The Way it Should Be

The fantastic open world racing/crashing game Burnout Paradise has been on store shelves for almost a year now, and in my own collection for almost as long. Burnout allows you to race around the fictional city of Paradise, a fantastical world filled with almost as many street racers as it has ramps decorating its city streets. For the last ten months I have continued to sporadically pop Burnout Paradise into my Xbox 360 and play for large chunks of time. This differs from most of my game collection, which typically sits on the shelf after I have either completed the game or grown tired of its multiplayer modes. The reason I continually go back to Burnout Paradise is because its developer, Criterion Games, has figured out how to make games that to stay relevant beyond its release window. Criterion actually supports its game, continuously adding new modes, challenges, and content FOR FREE (a phrase I hate to use in this situation because many developers forget that we did actually pay 60 bucks for the game). The most recent updates added new cars, a whole new class of vehicles in motorcycles, weather effects, and day/night cycles. These features completely changed the game for me, creating new challenges and renewing my enthusiasm for it. While many multiplayer FPSs have followed this model by adding in new maps for players to compete against one another, these updates are typically pay-to-play and rarely enhance the single player experience. While I am all about the video game industry getting paid (lord knows I do my part to support it), I sincerely appreciate the recognition by Criterion that their consumers will continue to support their game if THEY do. So cheers to you Criterion Games and congratulations on your success, keep up the good work (and clearly they intend to as they have already announced an additional 4 future updates for Burnout). Here's hoping the rest of the industry sees your success and follows in your footsteps.