Trouble in (Online) Paradise

Apparently those Xbox 360 games with hard drive requirements - - at least to enjoy the entire game - - aren't just those in the MMO genre anymore, reports Opposable Thumbs. HDD-less fans of the popular (and not a racing title no matter how much they scream) Burnout Paradise for the 360 might find themselves up a racing track without a transmission if they try to challenge others in the online mode.

According to publisher EA, the HDD is only required, "....to store temporary data when playing online as the data transferred from one console to another requires storage space greater than what the memory card can contain."

Meanwhile, savvy gamers out there may have noticed that Microsoft's main white boy with soul announced years ago that developers shouldn't be banking on that HDD being in all consoles. Furthermore, Microsoft as a whole made it pretty clear at Gamefest 2007 which kind of games would be allowed this requirement. And with no forewarning on the box art, someone might have a legitimate lawsuit on their hands (unlike those other lawsuits.) What's next?! Cats and dogs, LIVING TOGETHER?!

[EDIT]: Apparently there is, hidden amongst the many tiny words on the back of the box, an indication that you'll need the hdd to play online. Our bad! (However, as pointed out in this article, online shoppers would have no idea about this requirement. Either way, after playing the Burnout Paradise demo last night for an hour solid, this writer would suggest buying the game either way - - and if you don't have an hdd, well, why don't you have an hdd?)