Xbox 360 Core or Arcade users are left playing the offline versions of Criterion's excellent racer.
Burnout Paradise has impressed gamers since its release last week, but the Xbox 360 version isn't the same for everyone. Reports from gamers suggested that the game needs a hard drive for online play, meaning owners of Core and Arcade Xbox 360s can't play the game online.
Having been totally unaware of this, we hunted down our retail 360 copy of the game to look at what was said on the case. After close inspection we finally saw the text.
"Online multiplayer 2-8/hard drive required" read the orange text on the second line of the game information on the rear of the case.
A user on Maxconsole.net contacted EA support and received the following reply via email:
"The hard drive is needed to store temporary data when playing online as the data transferred from one console to another requires storage space greater than what the memory card can contain."
We're waiting for an official response from EA on the matter, but let us know what you think about the need for a hard drive in the comments below.
FantasyMeister wrote at 11:43 on 30 January 2008
Crackdown also requires a hard drive for online play, as does FFXI, both state this clearly on the back of the box. Core and Arcade 360 owners who don't realise that they won't get full functionality out of all 360 games should perhaps check the small print more often.
However, in the case of buying from online retailers, it's sometimes impossible to get all the information you need, e.g. if you look at Burnout: Paradise on Amazon or the GAME websites you can't see the back of the box for all the nitty gritty details. Even more fascinatingly, the information isn't even there on the Xbox.com website.
That's definitely something that Microsoft should want to address, meantime there's always the Sale & Supply of Goods Act 1994 and the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 to fall back on, although in this case it's a borderline issue - the goods are fit for purpose, fault free and as described unless a retailer accidentally tells you that you'll be able to play Burnout Paradise online on a Core or Arcade 360 system.
xboxlive wrote at 11:45 on 30 January 2008
me myself only thought you had to have a hard drive to play online
o well but i guess its better to have the 120 hard drive lol
huheuaeh wrote at 12:52 on 30 January 2008
better to have a PS3, more like.
xboxlive wrote at 13:41 on 30 January 2008
lol dont make me laugh
xbot wrote at 14:16 on 30 January 2008
not only you have to pay for xbl now u have to pay for hdd mwahahahaha
"but ...but.. our crapbox is cheaper." yes , it is!
daniel wrote at 16:10 on 30 January 2008
Pretty sure any game with online play requires a hard drive to store XBL profile info.
Chris wrote at 17:10 on 30 January 2008
Who doesn't have a hard drive? If you don't have a hard drive on your 360, then you have to expect most games wont work. Yeeesh.
Premium wrote at 19:11 on 30 January 2008
Fine with me. If you foolishly bought a core, it's your own problem, and shouldn't be mine.
J Meister wrote at 21:14 on 30 January 2008
I would be pissed if i had bought a xbox 360 core/arcade with no hd and bought Burnout paradise and couldn't play online...it was the whole reason of the game, to tear it up with ur friends online. And too discover u couldn't play online, this is a MS and EA problem....MS is selling a core with no hd and releasing games that require it....luckily i was really really smart i bought a PS3....not a crapbox
xboxlive wrote at 12:05 on 31 January 2008
if you want to play online why whould you want to but a xnox with out a harddrvie as you dont get head set and that?
Sam wrote at 14:12 on 31 January 2008
The whole point of releasing a cheaper core/arcade model without a hard drive & headset is to give those gamers with without broadband or uninterested in online gameplay an option not to pay for the stuff they don't need, and if they later decide to upgrade they can simply buy a hard drive, why would anyone buy the core/arcade model if online play was a priority?
xbot wrote at 05:17 on 01 February 2008
and I remember M$ saying HDD isn't a big thing in the next gen gaming. lol what a slap in the face
Anonymous wrote at 16:25 on 01 February 2008
Honestly who really cares. If you didn't want to have a 360 with a HDD you should have bought a Wii. If you're too cheap to really own the system then you don't deserve ALL the functions.
dan wrote at 08:52 on 02 February 2008
there's a difference between being cheap and being poor. Not everyone is as fortunate as you are, genius.
crraig wrote at 10:46 on 02 February 2008
And, Dan, if they are poor, then they are beggars wearing their dirty old coat of Xbox Core where Premium and Elite users are the ones they ask for change.
And we all know, beggars can't be choosers.
If they're so poor, perhaps they should spend their money on surviving instead of not forking out the extra money for the full system, yet still splashing out on the inferior system (and then whining about it).
dudester wrote at 13:01 on 02 February 2008
Theres a difference between poor and destitute as well Craig.
Anonymous wrote at 13:26 on 02 February 2008
Every online game needs a hard drive as xbox live needs to store temporary data and profile data bigger than the size of a memory card (64mb)
Craig wrote at 14:14 on 03 February 2008
I guess the main point I have in my head is that if these people have the money for a Core system, a copy of BO Paradise, presumably a decent net connection and a tv to play it on, then they could surely afford to go out and get the HDD for the box as well.
Perhaps using the word "surviving" wasn't correct in this instance. :)