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Show GAMING ,- I I I STARTED FOR LOUU.y V2? V" ' IN THE WE WERE STUCK WELL, f ' I BARKING l J J 50UMD. SURROUND ,7 ' HELP, Sp in Electronic Arts In "Burnout Paradise," z 'Burnout Paradise' embraces openness Chris Campbell SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE game play is rage, and been for several years, so maybe that concept is getting a bit played out. Still, when one comes along that provides you with a ton to do and no schedule to do it on, it's something to enjoy. "Burnout Paradise" is the n newest of this g franchise, which wisely reinventsfself with each release. "Burnout" always gives you something new to experience, something that excites gamers and sometimes frustrates longtime fans. In this edition, you just drive. And drive. And drive some more. Challenges, races, time trials and much more await you everywhere around the city, and you can tackle them in whatever order you want (or not at all). There's a sense of freedom here that allows you to relax, smile and laugh as you blaze through intersections, crashing into anything and everything. Obviously, you want to take down other cars so you can own them, and then win lots of races. There are some issues with losing races and not being able to restart them, but you get over it and just move on. The openness in "Burnout Paradise" is unlike any other g game other than "Test Drive Unlimited," and all the awesome crashes and damage inflicted make "Paradise" d Open-worl- the crh-and-bur- hell. . I Platforms: Xbox 360, Station 3; Genre: Racing; Publisher: EA Games; ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone; Grade: 4 stars out of 5 "Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge" As the Winter X Games finished up over the weekend, you might have felt the burning desire to play a snowboard-in- g game or tear up the slopes on your console. Sadly, it has been ages since the big players in the genre have released new titles. Instead, we're left with mundane fare like "Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge." Mundane is right on target, because for a game that desperately wants to have the word "Olympics" in its title, there's no sense of excitement or passion at all. Technically, there are nine events to compete in, but many are just variations on a theme, so the controls don't change much and repetitiveness sets in fast. While the downhill-skiinevent can be enjoyable to play, one of my favorite games to watch, curling, is horribly conceived. The graphics and audio are excellent, but for a Wii game that isn't enough to make it worth buying. I Platform: Wii; Genre: Sports; Publisher: Conspiracy Entertainment; ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone; Grade: 1.5 I WHAT ARE YOU RAT: TO cc LU A. FIHEP A UORkP WITH IDIOTS, 4N PANIC OUR SITTER MANDY cc I Um.Could you uuatch my kids for a AND I'VE SOT TWO BIS CLIENT MEETINGS. O NEITHER BIS RELIEF. STILL,.IT'S EVERY WORKINS MOTHER'S NISHTMARE TO DESPERATION: HAS THE FLU few - ) IRRESISTIBLE. IT'S INSUVATE MYSELF FROM , 'I ( WRAPPEP MY IN BUBBliURAP HAVE BODY P0ING-- more like a pleasantly paved ill, iA Xii)1 drivers are free to roam the city streets. 71 V 1 PERFECT MOM. Hello, hello! Who wants to make "mud" out of chocolate pudding and crushed Oreo6f7 HAVE HER KIDS yy ( ROB NOR HIS hours-- ? ..THE SPEND AN ENTIRE , M -- AFTERNOON, WITH... YXz jnar rK&fy T7W J)S V INTERESTING f5u r, , MVKr'f-'- SEMINAR, KJHZ-- -- V rK NEVER KNEW BEING WAS SO -- V FlCEFlSHTEB A rniAUSSsTT " X i L LEACNINS TO KM. WITH STRESS AND VIJF' 1 lJLi JV FEABWIUBEA Real help 5086 to us, fj &j o g stars TriE PEA TMT BURrJlNQ- FOSSiLFUaS CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING IS PRBPOSTEROUSf . uj y ff () - S I " W ) rLJLU?) ir , 1 X A JI H A I 1 V m FOSSILS AS FUL? I'VE BEEN TRVNff TO BURN TIS PINOSAJR SILETON FORASESWDPT JUST WONT y ' TZT" fV At "b- |