Latest Reviews of Criterion Games Games
Review Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered (Switch) - A Racer From A More Innocent Time
Cop a load of this
Here’s a fun fact for you: there isn’t a single person on this planet who can recite the titles of all 24 Need for Speed games in order. It’s actually physically impossible, like licking your own back or hearing the words “Hi, I’m Daisy” without getting irritated. While this ‘fact’ is open for debate, here’s one...
Heaven is a race on Earth
If there’s one genre of gaming where the Switch is arguably lacking, it’s open-world racing. In fairness, that’s because there aren’t too many of them in general, but whereas other systems have their Forza Horizons, Need For Speeds and The Crews, the Switch is almost entirely bereft of free-roaming driving. That...
Review Need for Speed: Most Wanted U (Wii U)
Just what U wanted
Criterion is best known for developing the smash hit Burnout games — which last appeared on a Nintendo console over ten years ago — but since then the studio's gone on to helm the long-running Need for Speed series of racing games. Its latest effort is Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, an enhanced port of last year's PS3/360...
Latest Criterion Games Articles
Memory Pak If Crashing In Burnout Is Wrong, Then I Don’t Want To Be Right
Car carnage
Happy birthday, GameCube! It's been twenty years since your gorgeous, chunky indigo shape graced our TV stands, and we were all introduced to that beedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-beedle-deedle-beedly-beep, BLUMP. You know the one I mean. The GameCube's catalogue is so stellar that I've already written several features about its games, from...
News Sony Survey Reportedly Asking Fans If They've Heard Of The Burnout Series
Is it time for Criterion's smash hit racing series to return?
Before Criterion Games signed on with EA to work on the Need for Speed series, it was known for its Burnout series. The 2008 open-world game Burnout Paradise was the last major entry we saw on console platforms, and since then, there's been nothing but a remaster of the same game - which...
"I’d love to bring back F-Zero, SSX or Ridge Racer"
Nintendo Switch may have been slow off the starting line when it came to racers, 'realistic' or otherwise, but in the years since launch it's slowly but surely built up a fine catalogue of racing games in addition to everyone's favourite kart racing plumber. Criterion's evergreen Burnout Paradise...
News Amazon Lists Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered For Nintendo Switch
Supposedly arriving this November
During the EA Play Conference in June, we heard how the company was bringing "seven new games to Switch" over the space of 12 months. Industry insider Jeff Grubb followed this up, stating that one of these games was likely to be a remaster of Criterion Games' 2010 racer, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. This was then...
News Online Retailer Lists Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit For Nintendo Switch
Are the rumours true?
During the EA Play conference this year, a representative of the company said the third-party giant was planning to bring "seven new games to Switch" over the next 12 months. Not long after this, industry insider Jeff Grubb revealed one of these titles - according to his own source - was likely to be a remaster of Criterion...
Random Burnout's Switch Home Menu Icon Needs To Drop The Border
Trouble in paradise
Criterion Games' fantastic open-world racing title Burnout Paradise Remastered is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Let's just make this clear - despite the price being a "car crash" it's still an outrageously fast and fun experience that we would highly recommend checking out if you haven't already. All that aside, there...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Launches On June 19th, According To US eShop Listing
Update: Now says TBD
Update (Sun 19th Apr, 2020 08:30 BST): The listing for Burnout Paradise Remastered on the US Switch eShop has now been changed to TBD. EA's Polish website still has it down for a June 2020 release. The game will also require 3.9 GB of free space, according to the eShop. Original story (Fri 17th Apr, 2020 03:05 BST): Last week,...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Could Be Speeding Onto The Switch This June
Ready to burn some rubber?
One of the highlights of the Nintendo Mini Direct presentation was the announcement EA would be bringing Criterion's Burnout Paradise Remastered to the Switch at some point this year. The reveal trailer simply said it was coming in 2020, but what month exactly? Well, according to the EA Poland website, the game will be...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Finally Pulls Up On Nintendo Switch This Year
Open world racing hits Switch in 2020
In today's surprise Nintendo Direct Mini it has been confirmed that the remaster of Criterion Games' classic open world racer Burnout Paradise is finally coming to Nintendo Switch in 2020 after debuting on PC and other consoles back in 2018. The game took the Burnout series - famous for its entertaining...
News Criterion Games Founder Says Nintendo Never Asked The Studio To Make A New F-Zero
"Oh, here we go"
You might recall a story during the Wii U generation about how the British-based developer Criterion Games - best known for its work on the Burnout and Need for Speed series over the years - was supposedly asked to work on Nintendo's futuristic racing game
News EA Has "Nothing To Announce" As Far As Burnout Paradise On Switch Is Concerned
Car crash
A short time ago, tongues were set wagging by the rumour that Burnout Paradise was getting remastered and would - apparently - be coming to Switch. EA confirmed one part of that rumour yesterday with the announcement of Burnout Paradise Remastered on PS4 and Xbox One, but there's currently no sign of a Nintendo version - and the publisher...
News Burnout Paradise HD Remaster Confirmed For PS4, But Where Does That Leave Switch?
Could we see it confirmed at the next Nintendo Direct?
Following speculation that it would be remastering one of the best open-world driving games ever made, EA has confirmed that Burnout Paradise HD Remaster (that's a tentative title currently) will hit PlayStation 4 in Japan on March 16th, costing 4,104 Yen. Given the Xbox One's dire...
News Working On F-Zero Wouldn't Have Been My Idea Of Fun, Says Former Criterion Boss
Alex Ward responds to news regarding the F-Zero that never was
We recently broke the news that Nintendo asked UK studio Criterion to create an F-Zero title for the Wii U, but sadly the discussion came to nothing. Criterion founder Alex Ward has responded to the story on Twitter, pointing out that F-Zero was simply one project amongst many pitched...
Exclusive We Almost Got A Wii U F-Zero Created By Burnout Studio Criterion
Would have been shown off at E3 2011
F-Zero is one of those franchises which Nintendo fans are constantly clamouring for, and not an E3 passes without demands from the masses for a brand-new entry. The series has been dormant for quite some time, although recent events - such as a F-Zero mini-game in Nintendo Land and the inclusion of the legendary...
News Former Criterion Boss Alex Ward Laments Issues With Releasing Need For Speed On Wii U
"Neither Nintendo or EA gave a s*** about it"
Criterion co-founder Alex Ward recently parted company with the studio to found his new firm, Three Fields Entertainment. Yesterday, he took to Twitter to partly explain the reasons behind this move, as well as highlighting some of the issues he and his staff faced when porting Need for Speed: Most...
News Burnout And Need For Speed Studio Criterion Downsizes To Just 15 People
Working on new IP outside of the racing genre
UK studio Criterion — which created the Burnout series of games and has had a key role in recent Need for Speed titles — has downsized to just 15 staff. The smaller company will now focus on titles away from the racing genre in which it found so much fame. Criterion staff are assisting EA's Ghost...
News Criterion Has No Immediate Plans For More Need For Speed
Burnt out?
Criterion Games' Creative Director Alex Ward has taken to Twitter to debunk recent rumors about a Need For Speed reboot. In a series of tweets, Ward explained that Criterion wanted to take a break from the Need For Speed series, and racing games in general. [tweet 323861676720005121] Ward did, however, leave the door open for future...
Rumour Criterion Is Rebooting Need For Speed: Underground
Updated: Criterion's creative director shoots down rumours
UPDATE: Criterion's Alex Ward has tweeted in response to these rumours: [tweet 322632944776802304] So that's that, then. ORIGINAL STORY: We've already reported on the fact that Criterion is working on a new project, and if a fresh rumour is to be believed, we could now have a name for...
News Criterion Working On "Amazing" Unannounced Racer For 2013
Could Burnout be getting a revival?
It would appear that UK studio Criterion — famous for the Burnout series and the recent Wii U classic Need For Speed: Most Wanted U — is hard at work on its next magnum opus. Some LinkedIn snooping has revealed that the company is due to release another racer this year. Could it be Burnout? Or possib
News Digital Foundry - Need For Speed: Most Wanted U Delivers as Definitive Console Version
Nice one, Criterion
Earlier this year, highly respected developer Criterion stated that its release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted U would be based on the PC version, taking advantage of the technical improvements Wii U can offer over Xbox 360 and PS3. The technical capabilities of Wii U in comparison to these rivals has been hotly debated by some,...
News Criterion: Support Need For Speed: Most Wanted And DLC Could Happen
"It's as simple as that"
At the weekend we reported on the rather depressing news that the Wii U version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted may be missing out on DLC support. Unsurprisingly, that caused quite a bit of ill-feeling, with many Nintendo fans taking to Twitter to voice their concern to Criterion's staff. One staff member who has been...
News Wii U Version of Need For Speed: Most Wanted Unlikely To Get DLC Support
The most wanted DLC looks set to skip Wii U
The Wii U edition of Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be released in just a few days time, and those who pick up a copy will find that the Ultimate Speed Pack — downloadable content on other versions — will come included free of charge. Unfortunately, however, it appears that any future DLC for the...
News Future Wii U Need For Speed Titles Will Ship On The Same Day As Other Platforms
Criterion Vice President "loves" the Wii U
The high-octane racer Need for Speed: Most Wanted is heading for Wii U in North America and Europe on 19th and 21st March respectively. As we already know, the upcoming release will be the definitive version of the game, with assets taken from the superior PC iteration, rather than the other home console...
News Criterion Lavishes Nintendo and Wii U With Praise
Need for Speed: Most Wanted developer went all out to create the definitive version for Wii U
Need for Speed: Most Wanted has been available on other consoles for a while now. Wii U owners have had to wait for their own version, but it appears that their patience will be rewarded; the game is based on the superior PC version and comes with a host of...
News Need for Speed: Most Wanted Developer Revs Up More Details on Co-Driver Mode
Speaks positively of the Wii U hardware's capabilities
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is one of a handful of titles coming to Wii U in March, in this case in both Europe and North America. Most pleasingly for owners of Nintendo's system it's more than a port handed off to a secondary studio, but is being produced by the highly regarded Criterion team...
Memory Pak If Crashing In Burnout Is Wrong, Then I Don’t Want To Be Right
Car carnage
Happy birthday, GameCube! It's been twenty years since your gorgeous, chunky indigo shape graced our TV stands, and we were all introduced to that beedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-beedle-deedle-beedly-beep, BLUMP. You know the one I mean. The GameCube's catalogue is so stellar that I've already written several features about its games, from...
News Sony Survey Reportedly Asking Fans If They've Heard Of The Burnout Series
Is it time for Criterion's smash hit racing series to return?
Before Criterion Games signed on with EA to work on the Need for Speed series, it was known for its Burnout series. The 2008 open-world game Burnout Paradise was the last major entry we saw on console platforms, and since then, there's been nothing but a remaster of the same game - which...
"I’d love to bring back F-Zero, SSX or Ridge Racer"
Nintendo Switch may have been slow off the starting line when it came to racers, 'realistic' or otherwise, but in the years since launch it's slowly but surely built up a fine catalogue of racing games in addition to everyone's favourite kart racing plumber. Criterion's evergreen Burnout Paradise...
News Amazon Lists Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered For Nintendo Switch
Supposedly arriving this November
During the EA Play Conference in June, we heard how the company was bringing "seven new games to Switch" over the space of 12 months. Industry insider Jeff Grubb followed this up, stating that one of these games was likely to be a remaster of Criterion Games' 2010 racer, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. This was then...
News Online Retailer Lists Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit For Nintendo Switch
Are the rumours true?
During the EA Play conference this year, a representative of the company said the third-party giant was planning to bring "seven new games to Switch" over the next 12 months. Not long after this, industry insider Jeff Grubb revealed one of these titles - according to his own source - was likely to be a remaster of Criterion...
Random Burnout's Switch Home Menu Icon Needs To Drop The Border
Trouble in paradise
Criterion Games' fantastic open-world racing title Burnout Paradise Remastered is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Let's just make this clear - despite the price being a "car crash" it's still an outrageously fast and fun experience that we would highly recommend checking out if you haven't already. All that aside, there...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Launches On June 19th, According To US eShop Listing
Update: Now says TBD
Update (Sun 19th Apr, 2020 08:30 BST): The listing for Burnout Paradise Remastered on the US Switch eShop has now been changed to TBD. EA's Polish website still has it down for a June 2020 release. The game will also require 3.9 GB of free space, according to the eShop. Original story (Fri 17th Apr, 2020 03:05 BST): Last week,...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Could Be Speeding Onto The Switch This June
Ready to burn some rubber?
One of the highlights of the Nintendo Mini Direct presentation was the announcement EA would be bringing Criterion's Burnout Paradise Remastered to the Switch at some point this year. The reveal trailer simply said it was coming in 2020, but what month exactly? Well, according to the EA Poland website, the game will be...
News Burnout Paradise Remastered Finally Pulls Up On Nintendo Switch This Year
Open world racing hits Switch in 2020
In today's surprise Nintendo Direct Mini it has been confirmed that the remaster of Criterion Games' classic open world racer Burnout Paradise is finally coming to Nintendo Switch in 2020 after debuting on PC and other consoles back in 2018. The game took the Burnout series - famous for its entertaining...
News Criterion Games Founder Says Nintendo Never Asked The Studio To Make A New F-Zero
"Oh, here we go"
You might recall a story during the Wii U generation about how the British-based developer Criterion Games - best known for its work on the Burnout and Need for Speed series over the years - was supposedly asked to work on Nintendo's futuristic racing game
News EA Has "Nothing To Announce" As Far As Burnout Paradise On Switch Is Concerned
Car crash
A short time ago, tongues were set wagging by the rumour that Burnout Paradise was getting remastered and would - apparently - be coming to Switch. EA confirmed one part of that rumour yesterday with the announcement of Burnout Paradise Remastered on PS4 and Xbox One, but there's currently no sign of a Nintendo version - and the publisher...
News Burnout Paradise HD Remaster Confirmed For PS4, But Where Does That Leave Switch?
Could we see it confirmed at the next Nintendo Direct?
Following speculation that it would be remastering one of the best open-world driving games ever made, EA has confirmed that Burnout Paradise HD Remaster (that's a tentative title currently) will hit PlayStation 4 in Japan on March 16th, costing 4,104 Yen. Given the Xbox One's dire...
News Working On F-Zero Wouldn't Have Been My Idea Of Fun, Says Former Criterion Boss
Alex Ward responds to news regarding the F-Zero that never was
We recently broke the news that Nintendo asked UK studio Criterion to create an F-Zero title for the Wii U, but sadly the discussion came to nothing. Criterion founder Alex Ward has responded to the story on Twitter, pointing out that F-Zero was simply one project amongst many pitched...
Exclusive We Almost Got A Wii U F-Zero Created By Burnout Studio Criterion
Would have been shown off at E3 2011
F-Zero is one of those franchises which Nintendo fans are constantly clamouring for, and not an E3 passes without demands from the masses for a brand-new entry. The series has been dormant for quite some time, although recent events - such as a F-Zero mini-game in Nintendo Land and the inclusion of the legendary...
News Former Criterion Boss Alex Ward Laments Issues With Releasing Need For Speed On Wii U
"Neither Nintendo or EA gave a s*** about it"
Criterion co-founder Alex Ward recently parted company with the studio to found his new firm, Three Fields Entertainment. Yesterday, he took to Twitter to partly explain the reasons behind this move, as well as highlighting some of the issues he and his staff faced when porting Need for Speed: Most...
News Burnout And Need For Speed Studio Criterion Downsizes To Just 15 People
Working on new IP outside of the racing genre
UK studio Criterion — which created the Burnout series of games and has had a key role in recent Need for Speed titles — has downsized to just 15 staff. The smaller company will now focus on titles away from the racing genre in which it found so much fame. Criterion staff are assisting EA's Ghost...
News Criterion Has No Immediate Plans For More Need For Speed
Burnt out?
Criterion Games' Creative Director Alex Ward has taken to Twitter to debunk recent rumors about a Need For Speed reboot. In a series of tweets, Ward explained that Criterion wanted to take a break from the Need For Speed series, and racing games in general. [tweet 323861676720005121] Ward did, however, leave the door open for future...
Rumour Criterion Is Rebooting Need For Speed: Underground
Updated: Criterion's creative director shoots down rumours
UPDATE: Criterion's Alex Ward has tweeted in response to these rumours: [tweet 322632944776802304] So that's that, then. ORIGINAL STORY: We've already reported on the fact that Criterion is working on a new project, and if a fresh rumour is to be believed, we could now have a name for...
News Criterion Working On "Amazing" Unannounced Racer For 2013
Could Burnout be getting a revival?
It would appear that UK studio Criterion — famous for the Burnout series and the recent Wii U classic Need For Speed: Most Wanted U — is hard at work on its next magnum opus. Some LinkedIn snooping has revealed that the company is due to release another racer this year. Could it be Burnout? Or possib
News Digital Foundry - Need For Speed: Most Wanted U Delivers as Definitive Console Version
Nice one, Criterion
Earlier this year, highly respected developer Criterion stated that its release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted U would be based on the PC version, taking advantage of the technical improvements Wii U can offer over Xbox 360 and PS3. The technical capabilities of Wii U in comparison to these rivals has been hotly debated by some,...
News Criterion: Support Need For Speed: Most Wanted And DLC Could Happen
"It's as simple as that"
At the weekend we reported on the rather depressing news that the Wii U version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted may be missing out on DLC support. Unsurprisingly, that caused quite a bit of ill-feeling, with many Nintendo fans taking to Twitter to voice their concern to Criterion's staff. One staff member who has been...
News Wii U Version of Need For Speed: Most Wanted Unlikely To Get DLC Support
The most wanted DLC looks set to skip Wii U
The Wii U edition of Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be released in just a few days time, and those who pick up a copy will find that the Ultimate Speed Pack — downloadable content on other versions — will come included free of charge. Unfortunately, however, it appears that any future DLC for the...
News Future Wii U Need For Speed Titles Will Ship On The Same Day As Other Platforms
Criterion Vice President "loves" the Wii U
The high-octane racer Need for Speed: Most Wanted is heading for Wii U in North America and Europe on 19th and 21st March respectively. As we already know, the upcoming release will be the definitive version of the game, with assets taken from the superior PC iteration, rather than the other home console...
News Criterion Lavishes Nintendo and Wii U With Praise
Need for Speed: Most Wanted developer went all out to create the definitive version for Wii U
Need for Speed: Most Wanted has been available on other consoles for a while now. Wii U owners have had to wait for their own version, but it appears that their patience will be rewarded; the game is based on the superior PC version and comes with a host of...
News Need for Speed: Most Wanted Developer Revs Up More Details on Co-Driver Mode
Speaks positively of the Wii U hardware's capabilities
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is one of a handful of titles coming to Wii U in March, in this case in both Europe and North America. Most pleasingly for owners of Nintendo's system it's more than a port handed off to a secondary studio, but is being produced by the highly regarded Criterion team...