'Burnout Paradise' embraces openness, freedom

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"Burnout Paradise"Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3Genre: RacingPublisher: EA GamesESRB Rating: E, for EveryoneGrade: 4 stars out of 5Open-world game play is all the rage, and honestly has been for several years, so maybe that concept is getting a bit played out. Still, when one comes along that provides you with a ton to do and no schedule to do it on, it's something to enjoy."Burnout Paradise" is the newest of this crash-and-burn car-racing franchise, which wisely reinvents itself with each release. "Burnout" always gives you something new to experience, something that excites gamers and sometimes frustrates longtime fans.In this edition, you just drive. And drive. And drive some more. Challenges, races, time trials and much more await you everywhere around the city, and you can tackle them in whatever order you want (or not at all). There's a sense of freedom here that allows you to relax, smile and laugh as you blaze through intersections, crashing into anything and everything.Obviously, you want to take down other cars so you can own them, and then win lots of races. There are some issues with losing races and not being able to restart them, but you get over it and just move on.The openness in "Burnout Paradise" is unlike any other car-racing game other than "Test Drive Unlimited," and all the awesome crashes and damage inflicted make "Paradise" more like a pleasantly paved hell."Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law"Platforms: PlayStation 2, PSP, WiiGenre: AdventurePublisher: CapcomESRB Rating: T, for TeenGrade: 2.5 starsHow do you judge a game that doesn't really play like a game?"Harvey Birdman" is a very funny cartoon on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim." So if you have never watched it, you're missing out on great television -- and you're going to be lost trying to follow along in this game.But calling this a "game" is somewhat of a misnomer. It's really a bunch of original episodes of the show that feature some game-play elements. Extremely light game-play elements, I should say.It has the same feel as other investigative games of recent times like "Phoenix Wright" or "Hotel Dusk." Those are great franchises, and "Birdman" does a solid job of infusing the show's humor into every nook and cranny of the game. Yet you're really only interacting with the game just enough to move the story along, not dictate it.The strengths of this game are the voice acting and the story itself. Nearly all the show's vocal talent is featured, and the graphics are just what you'd expect to see on "Adult Swim."Fans of the show will want to rent this (it's a pricy $40 to own) just to see some all-new episodes, but unless you have previous knowledge of the show, you may not fully grasp the point of this game."Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge"Platform: WiiGenre: SportsPublisher: Conspiracy EntertainmentESRB Rating: E, for EveryoneGrade: 1.5 starsAs the Winter X Games finished up over the weekend, you might have felt the burning desire to play a snowboarding game or tear up the slopes on your console. Sadly, it has been ages since the big players in the genre have released new titles.Instead, we're left with mundane fare like "Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge."Mundane is right on target, because for a game that desperately wants to have the word "Olympics" in its title, there's no sense of excitement or passion at all. Technically, there are nine events to compete in, but many are just variations on a theme, so the controls don't change much and repetitiveness sets in fast. While the downhill-skiing event can be enjoyable to play, one of my favorite games to watch, curling, is horribly conceived.The graphics and audio are excellent, but for a Wii game that isn't enough to make it worth buying.(Contact Chris Campbell at game_on_games(at)mac.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)