The previous day brought some excellent news for virtual car-crashers everywhere. Electronic Arts announced that Burnout 5 is in development for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, and this time it promises even more next-gen an experience than the last time.

"Burnout 5 is a complete reinvention of the series, built from the ground up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360," said Alex Ward, director of game design at Criterion Games. "To create truly next-generation gameplay, we needed to create a truly next-generation game, from top to bottom."

The latest playground is the unsuspected Paradise City, whose massive infrastructure of traffic-heavy roads is bound to satisfy even the most exacting burner's needs. Every intersection, every street is an opportunity to wreak havoc, every inch of the world is built to deliver the explosive entertainment the series is known for.

Another novelty is that players are assigned a Driver's License upon entering Paradise City that keeps record of their most destructive exploits behind the wheel. It is not the law that's eying your progress however, but the city's most infamous burners, and when they come speeding your way - be certain they don't mean to congratulate you!

The game will also deliver some shiny - you've guessed - "next-generation technology" that allows players to literally rip their cars in half, in the most "crash-idyllic" experience ever... or so they say.

Burnout 5 is being developed by Criterion Games in Guildford, UK and is scheduled for release some time in 2007 under the EA brand. We'll tell you more about it when we know more.