Game of the Year. Yes, it's silly mentioning such an accolade only six months into the year, but after buying multiple games that I ended up not liking and thus, ignoring to finish, Burnout Paradise is the one game this year that's truly impressed. 'Course there's another six months of releases, and having not played MGS4 yet (next month, hopefully) handing out the award still seems a little premature. That aside, Burnout Paradise is a stellar collection of great ideas and an example of how things should be working this gen.

I'll admit, after playing the demo earlier this year I was heavily disappointed, but mere hours of playing the game properly I am in love. Here's some reasons why:

• The game is fast. You will crash, a lot. It's a fucking rush that demands your undivided attention. Even better, it's a racing game without those horribly fenced courses- the city is yours, the racetrack is the route you choose. A racing game without a track seems baffling, but it works, and how.
• Again side-stepping racing-game law, the AI of the opponents is what it should be, intelligent. Your opponents crash, they cheat, they win and they're just as deviantly sneaky during races as yourself. They don't stick to the roads, they take the time-saving jumps and they go out of their way to prevent you from winning, even if it means taking themselves out.
• It shows GTAIV what a sandbox play area really looks like. Districts and areas are unique, vibrant, and remarkably different from each other- everywhere is worth exploring, and reward lies in adventuring.
• The soundtrack is awesome. Brand New, Junkie XL, LCD Soundsystem, Soundgarden, and the seemingly misplaced but equally awesome Avril Lavigne. Turn them up loud though, they compliment the driving and drown out engine rattle and metal meets road screeching.
• As a single player experience the game is great, online, it's eight times better, and a hell of a lot more competitive to boot. Team challenges and a free-play online mode where the city is yours and seven others dominate the line-up, while high-scores are broken, boastings and stories made.
• Flames come out the back of cars that glow greens and entire mountains can be driven off of across lakes, all while performing a double barrel roll. The game is full of moments of satisfying omg car porn, and despite not being anywhere near a petrolhead, I love it.

Burnout Paradise, then, is surprisingly my favourite game of the year so far. I say surprisingly because, yes when it comes to racing games (or god forbid driving in any game) I roll my eyes right out of their sockets, but 'Paradise not only completely refreshes the stale genre that is racing, but feels so complete that it's a great game in it's own right. With promised continued developer support through DLC, my interest and new found love of this game is sure to continue for more than the next few weeks, unlike that 'other' supposed game of the year...