This is my first blog on Giant Bomb, so I guess I'll keep it relatively short.  And also just to let you guys know, I have never played any previous Burnout games in the series.
 
A few months back, using my nearby game store's trade-in policy, I got myself a copy of Burnout Paradise: the Ultimate Box by trading in my Fallout 3 and paying the equivalent of about $5 USD. Sometimes I still regret this decision, as 4 more DLC updates for Fallout 3 came out after Op. Anchorage (the only one out at that time). However, there's no doubt that I've had an excellent time with Burnout: Paradise; I've played spent around 61 hours in Paradise City. In those 61 hours, I've gotten 74 of the 75 cars, earned myself an Elite License, completed more than 100 online challenges, bought a cute little toy Hunter Cavalry, and generally had a lot of fun.
 
Sure, it was frustrating at times to be in the lead in a race only to crash into a car parked on the side of the road; or drift around a corner at high speed only to wreck because of a slow-moving "normal" car that's in my way; but in the end, I realize that those are really part of the Burnout experience. Gone is the closed racetrack; instead there is a simple yet effective system of "GO HERE! (any way you want)". And Race is only one of the event types too! Road Rage, Stunt Run, Marked Man, and Burning Route were all fun to play too. 
 
In the end, I guess what I felt when I beat the final event that was required to get my elite license - the WTR's burning route, was satisfaction. I felt (and still feel) that I have accomplished something in the 61 hours of playing this game. And although it has its few rough spots, there is just a lot to do in Paradise City! As someone who buys a new game every few months or so, and gets to buy maybe 3 or 4 games out of the many coming out before, during, (and a little after), the holiday season, Burnout Paradise was able to last for quite a while after I got it.
 
The "finished" is in quotation marks because although I probably won't be playing Burnout Paradise that often anymore, there are still plenty of online challenges to do, and I guess achievements to get. And I haven't even gotten Big Surf Island! 
 
So I just wanted to share my feelings about "beating" the game, hope I haven't written too much of a review here.
Fable 2 time.....

  This is my first blog on Giant Bomb, so I guess I'll keep it relatively short.  And also just to let you guys know, I have never played any previous Burnout games in the series.
 
A few months back, using my nearby game store's trade-in policy, I got myself a copy of Burnout Paradise: the Ultimate Box by trading in my Fallout 3 and paying the equivalent of about $5 USD. Sometimes I still regret this decision, as 4 more DLC updates for Fallout 3 came out after Op. Anchorage (the only one out at that time). However, there's no doubt that I've had an excellent time with Burnout: Paradise; I've played spent around 61 hours in Paradise City. In those 61 hours, I've gotten 74 of the 75 cars, earned myself an Elite License, completed more than 100 online challenges, bought a cute little toy Hunter Cavalry, and generally had a lot of fun.
 
Sure, it was frustrating at times to be in the lead in a race only to crash into a car parked on the side of the road; or drift around a corner at high speed only to wreck because of a slow-moving "normal" car that's in my way; but in the end, I realize that those are really part of the Burnout experience. Gone is the closed racetrack; instead there is a simple yet effective system of "GO HERE! (any way you want)". And Race is only one of the event types too! Road Rage, Stunt Run, Marked Man, and Burning Route were all fun to play too. 
 
In the end, I guess what I felt when I beat the final event that was required to get my elite license - the WTR's burning route, was satisfaction. I felt (and still feel) that I have accomplished something in the 61 hours of playing this game. And although it has its few rough spots, there is just a lot to do in Paradise City! As someone who buys a new game every few months or so, and gets to buy maybe 3 or 4 games out of the many coming out before, during, (and a little after), the holiday season, Burnout Paradise was able to last for quite a while after I got it.
 
The "finished" is in quotation marks because although I probably won't be playing Burnout Paradise that often anymore, there are still plenty of online challenges to do, and I guess achievements to get. And I haven't even gotten Big Surf Island! 
 
So I just wanted to share my feelings about "beating" the game, hope I haven't written too much of a review here.
Fable 2 time.....

  Seems like you have a backlog, Fallout 3 Vs Burnout ?

I have a love/hate relationship with Burnout. The game is fantastic, but the structure makes it difficult to jump in and out of the game. You really need to know the city pretty well to race competently. I haven't played in a few months, and I feel I can't really go back as I would be starting from square one. This doesn't really happen with racing games that have closed tracks.
 
It's a double-edged sword.

I spent a lot of time with both of them, I guess I'd still be playing both if I still had Fallout 3. As for the better game... not really sure. :P