Intensive Gaming Diary

The blog about videogames.

What Has Burnout Paradise (Remastered) to Offer?

Posted on by Viljami

Burnout Paradise was first released back in 2008 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows/PC. This isn’t for me an introduction to this game. I haven’t yet finished it but I do have it for PS3. I also have a digital copy of the remastered version of Burnout Paradise on my Xbox Series X. I decided to purchase this game once more and this time for Nintendo Switch. I am playing this game on my fresh and still shiny Switch 2.

This game is something that I like to play on my Switch 2. The game offers a large open-world area of roads and intersections to explore. The map is large but compared to some newer open-world exploration games it might already seem to be a bit small. The gameplay concentrates on different events and objectives. All in all there is a lot to explore. The game is said to have content for about eleven hours.

While we are talking about Burnout series I have to mention a very good game that also belongs to this series. That game is Burnout  3 – Takedown. That is a very good racing game that was released for PS2 and Xbox in 2004. If you like Burnout Paradise you probably like Takedown too. And you can also say that if you like Takedown you will like Burnout Paradise also.

I purchased a while ago a new game that is optimized for Switch 2 or you could say that it was released as a Switch 2 game. That game is Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4. I did play some hours but the gameplay just seemed to build so much around trying to hit a perfect combo of tricks that I decided to have a break in playing the game. There is a lot to explore and you should give some time for the game to also be explored. I also don’t have so much nostalgic feelings on THPS 3 and 4 as I do have against the first two games of the series.

We are still going to have to wait for some new games to be released for Switch 2. The new Donkey Kong game might relieve this matter a bit. Donkey Kong Bananza is already available for Nintendo Switch. Some titles that I am personally waiting to be released are the new Metroid Prime game and Hades 2. The first Hades game was very nice action roleplaying game. I had some fun playing it about a year ago. I played it on my Xbox Series X:

While waiting for some new games you can actually play some a bit older games that were originally released for the first Switch console. Burnout Paradise Remastered can be one such game. Since I already have owned a Nintendo Switch console for several years already I actually own many good games that are backwards compatible with Switch 2. Burnout Paradise Remastered might not be a game that is widely available at least when you are talking about the actual physical copy of the game.

All-in-all I can recommend Burnout Paradise Remastered for someone who likes racing games. I definitely recommend it if you already have some experience about other games in the series. I don’t recommend this game if you totally hate open-world games. The game offers steady and exciting racing and lots of achievements and objectives to get into.

Burnout Paradise might not be as nice as a video game as Burnout Takedown was. I think it takes a steady second place if we compare different games in this whole series. I am definitely going to play it some more while I am waiting for some new Switch 2 games to be released,

As you can see from this picture there is a very nice weather here in Finland today. I really appreciate these sunny days. We don’t have these kinds of days all the time in here.

The Push for New Hardware

Posted on by Viljami

What is the push for new hardware and where does this kind of thinking fit? What are some options for getting your hands on the latest hardware? Are you playing video games with older hardware? Where does emulating retro video game consoles fit right in this discussion? These are only some of the questions I am trying to answer in this latest blog post. I am happy to have you on board!

I was recently playing some PS2 games on my current PC setup. I started thinking about some modern games and how were they compared to these old PS2 games. There is just some deeper appeal in these so called retro games for me. I have also played lots of Xbox 360 games recently. One of these Xbox 360 games is Dirt 3 and there are many other good games that you can actually play on the latest Xbox, Xbox Series X, through its backwards compatibility.

For me the golden era of video games was, or is, the 2000s. Back in the day we had consoles like PS2, PS3, original Xbox and also Xbox 360 along with GameCube. Sega Dreamcast has to be also mentioned when it comes to the hardware of this golden era of gaming. There are also ways to run these games on emulators. So even after the hardware might be broken, that being the console or the actual game disc, you can still get back to playing games from this era. Today we are getting lots of power out of PCs. It is today possible to emulate Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware with a decently powerful, new, PC.

Why are we getting pushed for new hardware? This is a very good question. The hardware manufacturers have to sell some products. After all there would be no manufacturers if there weren’t new hardware products for them to sell. Also the software is getting sold mainly for same reasons. Without mentioning any specific company we can say that there are some facets that get profit from pushing the new hardware to us consumers that also are the gamers in this world.

What is enough when it comes to performance? We could have a device that would be roughly as powerful as a PS4 and that would actually provide all the power needed to run modern video games. One particular gaming console that has made a difference when it comes to performance was the first Nintendo Switch. in the recent years it couldn’t stand up against its greatest competitors.

Do we need new hardware so badly? For me the answer is actually no. You can have a ten year old PC that you would connect to a screen of any type and play the best games from 2000s with a brand new Xbox One controller and enjoy the golden era, according to my viewpoint, with this kind of a setup. We have some hobbyist that actually like to play with and fix old computers. Also many old PC games cannot be run with a modern PC at all. You might need an older operating system and also some old drivers for older hardware like graphics processing unit or an audio device.

I have had some tough luck with my older video game hardware. I have broken two PS2s, one original Xbox and also one Xbox 360 console. The main issue I’ve had was that the console isn’t somehow able to read the game disc anymore. This has everything to do with dust. Also original Xbox has some electrical components, condensers, actually, that are very sensitive to wearing down when time progresses. So, for me it is way more easier to just abandon a broken down console and turn to some emulation on a suitable PC.

These were some thoughts that I had in mind. They were appearing to me as I was playing some PS2 games as I told you in the beginning of this blog post. I ahve to say that I was actually playing Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit 2, but I just couldn’t find the original game to take a photo of. So you are going to have to be content with another great PS2 racing game Burnout 3 – Takedown. I actually do play my PS2 emulator games with this fresh Xbox Series S/X compatible game pad. It is very handy as a controller on a Windows PC.

Some Notes About the New Nintendo Switch 2

Posted on by Viljami

Nintendo Switch 2 was released in June 5th this year (2025). There weren’t any huge actual limitations in the availability. I think everyone that made an order in advance also received their console. There were also lots of Switch 2 consoles available in “stone foundation” shops. I had to wait some days because there was a shortage on the Pro Controller 2 that I also ordered. I made my order in 6th of June. That day was Friday and it was 14th of June when I finally actually had the console and could start the deployment of my Switch 2.

There was a better availability of the console that came with Mario Kart World bundled. So, I bought my Switch 2 with this game. There weren’t really, yet, so many options for the first game for Switch 2. There has been already some debate online on social media and also on some video and text reviews about the price being a bit high. The price for the bundled version was, here in Finland, 620 euros while the version without Mario Kart game would cost 570 euros. Here in Finland the importer decided to add a special 100 euros to the price. I haven’t heard any deeper explanations on this. After all I am happy, still, that I can at least buy this console. I am not complaining but lets just say that there was already some conversation about this.

I am aware also that you have to buy many accessories that help you to use your Switch 2. The console has already 256 GB of space for your games. You might need also a memory card. It has to be the right type of a memory card. It can cost some tens of euros. I went and bought also the new Pro Controller 2 that cost me an extra 110 euros. You can still use the old and the first Pro Controller also with Switch 2. You also might need a carrying case that costs also some tens of euros. Also every game you want to play, of course, you have to buy. There has been some discussion and a new game for Switch 2 might cost something around 80 euros. So, as you can see, this isn’t a cheap console at all and you need to invest in it quite a bit.

What’s cool about Switch 2 is that it is almost ( I think it’s like 98 percentage or even more than that) backwards compatible with Switch 1 games. When I first had ran the deployment through with my Switch 2 I started to play Mario Kart World. However the game seemed a bit boring, a bit childish and I also read that it would take only about three and a half hours to finish the game. It is a good game, but I wanted to play something else. So, I inserted the physical Switch 1 game Diablo III and played it for maybe six to seven hours. I even continued playing it the next day. I created a new character and so after these hours of playing I had a wizard in level of 28. Then I started to play some Dragon Quest III 2D HD Remake. I also plan to play some Civilization VII on my Switch 2. I haven’t had time to play it, yet.

I also already bought another game. So, I now have two actual Switch 2 games along with my collection of Switch 1 games. The other Switch 2 game is Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster. I bought it just yesterday from a super market here in Vantaa (Finland). It cost me 50 euros. Some other options were and still are, if I really want to buy a third game already for this brand new console, The Legend of Zelda games Breath of The Wild and Tears of The Kingdom that do cost around 80 euros per game. They have some improvements. One game that I thought about buying was the Sonic game (Sonic X Shadow Generations) that is available for about 50 euros also.

The screen resolution is just fine and of a good quality. You really couldn’t ask for more. In handheld mode the screen works in Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). When the console is docked you get a 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. The handheld screen isn’t an OLED screen but I think that would have risen the consoles price even more and all the reviews that I’ve seen about this are basically saying that the screen is actually a very good one.

So, you probably got a clear picture of what I think about this new console, the Nintendo Switch 2. I told you about the games I am currently playing and what I think about the console in general. I am waiting to get my hands on some nice and new games. If you think a new console like this, take PS4 for example, it did take about a year or even a bit longer that we started to see some more games getting released. We are seeing lots of remakes but I am not going to complain about it. Lets just wait and play the games that are available. You can always play your Switch 1 games. If you are like me you have some games in your backlog that you haven’t had time to finish, yet.