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SCENE
GENRE
GRAPHICS
SOUND
PLAYABILITY
VALUE
OPINION



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DESTRUCTION DERBY

Developer

Psygnosis

Options

Distributer

Sony

1 Player

Game Type

Racing

Mem. Card

Review Date

June 1996

Link-up

Setting the Scene

Destruction Derby is a race sim. which involves pulverizing your opponents with the front bumper of your car. When your car gets too wrecked to move, the game ends. But until then your aim is to spin other cars into 360 degree turns, smash their sides, and just put them out of working order.

Genre

A racing game with a difference. Points are scored for colliding with your opponents.

Graphics

The graphics during gameplay are amazing. The cars look very close to the real thing and the tracks are very smooth looking. The backgrounds are just super from far away but when you get closer become very two dimensional. The problem with this game is that when in the racing mode, if your car is scrapes against the wall, the wall starts to disappear and reappear - poor programming! The pictures of the drivers are dull and boring. They're represented by little cartoons. They would of been better if they were more realistic.

Sounds and Effects

The sound in this game is pretty good, but could have been better. During gameplay the announcer says things like "360!!" and "WHOA!!" every time you punish your opponent. But when your not hitting any one all you hear is the muffled sound of the engine. The sounds in this game get old very quickly.

Playability

Where the graphics and sound lack, the gameplay initially makes up for. In this game you can't get through the whole game untouched. The computer comes after you as hard as it can. You'll have to actually use some skill and tactics to defeat the computer, not like many other race games.

One of the best tracks has an intersection in the middle of it. You race around the track as normal, hitting any cars you see, but when you move into that intersection you can be well and truly crushed by other cars coming at you from all angles......... BAM!

This game gets a little boring after a while though. There's not much more to it than just destroying a whole lot of cars. There is a standard race mode within the game which attempts to turn the game into a purely ridge racer type game. This helps to keep you interested in the game for slightly longer.

The multiplayer player game lacks the depth of other racing games, due to the lack of a split screen option. When two play in the "Destruction Derby" you have to go one at a time, unless you have two PlayStations, two copies of the game and of course a link cable connecting the machines.

Value for Money

The graphic detail of the cars as they get slowly battered are amazing. 2 Player Link Mode adds longevity to the game. Beware you might get bored of this game pretty quickly in one player mode. If you like racing games where you have to plan out your moves to pass other cars this isn't for you but for those of you who like to smash and beat up everything in site, GIVE IT A TRY.

Opinion

SEAN

GRAPHICS:

Good

I think this game will go down as a visual classic but expect rivals to come up with something that plays as well as it looks.

SOUND:

Good

PLAYABILITY:

Good

VALUE:

Good

OVERALL
7/10

MARTIN

GRAPHICS:

Good

Destruction Derby was one of the first games that brought next gen. graphics into your home. Limited gameplay in single player mode but with three different types of destructive racing to play and a link up option, this is a definite game for your collection.

SOUND:

Good

PLAYABILITY:

Brilliant

VALUE:

Good

OVERALL
8/10

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