Welcome to the new world of Burnout!!
Gameplay- Paradise is based on mixing an open world feel with a racing game. It seems weird at first, but its a very fun experience. You can do whatever you want in the game world. If you want to race, road rage, marked man, burning route, just go to the event to start it. One thing I didnt like was how after you fail an event, there is no quick restart feature. This is especially annoying when the rwces typically take you all the way across the map, which is huge. But that is a minor qualm. There ar eso many events to have fun with. And with free updates like motorbikes, weather, and even a new area to play in coming up in future free updates, its hard to not have fun with Paradise.
Graphics/Sound- The graphics are great. The art style, lighting, and cars all look excellent. When you smash your car up, its an excellent experiene because of how cool and realistic it looks. The sound is good. The cars sounds and sound effects are done superbly. The soundtrack has its highs and lows. It has some great songs on it like Epi by FNM, with Soundgarden, Twisted Sister, Alice in Chains, Janes Addiction as well. The problem I have with it is that as always with the Burnout series, there are waaaay too many indie/pop punk songs displayed. But the soundtrack is still good, and you can use custom soundtracks as well.
Fun/Value- This game is very fun, period. It has a lot of value from tons of events and little sidequests to do, its great. And with the inclusion of motorbikes and nightime and driving weather added to the game next month, that will add much more value. All the Burnout Paradise updates are free, and all add lots to the game. The next update after the motorbike update will include a brand new area to race and crash in. This game has tons of value.
If you like racers, or if you'r like me, and you just like a great, crazy game, get Burnout Paradise.