Gamerscore in Paradise

Published February 7, 2008

Burnout™ Paradise is a welcome haven for the Gamerscore lover in all of us. Few, if any, of the available achievements are outside the realm of reason, and while many of the achievements will come over the natural course of play, there is a healthy handful that unlock a good deal faster with a bit of helpful advice.

Boost is beautiful.

Millionaire's Club: Scored Over 1,000,000 in Stunt Run (25 points)

Successful stunt runs are dependent on three critical factors: location, multipliers, and the length of your run. Consider the following when beginning any stunt run, whether you're going for the full million or just want to slide by with a victory:

• Location: Don't worry too much about scoring points while the timer is counting down. Provided you keep boosting and drifting, you can keep your stunt combo going forever until you crash. Instead, focus your attention on finding a stunt-laden location like the quarry or the abandoned airfield where you can let loose on several jumps.
• Multipliers: The quality of stunts really end up taking a backseat to how many multipliers you can score. Try focusing on tracking down billboards and super jump locations on the way to your preferred stunt location. You might want to scout out your route before activating the challenge.
• Flatspin over barrel roll: While barrel rolls will net you serious points and a healthy multiplier, the risk of crashing is much higher. Focus on flatspins on the shorter jumps with less air time, and save your barrel roll attempts for jumps with enormous air time, where you've got plenty of opportunity to correct your roll before you land.
• No Parks: The multi-level car parks may provide a super jump opportunity near the top, but there's just too much risk in stalling out your combo while navigating your way to the top. Avoid them.

Might want a beefier car for Road Rage

Spinnin' Around: Got Your First 360 Flatspin (10 points)

Successfully landing a 360-degree flatspin is a great deal easier than it may first appear. All you need is a long drop and a bit of early e-brake action. If you're having trouble tracking down a proper jump, try the entrance to the quarry at the top of the hill on S. Mountain Drive. Then, when you're blazing at top speed towards the drop off, hit and hold the e-brake twenty feet before the drop, and yank the left stick to the left or right.

Parallel Park: Power Park Achieved with a 100% rating (20 points)

This achievement doesn't refer to power-sliding between two parked cars the very first time, but instead, to power parking just once perfectly. Luckily, this also means that you can try again and again until you get it right.

In order to attempt a power park, you must find two parked cars with just a little over the length of one car between them. Then, drive by (not too fast) the first car, hit the e-brake and whip the car into the space. The goal is to end up directly in line with the cars in front of and behind you. Also, it takes a second or two for the game to calculate your power parking percentage, so don't drive off before you're given credit.

Boosting Around the World: Got a x20 Boost Chain (25 points)

Dodging traffic and navigating corners while constantly boosting is hard enough when you just want to earn an x2 or x3 Burnout, but x20 is darn near impossible. However, if you can find a large enough space to drift in circles while constantly boosting, you can earn this achievement in no time. Thankfully, the Wildcats Stadium southwest of downtown Paradise City offers all the space you need.

Get yourself into Wildcats Stadium for Boosting Around the World.

Simply drive into the center of the ballpark's field, hit the brake and pull the left stick to the left or right to begin drifting. Once you've started a constant drift, apply the boost and don't let go. Keep turning and boosting and the Burnout multipliers will stack up in a hurry. Your only concern is hitting the wall, but as long as you start drifting near the center of the field, you should be fine.

The Show Must go On: Got an x10 Multiplier in Showtime (20 points)

There's no doubt that earning an x10 multiplier in Showtime requires a bit of luck. After all, if the buses (the only vehicle that offers a multiplier when you hit it) don't appear, there's nothing you can do. What you can do is start off on the right foot by initiating Showtime only when you see at least one, but preferably two, nearby buses.

Remember, you don't need to start an accident to initiate Showtime. Just press LB and RB while driving and Burnout Paradise's crash mode will begin. Once you get the first couple of buses out of the way, focus on carrying out the longest Showtime you can while keeping your eyes peeled for those buses. Remember also that you can take corners without terminating Showtime, so follow the buses wherever they may lead.

The southernmost bridge boasts ramps and billboards. Just saying.

Rising from the Ashes: Repaired Your Car at Critical Damage in a Road Rage Event (10 points)

All that's required here is just a little bit of forethought. Track down a Road Rage event near a repair garage. Then, once the challenge has started, immediately wreck as many times as needed to reach critical damage. After that, it's a simple matter of navigating your way to the nearby garage. You can add a bit of anti-wreck insurance by selecting an Aggressor vehicle like the Carson Inferno Van to help make sure the aggressive A.I. doesn't take you out before reaching the garage.

Daredevil: Land a Two Barrel Roll Jump (25 points)

The double barrel roll requires both a jump with enormous airtime and a little bit of assistance from the left control stick. First, any long drop off jump with a barrel roll ramp should do the trick, but if you're having trouble finding one, check halfway up the hill on S. Mountain Drive just before the entrance to the quarry. There's a break in the guardrail there with a barrel roll ramp that offers more than enough air time.

Line up one side of your car with the barrel roll portion of the ramp, gun the gas, and boost. Provided you've lined up correctly, you should shoot off the ramp already rolling. When you do, push the left stick in the direction your car is rolling. Then, when you've completed two full rotations, push back to the other side to even out the car for a flat landing.

Criterion Fever: Caught Criterion Fever (20 points)

This cryptic achievement refers to the "fever" that every member of the Crtierion staff carries when they play on Xbox LIVE. Luckily, the fever is passed on to not only every person who has taken down a Criterion member, but also everyone that has taken down someone else who has taken down a Criterion member, and so on and so forth. If you Takedown anyone who already has this achievement, you'll get it as well, so look up the folks on your Friends List to put this achievement on the fast track.

Find a friend with the fever.

License Tips

A full 270 Gamerscore is accounted for in Burnout Paradise simply by earning the various Burnout licenses. While playing through at your own pace will eventually lead you to every bit of the 270 Gamerscore, there are a couple of things to keep in mind to speed things along.

• Event Destinations: You'll need to rapidly complete events if you're hoping to earn your licenses quickly, so avoid accepting challenges that end far away from the tight clusters of events that litter the map. You can highlight events on your map to determine their destination, allowing you to avoid the events that take you farther away from downtown than you would like.
• Road Rage Circles: Likewise, avoid driving out into the rural areas when participating in Road Rage events that start in the city. Instead, try following a circular track in the downtown area so that no matter where the challenge finishes, you'll end up close to other events. Conversely, if you begin a Road Rage event that starts out in the boonies, make a bee line for downtown.
• Burning Routes: These one-off challenges for specific cars may take some time, but it's better to complete them in the early going. Because these events don't reset, you'll have them already done and accounted for by the time you're targeting the final Burnout Elite license. Tackle each car's Burning Route the first time you use it, and you'll avoid a lot of back tracking in the end game.
• Class Focus: Tracking down Junkyards and swapping out cars is time consuming, so make sure to focus on several events at a time that fit your car class.

Burnout Paradise achievements are ready for the taking, and with the preceding tips and strategy you should be well on your way to several hundred Gamerscore in just a few sessions. Good luck!

Article by Ryan Treit