2007 was a good year for racing games. Fans weren’t exactly spoilt for choice, but it was more a case of quality over quantity. There was something for everyone; Forza Motorsport 2 for the purists and car enthusiasts, DiRT for some off-road escapades and the best car damage ever, and the highly underrated and overlooked PGR4 with its addictive pick-up-and-play approach.

Like in most other genres in 2007, the Xbox 360 came out on top here was well. Forza 2 and PGR4 were exclusive to Microsoft’s console, while DiRT came to the PlayStation 3 months after it did on the Xbox 360.

But 2008 is a new year, and it’s already off to a smashing start – literally. Here’s a look at what racing fans can look forward to in 2008. Once again, there’s something for everyone – simulation, arcade and even some combat racing. And Sony fanboys can finally stop sulking now, because from the looks like it, the PS3 has got some heavy-hitters lining up on the grid.

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I’ve been playing the Burnout Paradise Demo on and off for the past week or so, and the first thing I have to say is that, while impressive, the entire impression of the game is largely lukewarm. Almost every good feature (and there are a lot of them) of the game has an annoying or downright frustrating feature attached to or resultant from it.

Hit the jump for more.

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Okay, seriously. The one single word that came to mind when I saw this track listing was “w00t”! This has easily got to be one of the best track listings for a game and any game that features a song by Killswitch Engage absolutely must deserve props.

The EA website has confirmed today that some of the tracks included on the new Burnout game include “My Curse” by Killswitch Engage, GNR’s “Paradise City” (how convenient!), Seether’s “Fake It” and Jane’s Addition’s “Stop!” as some of the tracks that will be featured in the game.

FINALLY!!

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Remember how it always feels good to discover a scrunched up, long forgotten currency bill in your dirty, old jeans that you had stashed away sometime back and then completely forgot all about it? Well, I had the gaming equivalent of that feeling when discovered that Burnout: Paradise demo is coming out on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 on 13th December, 2007. A quick check on Google confirmed the demo release date along with lot of details about the demo that will make all the Burnout fans out there mark the date on their calenders.

Here are some of the goodies that the demo has on offer:

• The demo map will be roughly 1/10th the size of the actual game map. Considering the fact the actual game map is gigantic in proportions, the demo map will be giving gamers quite a lot of area to explore.
• Three modes of racing will be available in the demo: Stunts, Burning Route and Race.
• Stunts mode, a new in the series, will involve you getting into all kinds of spectacular jumps, barrel roles and grabbing as much air as possible using the strategically placed ramps. Stringing together consecutive stumps will maximize your score and earn you bigger score multipliers.
• Burning Route will be a point-to-point race while Race will be the usual where you take on other cars in a battle to be the first to cross the finish line.
• If you are the kind that went crazy about the “Hidden Packages” in the GTA games, then you will have a whale of time discovering and smashing through “Burnout Billboards” and “Smashable Construction Pillars”. The game will keep track of how many you have found and taken down.
• Auto repair shops will allow you to simply ride through them to get back your ride in top-shape. Similarly, Paint Shops will paint your cars on the fly.
• Online feature of the demo has you and your pals joining in for a session of Freeburn Online where you can go all out on specially designed stunt sessions.

If this does not get your adrenaline all pumped up in the way only Burnout can, then we wonder what will. For those who had paused long enough from reading this, to mark there calenders, Dec 13th is sure going to be one lucky day!

Burnout Paradise E3 2007 Gameplay Trailer

Strap yourself in and get ready for the ride of a lifetime!

Download Video (WMV/14.1 MB)