Destruction Derby

"Oh yes...you'll be smashing something alright..."

-Visuals 2/10-

What you would expect from Psygnosis, would be something visually stunning, and something that you would marvel at. Unfortunately, this time around, they disappoint in a big way. Flat, blocky cars, in a giant circular mayhem ring, doesn't add up to much. To it's credit, it does have some pretty cool crashes, and the frame-rate is smooth, but that still doesn't make up for the little triangles of metal flying up when you smash into each other. I mean come on..this is ridiculous.

You have just a few tracks to actually compete in, and when it comes down to it, there isn't any difference between them save for the background. The cars hardly change except in color, and you don't have much to look at in any case.

-Audio 2/10-

As bad as the visuals are, the music, or lack there-of, makes this another nail in the coffin. On the first couple of stages, you have something that is halfway decent to listen to, but after a few minutes, you drone out with it, and the only thing you really hear, is the sound of the cars running through the dirt, and smashing into each other. That doesn't quite cut it, and the mute button comes on folks, only to have something on the CD player come on and take away that drone in your ears. Again, this is pretty disappointing.

-Control 2/10-

Sluggish at best, you can't have the real feel of driving the car with the PSX controller. A steering wheel would have been nice, but you don't even have that. The car moves like a tank, and actually trying to smash into another car can be tedious and a chore. Not that fun to try. With that being said, you have one button that you're always pressing on, and that's the gas...so there is no skill needed with the control.

-Gameplay 9/10-

Okay, you're smashing into things...what can beat that? You can bash cars and get away with it...a bad drivers dream is what makes the gameplay so nice. Outside of that, you're really not doing much else but mashing other people. The nice thing is, you can link up another PSX to play, but with the way that link-cable support is these days, finding one is near impossible. It only adds an enhancement to the gameplay, and nothing else.

Game Modes include the Destruction Derby, where your goal is to take out the opposition...pretty cool, but really cheap. You have several cars that you have to take out, while watching your own damage. If you take on too many hits in the front end, you're out of the running, so most of your time is spent sitting out on the sidelines watching, and moving when you need to, and the other part of the time is just to rush in and finish off the last couple of cars in the arena. You would figure for some good balanced play...but you don't get that.

The Racing Mode is just an option to play when you don't feel like bashing people. It runs pretty much like the DD, in which you can take out your opposition with a couple of well placed blows, but be aware, what you do to them, they can, and will do to you. Other than that, and a couple of secrets, you don't have much else to do.

-Overall 2/10-

Mismatched play here, accompanied with first generation visuals, non-existant sound, and off-balanaced control. The only saving grace here, is the actual bashing of the cars in the Destruction Derby, which is what this game is all about. Even though the gameplay rocks, it doesn't save the game from being a bookend in your collection, as a piece of your PSX history collection.

If you're going to buy it, don't pay more than 10.00, that is, if you can find it at all...it being as old as it is, it's difficult to find, and if you're lucky, you can still find one in it's orignal 'book-style' casing. Other than that, avoid it for other racing games...and if you're a Psygnosis game fan? Stick with Wipeout 3. That's the killer.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/00, Updated 10/18/00