Racing game fans have a reason to celebrate, as the beloved Burnout Paradise is getting the remaster treatment. The title, which was originally released back in 2008, wowed racers with the open streets of Paradise City, bringing some of the best racing of the generation to speed freaks alongside the Burnout franchise's trademark crash mechanics.
It proved to be the last of the mainline Burnout games to see release, with Electronic Arts turning its attention (and the attention of developer Criterion Games) onto the Need For Speed series instead. Once Criterion was moved off the franchise, fans of the Burnout games were hopeful that another game in the property would be incoming, but things remained quiet - aside from the plentiful rumors of a Burnout Paradise Remastered that was in the works.
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Now, Electronic Arts has officially announced that the remaster of the racing classic is on the way, and it's arriving sooner than some may be expecting. Burnout Paradise Remastered is going to be released on March 16, 2018, for both the PS4 and the Xbox One, with EA Access s able to get the game on March 9, 2018 through the Play First Trial. What's more, the game will also be released for EA's Origin system for PC players at a later date, although exactly when the remaster will be made available for PC has not been confirmed.
Burnout Paradise Remastered is made up of the original game along with the eight additional content packs that were released (although without the Time Savers Pack that allowed racers to unlock vehicles early). Alongside letting racers head to Big Surf Island, the remaster also includes a greater level of graphical fidelity, with the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X able to get the game up to 4K and 60FPS. A glimpse of Burnout Paradise Remastered can be seen in the trailer at the top of this post.
The announcement comes at a very good time for Electronic Arts after a disastrous 2017. The awful launch of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 managed to not only knock EA's stock price, but also led to suggestions that most disappointing games of 2017, a quick success this year would go a long way to restoring a little faith with the publisher.
What's more, this could also be a way for EA to test the water for the full return of the Burnout series. for Need For Speed is at a major low after the 2017 the year that EA killed Need For Speed. Since Burnout is the only other major racing franchise under EA's wing, bringing the series back to the fore could give EA time to take stock of what to do next with its racing game properties altogether.
