New Burnout Paradise images prove that near misses can look pretty good

Electronic Arts has released a new batch of screenshots for the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game, Burnout Paradise, and something is just … off.

Not one of the screens show a single car exploding, a flaming tire flying through the air, or glass shattering in real-time. It’s as if I’m not looking at a Burnout title at all! The screens do tease us with a bunch of potentially steel crushing, horrifying wrecks, and that’s really enough to wet my whistle.

According to retailer GameStop/EB Games, there’s no chance we’ll be seeing Burnout Paradise this year; the game is listed for a January 9, 2008 release. They are, however, already offering a pre-order bonus — an exclusive, in-game car, “Steel Wheels.”

Gee, that doesn’t sound like it would handle very well.