Burnout Paradise: Xbox 360 Vs PlayStation 3

We pit the two console versions of Burnout Paradise against each other to see which comes out on top.

Burnout Paradise is the most anticipated game of January 2008 and rightfully so. Find out why we love it by heading over to our Burnout Paradise Blowout (review, video review, Xbox 360 Vs PlayStation 3 video comparison and developer interview all included) but read on for the definitive verdict on which version is the best. We're going to compare the two games in four key areas (Graphics, Sound, Gameplay and Multiplayer) so you know if you should buy the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version.

Graphics

PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 version of Burnout Paradise looks superb and easily ranks amongst the best looking games on the console. It runs at a silky smooth frame rate, features insane draw distances, incredible lighting and the best car deformation ever seen in a video game. And you never see a loading screen, with the entire city seamlessly loading as you cruise around. Multi-format releases have had a hard time on the PlayStation 3 in the past, but not this time.

Xbox 360
Everything above is also true for the Xbox 360 game. Criterion has managed to deliver an Xbox 360 title that matches its PlayStation 3 counterpart almost exactly. In this Versus though we've got to pick out the differences and while they're minor in the extreme, the Xbox 360 game does suffer from some minor slowdown on rare occasions. That's really all we could see between the two games, and it's something most people won't even notice.

Verdict:
To say this is a tight one is an understatement. Rampant fanboyism on the internet would have you believe that the PlayStation 3 game looks significantly better than the Xbox 360 game, and that simply isn't the case. We've played both for an extended period of time and unless you're looking for differences you won't see any. The PS3 game wins, but it's by the smallest margin.

You can see a direct comparison of the two games running side by side in our Burnout Paradise Xbox 360 Vs PlayStation 3 video.