System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Also available for: Sony PlayStation 3

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Reviewer’s rating: ***1/2

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Game type: Driving/racing

Kind of like: “Test Drive: Unlimited”

Best feature: Roaring around Paradise City with your friends online is a blast.

Worst feature: We wish we could save films of our most spectacular crashes.

The bottom line: Anyone else getting a little tired of shooters? Sure, we loved “BioShock,” “Halo 3,” “Mass Effect” and “Call of Duty 4,” but to employ a gratuitous automotive reference, it’s time to switch gears.

Apparently “Burnout Paradise” is just what we were jonesing for. Seriously — it was a struggle to put the controller down long enough to write this review.

The popular, arcade-style racing franchise barrel rolls into next-gen territory with stunning visuals, seamless online functionality and a vibrantly detailed setting.

Paradise City, the sprawling metropolis where all the game’s events take place, is perfectly tailored for the “Burnout” experience: There are long straightaways for racing at blinding speeds, winding roads for white-knuckle, tire-squealing exhilaration, sky-scraping cliffs where you can catch huge air and a traffic-clogged downtown that’s ideal for wreaking destructive havoc. (After all, “Burnout” has always been as much about wrecking as racing.)

If you ever get tired of exploring the city’s hidden areas and shortcuts (it’ll take a while), the map is also dotted with events, including “Road Rage” (take out as many opponents as possible), “Marked Man” (survive to the finish line), stunt runs, time trials and good old-fashioned races.