crash Mode should be addressed though is a different matter. 46.1% of readers would like to see a return of the traditional Crash Mode complete with pre-designed courses. 32.6% of readers would like to see Crash Mode worked into the traffic signal system employed by Burnout Paradise. In other words, traffic signals should include special crash events in addition to the various racing and stunt modes. Those who disliked Showtime complained that it felt "artificial" or boring -- our favorite comment described it as "more like Katamari than crash mode" -- and some even said that the exclusion of Crash Mode meant they wouldn't be purchasing Burnout Paradise at all. Those that like Showtime cite the insane amount of damage that can be caused and that they enjoy trying to best their own records.
Update: We had some issues with the polling system. They've been corrected and the poll results are shown above.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-01-2008 @ 5:08PM
jkdoug said...
The poll is still open for voting, so people (like myself) who didn't vote because they don't (yet) have the game cannot see the results (without voting).
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2-01-2008 @ 5:12PM
Richard Mitchell said...
Hopefully that fixed it. Our polling system is still a little new.
2-01-2008 @ 5:11PM
Alex said...
I have to vote before I can see the results? Couldn't that eventually make the analysis a little off?
Anyway, if I had it my way, the game would be nothing but Road Rage. I should not be participating in this world-shattering poll.
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2-01-2008 @ 5:12PM
Noxat said...
I kind of like Showtime but it has problems. I hate that I can see cars just appearing or vanishing in front of me, and if I turn around after bouncing my way down a street, all the destruction I caused has already disappeared.
This is what I would have done: If you hit a direction on the d-pad, the game switches to crash mode, and all the intersections become crash events. When you pull up and hit RB/LB, the game sets up a busy intersection several blocks away. If you want a more Burnout 3-style, the game also spawns power-ups and jumps along the way. From then on the mode works just like Crash from Burnout 2/3.
But as it is I still have fun (albeit fairly mindless fun) with the Showtime mode. It just could have been so much more. Then again Criterion is EA now; there will probably be a new Burnout next year to correct Paradise's shortcomings.
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2-01-2008 @ 6:32PM
Anticrawl said...
I won't be buying Paradise because from what I've seen from Showtime it seems a bit too overthetop and silly to be fun, and I'd imagine it would get old fast. Plus the new damage system seems to random, sometimes I'll slam into a wall sideways and my roof will dent in? I'm no genius when it comes to car crashes but the ones found in Paradise are more often than not confusing at best.
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2-01-2008 @ 9:15PM
Matt said...
It's Burnout not Forza, of course it's silly.
2-02-2008 @ 12:07AM
Anticrawl said...
It is silly like Katamari. Not crazy special effects action movie awesome like the previous crash mode/damage systems.
For the record I hate racing sims, and Forza's damage system was hilariously bad. Taking a Ferrari at 120mph into a concrete barrier and my windshield cracks and I have a few paint scrapes.
2-01-2008 @ 8:00PM
Deck said...
Though Showtime may be over the top, the rest of the game is pretty well done and quite awesome. If you are a fan of Arcade style racers, then this should be for you.
I don't own it yet but have played it at a buddies for quite a good chunk of time and its made me decide to probably go buy it here soon. Its a lot fun, so really, if you like an arcade style racer, think about it. Even if you don't like Showtime, the other parts of the games are quite good. The sense of speed is great.
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2-01-2008 @ 9:15PM
CB said...
Showtime is nice and all but it is definately not a substitute for Crash. Sure you can keep bouncing over and over and see crashes but the way it's implemented is all wrong. Noxat's idea seems really good.
I don't think crashes should be alienated from events. Make Crash into an event.
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2-01-2008 @ 9:27PM
nick said...
Showtime becomes a little boring after the 15th or so time you've done it. It's basically the same thing over and over again. And instead of showtime, they should have called it car bowling.
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2-01-2008 @ 11:48PM
George Arauz said...
Crashmode... i miss it
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2-01-2008 @ 11:53PM
Hey Apples said...
Flawed poll, needs an option: "Will not buy, consider, or even look at the game without a dedicated crash mode"
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2-02-2008 @ 5:08AM
Noxat said...
I guess that is a fair judgment, but hear me out:
I've been with Burnout from the beginning, hell, since before I even knew what Burnout was (long story).
Burnout has always been more than just a crash mode. Burnout was originally about evasion. Burnout was about avoiding big crashes, but at the same time, rewarding the truly memorable crashes. The original Burnout (at least on the Xbox), you could even save replays of your best crashes.
Shrugging off Burnout Paradise because it has no Crash mode is like passing up an excellent used car just because it has a small dent. You are missing the big picture. There is so much more to the Burnout formula than just crash mode.
I was extremely skeptical of the new "open world" Burnout, as i'm sure a good number of others were. After playing it a while, its hard to imagine going back to the rigid, structured races of the past.
Yes, I miss a dedicated Crash mode. Yes, I miss circuit races. There are certainly flaws in BP I would like to see corrected.
But to focus so much on Crash mode is to miss the forest for the trees. Someone new to the Burnout formula might not recognize how significant the changes in BP are, but I certainly do, and in the long run, I have to say these changes outweigh the drawbacks.
I could name dozens of things I would have done differently in Burnout Paradise, but the fact that I put so much time in on the subject, just reminds me of how passionate I am about this franchise.
Maybe I'm wrong; maybe a year from now Criterion will release an insignificant update because their EA Overlord demand a new product. Hopefully this is not the case.
I think Criterion will do right by its fan base. A new Burnout with all the excellent new features introduced in Burnout Paradise, including a dedicated Crash mode, and then some.
Burnout continues to be my favorite arcade racing game, despite the flaws in BP. Considering Criterion's penchant for mixing up the Burnout formula for each new iteration, I'm confident that we will see an all-new Crash mode at some point in the future.
2-02-2008 @ 10:07AM
jorgiex said...
Does everyone know that this game "REQUIRES" the HDD..? Maybe with out it the game can't keep memory of the destruction you created in crash mode. Also if you want to verify for your self look on the back of your case it says it on bold orange writing. iight peace
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2-03-2008 @ 5:27PM
Noxat said...
Only online requires the hard drive. Offline play does not.
2-02-2008 @ 1:28PM
OnetimeBlueboy said...
How about a standalone Crash Mode XBL Arcade game? Built in the current engine, along the lines of classic Crash Mode, w/out the open world (file size would be too huge). Make it cheap for those who don't own the game, and send a coupon for a free DL via auto-update to those who have the game in their systems. Am I a genius, or what?
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