Criterion's upcoming "Legendary Cars" DLC pack for its racer Burnout Paradise (PC, X360, PS3) has been bolstered by several classic film and television-derived vehicles.

The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, General Lee from Dukes of Hazard, and KITT from Knight Rider have joined the already-announced DeLorean from Back to the Future.

Purists will no doubt spot some inaccuracies in the cars, but it's a pretty cool selection nonetheless. They're slated to hit at some point after the Party Pack in February.

Further proving that the addition of a vehicle that just so happens to resemble Marty McFly's time-traveling DeLorean is no joke, developer Criterion has issued a new Burnout Paradise video that's chock full of holiday cheer and the Jansen 88 Special.

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One of the four Legendary Cars coming to Burnout Paradise in 2009--along with the Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and the GT Nighthawk--the Jansen 88 Special will be available for purchase within a bundle, or by itself. Pricing has not been disclosed.

Already released on PS3 and Xbox 360, the open-world racer hits PC in February.

Rather than release a small demo of its open-world racer Burnout Paradise, developer Criterion has revealed that when the PC version arrives in February, the entire game, complete with online multiplayer, will be available for free through a limited trial.

"We want all our PC players to be sure it runs perfectly on their system, before they commit to buying it," Criterion wrote on its site. "But there's a lot of game to show you."

"So rather than restricting what you can do, we're letting you play through the start of the full game for a limited period...You can go anywhere in Paradise City and check out everything on offer," it clarified. All in-game events will be available.

"Obviously, there's a limit to just how much you can do and for how long...we hope you'll agree that there's plenty there to give you glimpse of what the full game has to offer." The restrictions were not specified, but time and or in-game progress are likely criteria.

The demo will be released via criteriongames.com and ea.com in February, as well as through "millions of disks." Once installed, the disk will no longer be required. A store within the game will let players upgrade to the full game.

Developer Criterion has pulled back the curtain on Big Surf Island, the first bit of downloadable content that will add new land to its open-world racer Burnout Paradise.

Originally slated to be a free piece of downloadable content, the island will now sell for an undisclosed fee. "We never expected to create anything this ambitious, but as it progressed we got more and more excited about what it could become," said the studio.

Big Surf is the "culmination of everything we learned creating Paradise City," the developer added on its site. "We appreciate the support we know you guys will give us for our paid content. We think it's worth it."

The island marks the latest downloadable add-on for the game, which has seen continual support since its PS3 and Xbox 360 release last January... Read more

Okay, so it's not exactly the same as Marty McFly's time-traveling DeLorean, but the Jansen 88 Special that's coming to Burnout Paradise next year is pretty close, right down to those burning flame trails and, yes, a hover mode.

It's one of the four Legendary Cars that, as developer Criterion revealed today on its site, are coming to the open-world racer at some point in 2009. The other three? The Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and the GT Nighthawk.

The cars will be among the game's premium downloadable content, available in both individual and discounted bundle form, though exact pricing was not disclosed. Burnout Paradise is currently available on PS3 and 360, with the PC version due in February.

This February, Electronic Arts will release Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, an edition of Criterion's open-world racer that packs all of the game's downloadable content along with a new offline multiplayer mode and other tweaks.

Dubbed Burnout Paradise Party, the offline multiplayer mode enables up to eight players to compete in challenges, one at a time, by passing the controller. For those that already own Burnout Paradise, the offline multiplayer mode will be sold as DLC.

The Ultimate Box will also add a number of oft-requested features, such as a restart option added for racing, easier control of the early vehicles, and a PS3-only social networking tool referred to as Burnout Paradise Network.

EA did not specify if those changes will be available to those that already own Burnout Paradise, which arrived on PS3 and Xbox 360 this past January. The Ultimate Box release will mark the game's promised debut on PC.

A downloadable version of Burnout Paradise was released via the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store in September, with the company recently noting that the digital download has sold 20,000 copies.

In-game advertisements for Democratic president candidate Barack Obama are running in more than just the Xbox 360 version of Burnout Paradise, with publisher EA confirming to AP that the ads will now appear across 10 titles, including Madden NFL 09.

Furthermore, the Obama ads are geographically targeted to 10 "battleground states"--Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, and Wisconsin--according to GameSpot.

The advertisements will run up until November 3, the eve of the election. They will only appear in the Xbox 360 editions of the games as Microsoft subsidiary Massive handled their placement, while rival IGA Worldwide handles PS3 in-game ads.

In addition to Obama, Massive approached Republican presidential candidate John McCain with the prospect of in-game ads, though it appears his campaign declined.

After years of lamenting that they see no kickback from the extremely lucrative used game market, game makers have launched a counter-attack by packing new games with one-use codes for extra content.

New copies of Epic's Gears of War 2 (360) will include a one-use download code that will rewards with 5 additional multiplayer maps, all pulled from the original Gears of War. According to GamePro, these maps will not be available for purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace, with Epic claiming they are "special gifts [for] our loyal fans."

EA Canada's NBA Live 09 utilizes a similar strategy. The game's much-touted 365 functionality, which brings daily roster and stat updates to the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, will only be free for those that buy a new copy and redeem the included code. Without the code, that feature will cost $19.99.

"This information and data is very valuable and it wasn't free for us," an... Read more

A new Burnout Paradise trailer is now available, showing off the bike pack add-on that will be released for Criterion's racer this Thursday.

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The free DLC will add motorcycles, new game modes, dynamic weather, seventy new Freeburn challenges and a customizable day/night cycle.

Developer Criterion Games today announced that the next free Burnout Paradise DLC pack, an update marked by the addition of motorcycles to the game, will be released next Thursday, September 18. A full list of what's coming, provided by Criterion:

• Pick from 2 motorcycles featuring male or female characters and start on a whole new progression to earn your Bike License.
• 38 new against-the-clock race events - Burning Ride and Midnight Ride.
• A brand new in-game 24 hr day / night cycle that impacts traffic density and available events. (It's fully customisable - you can make it... Read more

Criterion Games' open-world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, 360) will hit the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Network this coming fall as a downloadable title, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

Priced at $29.99, Burnout Paradise's downloadable incarnation will include all of the features and content available in its Blu-ray retail release, which hit store shelves in January of this year. The game marks the first PlayStation 3 title to make the leap as a downloadable game following a traditional retail release.

Since its debut, Criterion has provided several content updates for the racer. The latest update, codenamed "Cagney," brought three new online game modes upon its release last month. The forthcoming "Davis" update, which will offer motorcycles, dynamic weather and night and day day cycles, was recently delayed to September.

A free downloadable content update set to bring motorcycles to Criterion Games' open world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, 360) has been slightly delayed.

An update on the PlayStation.Blog by Criterion producer Jeremy Chubb reveals that the content pack is now scheduled to arrive in September, marking a slight delay from its originally scheduled August debut.

Codenamed "Davis," the pack brings a day and night cycle and dynamic weather system to Paradise City, as well as 70 bike-specific challenges to complement the latest vehicle type to hit the title.

No precise launch date has been yet confirmed for either platform. The most recent update, "Cagney," hit the PlayStation 3 on July 10, with an Xbox 360 version arriving almost four weeks later on August 4.

Criterion Games has announced that the third major software update to its open-world racer Burnout Paradise will hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on July 10.

Codenamed Cagney, the update will add three new game modes to the game's online mode including Road Rage, a versus Stunt Run mode, and Marked Man. Also new to Paradise City are 70 new Freeburn challenges, two new vehicles and a load of fixes and tweaks.

While a PC version of Burnout Paradise was recently announced by the developer, it is unclear which of the console content updates will ship the completed port. A full list of additions and changes in the Cagney update is viewable below... Read more

Following this morning's announcement of Burnout Paradise for the PC, developer Criterion Games has released the first three screenshots of the enhanced open world racer. All three images were captured in dual-monitor mode at 1920 x 2400 resolution

"We don't want to waste time making our work-in-progress look finished, so there's never any touch-up, up-res or faked game imagery. You get to see what we're building as we build it," the studio wrote on its website.

During a live podcast, Criterion noted that, as it is not familiar with the PC, it is extremely interested in hearing feedback through the PC forum of its site. No... Read more

Marking the franchise's first appearance on PCs, Criterion Games today announced that it will be porting Burnout Paradise to the platform. The open-world racing game was originally released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The PC version of Burnout Paradise will include unspecified expanded multiplayer support, improved online features, and "community driven content".

No additional details, such as a release date, were announced, but more information is expected to be revealed later today.

Developer Criterion Games has revealed that the fourth content update for its crash'em up Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360) will add motorbikes to the game when it arrives in August.

"Because we're dedicated to bringing you game-changing new Burnout Paradise content all year, bikes will feature their own game modes, challenges and even some new locations tailored to fit their unique performance and handing characteristics," the company wrote on its official site.

Code-named Davis, the update will also allow players to race the bikes on night-time versions of the game's tracks. The Davis update is slated to arrive in August, preceded by the Cagney update and its new multiplayer modes in June.

Developer Criterion Games has issued details on the three new multiplayer modes that will be added to its crash-heavy racing title Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360) in the forthcoming 1.3 software update.

Allowing the Stunt Run, Road Rage, and Marked Man modes to be played online, the additions are said to be the first of several across the next year. The update will also bring 1080i resolution support to the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

"We aim to bring you many new Freeburn game modes covering different themes and play styles," read a statement from publisher and studio owner EA. "Over the next 12 months, we're going to transform the Burnout Paradise you know and love into the Burnout Paradise you only ever dreamed of!"

No timeframe has been provided for the 1.3 update, though the 1.2 patch is due out April 24. Specific details on the new modes follow:... Read more

Developer Criterion Games announced today that the latest update for its open world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360) will be available for download on April 24.

The patch will address a number of issues experienced by players in the game's online component, as well as some offline tweaks and glitch fixes. Several exploits, including one which allowed players to unfairly modify the outcome of races by disconnecting controllers, will also be addressed.

The update will be made available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live when it goes live on April 24. A full run-down of changes, tweaks and fixes can be found here.

Some of the upcoming downloadable content for Criterion Games' open-world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360) will be free, creative director Alex Ward has revealed.

"The [new] islands will all be free," Ward wrote on the developer's official forum. The island environments are expected to provide owners with new challenges and tracks.

"That's not to say all of the downloadable content we are working on will be free," he later told videogaming247. "We will charge (price TBC) for some stuff."

Ward remained tight-lipped on the specifics of the content that could incur a charge, noting that the company sees DLC as a way of "continuing to develop the game which we worked on....almost to the point of making a new game.

"New game modes are very important to us, but it's about more than that," he teased.

Criterion Games has laid out a number of changes to be implemented in an upcoming patch for its open world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360).

The patch, version 1.2, will address a number of issues experienced by players in the game's online component, as well as some offline tweaks and glitch fixes. Several exploits, including one which allowed players to unfairly modify the outcome of races by disconnecting controllers, will also be addressed.

Criterion Games said on its website that the patch is "nearly done", though no definitive release window for the update has yet been announced. For more information on the 1.2 patch, check the complete patch notes.