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Destruction
Derby was one of the games that launched the PSX and it sold in droves with the
combination of high speed racing action along side some of the most spectacular
car smash ups witnessed on screen. At the time everyone thought that the game
couldn't be bettered, but even though the graphics were 3D, the game engine was
actually 2D, resulting in the circuits having a flat appearance, being devoid of
any hills or dips and during each collision the car remained on the ground.
As
the months passed by, so the criticism rose. Slow down of the vehicles during
multiple pile ups, transparent barriers, courses too narrow, unable to complete
certain races etc. etc. Well I can tell you that Reflections have spent a great
deal of time and effort with the physics of Destruction Derby 2 and the
improvements are simply amazing. The cars now react just as they would in real
life as they skid around corners, perform Dukes of Hazard style jumps and the
inevitable collisions result in the cars tumbling down the track, rolling 360
degrees and often coming to rest roof down. The game is now set in a true 3D
environment with the cars spending more time in mid air than on the road
surface, while the tracks have left the standard racing circuit look behind in
favor of the towns and valleys.
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Destruction
Derby 2 is a three tier racing game that incorporates a bumping, barging race to
the line when in Stock Car mode, a titanic battle to survive in the enclosure of
the D.D.Bowls as twenty cars attempt to inflict multiple damage on each other,
and the wacky Wreckin' Racin', where points are scored for the damage you cause
to your racing competitors vehicles in a race where there are no rules or
directions.
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Destruction
Derby 2's game engine is absolutely superb and is by far the best 3D engine seen
in any racing game. All the cars are gouraud shaded, while each of the tracks
are made of texture mapped polygons.
The collisions look truly
spectacular as the cars can now flip over and spin in the air showing highly
detailed undersides and on landing will shower the track with shrapnel, leaving
your car dented and bruised. A head on smash will result in your bonnet or hood
flying through the air, while too many rear shunts will see you overtaken by one
or both of your rear wheels, leaving your rear end grinding on the racing
surface with sparks flying everywhere. Every minute detail has been catered for
from the road markings to the impressive surrounding scenery, hell the cars even
have break lights. When your car eventually claps out, the steaming radiator
still turns into a dense black smoke, but this is now accompanied by an
explosion which leaves a roaring flame burning from your bonnet. This leaves a
spectacular sight if you can hang around for the later stages of the race, the
aftermath reminds me of the closing scenes from the movie Rollerball.
The
game opens with a quality FMV showing a transporter travelling down a highway
during nightfall. On arriving at the racing stadium, the tail is dropped and
out roll the cars to line up in the courtyard, all carried out in a style that
helps build the atmosphere as you approach your opening race.
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D.D.2
has been stripped of its techno soundtrack and has been replaced by some serious
thrash metal by the bands Tuscan and Jug, not unnecessarily chart material but
it complements the action perfectly. There is a running commentary throughout
the race from American sports personality Paul Page, so you can expect to hear
reactions such as 'Go easy on the paintwork', when your car touches the track
surrounds, and 'Wooaah' when involved in a multiple pile up.
The cars
have a rich throaty engine sound as they rev up on the starting grid and when
played through the amplifier, the sound of the collisions truly reverberates
around the room.
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One
of the first noticeable improvements with D.D.2 is the incredibly fast loading
times. Even on the options screen the loading of your car selection, which used
to take all of eight seconds, has been greatly reduced to about three secs.
This allows you to whip through your choice of race type ; Wreckin' Racing,
Stock Car of DD Bowl, race mode ; Championship, Practice or Time Trial, and car
selection from Rookie, Amateur and Pro. All of the selections can be
intermingled apart from one major disappointment, there is no championship for
the D.D.Bowl, which is a big blow considering the standard of the four arenas.
The
in-game options see another improvement with the choice to retire from the race
if events are not going as planned. This also avoids the situation that often
arose in the original game, where you were the last remaining vehicle on the
circuit, with a crippled car, and you were subjected to bashing your front end
on the barriers until your radiator gave up.
A further improvement is
the inclusion of a pit lane, which you are allowed to enter for a few seconds to
knock out a few indentations by rapidly pressing the X button, but you must plan
your pit stop carefully as you are only allowed one visit per race. If you fail
to complete a race you are no longer subjected to the long waiting period as you
await other cars to finish the race, nor must you sit through a list of racing
positions of the whole field. These are available to view if you wish, but if
you prefer you may go straight into the next race.
On entering a
championship, you are placed into division four where an accumulation of
sufficient points will see your season rewarded with a promotion to a higher
league where you can race on different circuits. Each season is concluded by a
visit to a bowl where your performance will either make or break your season.
Your
introduction to the courses begins with the fairly simple oval Pine Hills
Raceway. Chalk Canyon is by far the most fun with its two huge jumps of which
one os over a deep gravel pit while the other could result in your car
performing a 360 degree mid air roll. Caprio County Raceway is a test on your
driving skill with a sizeable grass verge that will slow down your car and has
some tight hairpin bends. Sca Motorplex is a figure of eight circuit featuring
dips, concrete walls and sweeping bends. The weather takes a turn for the worse
at the misty venue Black Sail Valley where the branching tracks and tricky banks
will keep you alert. The poorest track is the metropolis of Liberty City with
its wide course and treacherous jump over the wasteland but the texture mapping
is not quite up to standard. SCA Ultimate Destruction Speedway has the lot ,
hairpin bends, crossroads, and one hell of a jump that can only be made with the
Pro car. The Red Pike Arena and the Colosseum bowls feature a large hump in the
centre which will propel you high in the air to land on another vehicles roof,
while The Pit contains a large pit in the centre that swallows all of the cars
at the start of the event. The final bowl is the Death Bowl of which one side
has a frightening drop into a car crusher.
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If
you haven't played the original Destruction Derby, then this game is a must and
will offer you many hours of smashing entertainment. If you have, then
although D.D.2 is a vast improvement in every aspect of the game, the gameplay
remains exactly the same and is rather shallow.
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TOM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
I
found this game, overall, to be a big improvement over the first DD racer. The
courses are VERY well done and challenging. You now have hills and bumps to
negegotiate and the cars physics react appropriately by giving your vehicle some
"air time" and realistic flips and rolls. The eye candy is everywhere,
from the crisp graphics of the tracks and cars to the incredible light sourcing
and lens flaring (take a close look at the suns reflection off your cars
windshield)...What I found odd though was the collision detection. I would be
tooling down the road and slam directly into a car, figuring I would be racking
up big points for the hit, only to find out I didn't score anything. I found
this frustrating to the point of almost putting the game away for good. But,
hey I love a good driving game and this is a good driving game if you don't mind
getting ripped off on the points. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8/10 |
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
I
was really looking forward to playing DD2 and went straight into a Wreckin
Racing championship. The first thing I noticed was that if you get off to a
good start, you could easily win the race without seeing another car. If the
pack overtakes you then you could still complete the race but only see a few of
the tail enders. Eventually I tried hanging around, then reversing into the
pack and it was points galore, which ended up with me winning the championship,
but I felt cheated out of the mixture of racing and crashing that the original
involved and there were some circuits that I didn't complete more than one lap.
The omission of a DD Bowl championship also took a huge slice of fun from the
gameplay. Saying that, the courses are first class, the jumps are enthralling
and the action is frantic...for a while. The game will last you as long as it
takes to win the Stock Car class, which will take quite a while. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Average |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8/10 |
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