Criterion says that Burnout Paradise is going to be available as a PlayStation Store purchase starting this Thursday, September 25. Every PlayStation 3 user will be able to get the game for 30 dollars. It seems that both Europe and North America will get the game at the same time.

When you grab the game, you basically get everything included in the disk edition of Burnout Paradise. After downloading it from the PlayStation Store, you can also get the updates which are already available, including the Cagney patch and the Bikes Update, which changes the game in a significant way, with the inclusion of two bikes. This edition of the game will also get a Trophy update and further content for free, just as the previous ones.

The question that such a release raises is how the traditional model of disk in a case videogame distribution will change. The price tag is the same as the one in a traditional shop, but it's way easier to get the game via your console, especially if you have a good connection. Some people were expecting the price to be lower, considering that it’s a digital download product and there's even a conspiracy theory which puts the blame on Sony, in its position as a publisher, for letting the prices equal for the digital and retail versions in an effort to make sure that people will still buy games in a boxed form.

Burnout Paradise is a great arcade racing game. It's not about the accuracy of the simulation but about the speed and the feeling that all the cars buzzing around give you. The Freeburn challenges are especially cool and the people at Criterion say that they are getting ready to release more content, including a new island and maybe even planes.