Last Thursday saw the release of the Burnout Paradise DLC bundles on the PlayStation Store in North America.

We’re big fans of the game, and so were hoping that Europeans wouldn’t get left out.

Whether we like it or not, downloadable content is now a major part of the videogame industry, and it won’t be going away any time soon. Of course, PC games have had add-ons and expansions for years, but it’s only in the current generation that developers have seriously been able to bring DLC to consoles.

I’m normally completely in favour of some extra content for my favourite games, even if I have to pay for it, but occasionally I can’t help but feel slightly conned after I’ve made a purchase. Three examples would be the games listed below; I’m a big fan of all of them, but regrettably they are also all examples of how NOT to do DLC.

Welcome to the PS3 Attitude Retro Review, where we take another look at titles that were released at least six months ago and discover whether they still ought to garner your attention. This time, it is the turn of Burnout Paradise.

Criterion have released details of a raft of hidden gems in their recently released Big Surf Island expansion for Burnout Paradise.

We’ve spent a little time on the island recently here at Attitude Towers and whilst we hadn’t noticed anything in particular (since we spend most of our time driving everywhere at full speed), we’re certainly liking the new space.

Now that Criterion have told us there’s more to Big Surf than meets the eye, we might have to slow down.

If you’ve been desperate for some new Burnout Paradise high-jinks, you probably already know that, this Thursday, the spectacle we know simply as Big Surf is finally opening up to members of the public.

The island is a veritable playground of super drifts and mammoth jumps and, not that the insignificant matter of price should matter but, we’ve got that too.

We’ve mention the upcoming DLC for Burnout Paradise, Big Surf Island, before, but only now do we have video of the island in all it’s splendid glory. Touting some of the games biggest jumps, it’s no wonder they call it Big Surf.

8 new cars to be won, new freeburn challenges, and new events are just some of the things to do when you get there. Surf’s up!

When Paradise City is full of illegal street races causing havoc in a once beautiful and peaceful city, it’s time to call the cops in – All 33 of them!

The newest downloadable pack for Burnout Paradise is hitting the PlayStation Store this Thursday and we have got the low-down on how much it will cost your wallets.

Let’s face it, Paradise City is a pretty lawless town.

From April 30th however, Paradise City citizens can breathe a sign of relief and be able to safely walk the streets again, the threat of some fool in a beat-up Carson GT tearing over the horizon and into their children a distant and unhappy memory. The law is coming.

In a follow up to our previous story on Sunday, it turns out Sky reported on Criterion Games producing Burnout Paradise 3D a little while ago.

Burnout Paradise is currently available in 3D for PC owners who have purchased special TVs or monitors with 100Hz or higher.

At CES, Sony were demonstrating the power of 3D and showing off its potential. One of the demos that they showed off was a 3D edition of popular racing game, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

In a recent episode of Qore, it was a different game that was getting some 3D treatment…

What have we come to expect from the winners of our Best DLC award in 2008? Great DLC, that’s what.

Hot on the heels of the awesome Legendary Cars Pack are the wacky Toy Cars that we can’t wait to get our hands on.

Do you eat, sleep and breathe Burnout Paradise? If you answered yes, then boy do we have news for you. Criterion Games have officially announced the launch of the Criterion Games Network on all platforms.

Now you can stay connected with your Burnout pals wherever you are… provided you have an Internet connection of course.

Game Demos have been part of the industry for as long as we can remember and they offer gamers the chance to try out a game without taking any money from their pockets.

However we ask ourselves, are demos actually bad for the industry and developers?

Remember the Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars pack we told you about?

Well you won’t have to wait very long before you can get your hands on the wheel of a DeLorean doppelganger, as Criterion will be launching the much-anticipated DLC this Thursday.

It took a while to get the PS3’s Burnout Paradise Network Open Beta up and running but here it is. The official announcement of the latest Burnout Paradise premium DLC pack is online.

Get ready for the chase of your life.

If you have been eagly waiting for the 1.60 patch for Burnout Paradise, then you will be happy to hear it has gone live.

The update weighs in at around 254MB which is quite big compared to the average size of an update for a game.

Criterion Games, the developer that keeps on giving, has released a new trailer for the upcoming Ultimate Box for Burnout Paradise. For the few of you out there who don’t already own a little taste of Paradise, The Ultimate Box is a steal. In addition to the game, players will get all previous updates as well as new Party Pack, all on one disc. Be sure to check out the trailer in all it’s HD glory after the jump…

Our ‘Best DLC’ award winners for 2008 are at it again. Criterion are about to release yet another free update for Burnout Paradise.

Arriving on February 6th, the latest update brings a whole raft of changes and is timed to coincide with their first paid-for DLC, the Burnout Paradise Party Pack.

So what can you expect from this latest downloadable delectation?

Criterion come through on their promises and announce hard dates for The Ultimate Box, The Party Pack and yet another free update which sees the arrival of an in-game store and, wait for it, the much sought after reset button.

So after rolling out of the unmade bed that is Christmas and landing with a thud on the thin end of 2009, we have to do two things. Firstly, we have to take stock. Looking back at 2008, it is clear that us PS3 Attitudees had a great year. With the likes of LBP and MGS4, we can’t surely expect 2009 to be as good.

Can we?

Which brings me nicely onto the second thing we have to do at this time of year; look forward to what the next 12 months will bring us. Brodiesan has already started outlining many of the components making up the raft of games careening toward us with careless abandon in the coming months, but I thought I would take advantage of my shiny new crystal ball.

What’s set to burn our corneas with awesomeness and what is set to underwhelm us to tears? In part one, we take a look at the ‘Good’.