Demolition Racer: No Exit

"Here comes the Ax, here comes the Smasher, the Demolition is a driving disaster."

Demolition Racer: No Exit was developed by Pitbull Syndicate and was published by Infogrames. DR: NE is the spiritual successor to the legendary Destruction Derby series, a series that originated the destruction derby game genre, interestingly enough, some of the developers of this game, also worked on the Destruction Derby games. DR: NE packs in everything that made the DD series so great, the pulse-pounding action, the brutal crashes, the decimation of vehicles. All of these things appeal to the “Smashey smashey” side of us all, the side that, for me personally, was littered with mangled Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. Ah, what fun that was.

Now, all of that fun has been brought back. the DD series started the demolition derby gaming revolution, and this game continues that legacy proudly. DR: NE packs in things that the DD series lacked, such as drop-dead gorgeous graphics, the cars in DR: NE look just like the Hot Wheels of yesteryear, which means you get all the fun, and none of the mess.

The gameplay in DR: NE is simple, addictive, and very deep. At its core, DR: NE is just about smashing other cars en route to winning a competition. This side of the game encourages you, the player, to just go out there, and smash into each and every car you see until you win. The only problem with this gameplan, is that you will incur a ton of damage from it, and you’ll be lucky to finish the race at all. There is a surprising amount of strategy in this game, the game awards you points based on technique, so if you vary your tactics against the opposition, you’ll score more points, and score more damage. If you go with the former gameplan, you’ll end up doing head-on collisions alot, these collisions don’t offer up many points, and they’re very hazardous to your vehicle. If you choose to add a bit more strategy to your gameplan, say, by pinning a car against a wall, and ramming into his side, you’ll do a ton of damage to the opposing car, get a ton of points for doing it, and incur very little damage to your vehicle. This is just one example of the differences a little strategy can add to the game. You’ll be able to employ this strategy in any one of the games numerous modes. Aside from the basic single race mode, which is great for both practice, and to let out some frustration, there’s a league mode where you go for the gold on either traditional tracks, or in arenas. You have to meet certain criteria to win each race, so you’ll have to employ some strategy here, it’s all about survival, and point totals, even on the traditional race tracks, so be sure to do your best to keep both your car’s health, and your points, up. There are power ups that you can find on the traditional race tracks that will help you raise your point totals, I think this is a really nice feature, because the cars aren’t always going to be close to each other, the power-ups avoid the punishment of gamers who want to bask in the glory of a first place finish in some fashion, this allows them to do so. You’ll have a number of cars at your disposal in order to help you attain victory in the game, there’s a hulking van with tons of armor, a speedy sports car with minute armor, and a nice, fast, armored car that gives you the best of both worlds. Each of these cars has it’s own feel, so get used to the mechanics of each car in the single race mode before you go into the league modes.

The control in DR: NE is beyond reproach, it is truly some of the finest control I’ve ever experienced in a racing game. The control is very responsive, and it reacts accordingly with the surfaces of the tracks in the game, a detail I will get into further in the graphics area. The analog stick allows you to move your car at the drop of a hat, and the braking and backing up functions are done well, they each use the L shoulder button, but each is done in such a manner as to avoid and problems. When you first hit the L button, your car will begin to brake, hold it longer, and it will come to a complete stop, if you continue to press the L button, your car will go in reverse. This unique functionality of the L button allows for smooth transitions to and from crashes, especially those that send you into the walls.

The graphics, as I mentioned earlier, are amazing. The cars have tons of little details in them, from the gleam of the windows, to the reflection of the paint. These details are furthered as damage is done to the car, glass will break realistically, and then shatter. The doors on the car will first be crumpled, then they will fall off. The same goes for EVERY part of the car. Everything from the hood, to the trunk of a car can be removed if enough damage is done to it. The damage effects must be seen to be believed. There are even some nice post-death graphics for the cars in the arena mode. Cars that have been taken out of the race billow with smoke and are entombed in flames, these cars also add a nuance to the gameplay, you can push these dead cars into cars that are headed into you, it hurts the other car, and keeps you safe. The graphics on both the traditional tracks, and in the arenas, are fantastic. The traditional tracks are replete with tons of details, like power lines, and gas stations, they are also full of interactive objects that can be used against the opposition, either by pushing said objects into the cars, or using the objects as cover for your car. The arenas are also full of details, the arena areas take place on a variety of surfaces, from dirt, to asphalt, to mud. Each of these surfaces has its own unique look to it, and the surfaces even affect the gameplay. For example, your handling will be looser on mud than on asphalt, so be prepared, and react accordingly. The graphics in DR: NE, on the whole, are amazing, they really take advantage of the DC’s hardware.

The sound in DR: NE really fits the fast-paced, white-knuckle feel of the game. Hard rock will blare through your speakers as you play the game’s arena modes, this type of music perfectly suits the smash-mouth action in the mode and really gets you in the mood to clobber some cars. The music on the traditional tracks varies by track. The music always fits the tracks, and, despite the relatively placid sound of most of the music, it still manages to fit the game. The sound effects are the true stars of the aural show in DR: NE. The sound effects, especially those used for crashes, do a great job at conveying the damage done. For example, if you lightly tap another car, you’ll hear a faint scratching sound, but if you ram into a car with all of your might, you’ll hear a mighty CRASH sound effect that gets you blood pumping and fits the damage you’ve just done to the other car.

DR: NE isn’t a hard game, as long as you’re in the mindset to do some smashing. The AI in the game is amazingly stupid, for example, when it’s down to you and one more car in an arena race, the other car is more likely to hit another car, or a wall, and knock himself out of the race, then he is to hit you. The boorish AI in the game helps to make the game a bit more fun, as it allows you to stretch out your legs are really explore what damage you can do with that car of yours.

The replay value in DR: NE is through the roof. There’s a ton of secret stuff to unlock, and the act of destroying another car never gets old in my opinion. Even if it does, just go unlock a new car, and bash the crap out of more cars with the new car. The secrets in the game are really, really original. There’s a tennis mode (yes, a tennis mode, with cars.) There’s a football mode, hell, there’s even a mode where your goal is to shoot down as many cars as possible. The fun, and innovative things you can do in this game are limitless.

Overall, DR: NE is a must-buy for any gamer that is looking for a good time. It makes for a perfect party game, and a perfect drinking game (take a drink every time a car is smashed, um, on second thought, don’t.) DR: NE combines fun, addictive gameplay with stunning graphics, and sound that not only fits the game, but gets you pumped to play it some more. Hell, the game only costs about $20, so go hog wild and have some fun.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/01, Updated 12/20/01