"Dicking around with your friends in a car," states Alex Ward in a matter-of-fact tone, "That's what we want Burnout Paradise to feel like." The creative director behind one of gaming's most prolific and popular racing series can't help but emphasize the shift in focus for this new installment. Social multiplayer, whether it be online or local, is at the heart of Burnout Paradise. While the crash-filled racing that you expect of the series remains deliciously intact for its next-generation debut, the way in which it's structured fundamentally differs from previous installments. This is a reinvention of the franchise, one that changes core gameplay elements--some uncomfortably--for a distinct experience.

Burnout Paradisecombines high-speed racing and destruction--that's it. Racing through Paradise City without restriction, you take on opponents in various racing challenges to earn notoriety and unlock content. The better your performance on the road, the more vehicles become available and make it easier for you to tackle more difficult challenges. On the surface, Burnout Paradiseseems to do little new in the genre; however, taking a closer look at its massive open world, integrated multiplayer, and score of new events gives credence to Ward's claim that the team at EA Criterion is "reinventing the racing genre."

Unlike previous installments the game is set in a completely open world, allowing you to drive around without the need to select a location/event from a world map. Exploring the streets of Paradise City you can take on challenges by pulling L2 and R2. You don't have to enter events; if you'd rather cruise along, you're free to do just that. Driving about the expanse of Paradise City will take you through downtown streets, hilly byways, and coastal parkways.

There are over 120 junctions at which you can enter an event, which range from standard speed races to special free burn challenges to crash tasks. Sadly, crash junctions have been thrown out; instead, Burnout Paradiseincorporates crash tasks that are embedded in the cityscape. Gone are the boosts, multipliers, and bombastic power-ups, however. It just won't be the same game without them. Fortunately, there are some creative new events that might make up for it. A power parking mini-game tests your parallel parking skills by having you slide between two parked cars using your handbrake.

Normally, multiplayer would be cordoned off as a separate mode of play from the single player game; Burnout Paradise however, combines the two for an integrated experience. At any time during the game you wish to enter a multiplayer event, use the directional pad to access an online event list for your vicinity. Labeled "Easy Ride," this shortcut system enables you to quickly find players online without having to jump out of the game; in fact, all of this can be done while speeding down the street of downtown Paradise City. As Ward puts it, the Easy Ride system lets you have "your Burnout, your way."

A maximum of eight players can compete in online events, which are all tracked via comprehensive leaderboards. Statistics are logged for specific sections of Paradise City, called "road rules," ranging from top speed, longest jump, etc. One cool feature supports PlayStation Eye for "smug-shots." As you're competing against other players online, a PlayStation Eye (or Xbox Vision Camera on Xbox 360) records a snapshot of your face when you're taken down. On PlayStation 3, all of this information can be accessed seamlessly during play. Unlike Xbox Live which requires player log-in and other verifications, Ward claims the open architecture of PlayStation Network is better equipped to handle the integrated online features of Burnout Paradise.

Apparently, the game favors PlayStation 3 visually as well. Taking a look at the game running on a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 side-by-side and you can see a difference. There's definitely more polish on PlayStation 3, although both version look solid. A brand new physics engine allows for spectacular crashes that obliterate the gorgeously-detailed vehicles. This, along with better online integration, has placed the PlayStation 3 version of the game as the leading platform in development.