Destruction Derby 2  

by Psygnosis  Reviewed by: Mark Skorupa  

Overview

The first game I ever bought for my Playstation was Destruction Derby. At the time, this was one of only a handful of games out for the system. I played and played that game. After just dropping $400 on the system and a game, I couldn't afford to buy any other games for quite some time. So I just played Destruction Derby. I invited my friends over to play. I invited my family over to play. Everyone loved this game.

Here we are, a year and a half and over 150 games later, and people who have never played the Playstation who visit me always love Destruction Derby. I have all the new games, but people always want to play this old one. This is why Psygnosis has made a sequel. There were problems in the first game, as expected, from such an early-released title on a new system. Now, developers are into their second- and even third-generation games so they should have a better handle on the Playstation and what it can do. They have definitely figured out how to program the Playstation.

Destruction Derby 2 has all the options that made the first game a success. This time around, more effort was placed on the racing aspect of the game versus the demolition derby, but don't worry, there is still plenty of smashing and bashing fun to be had.

Gameplay

Destruction Derby 2 is almost like having two different games packed into one title. The first mode is the racing mode. This mode can be played either as a standard stock car race or a wrecking race. The stock car race is geared toward completing laps with the fastest time and finishing ahead of the pack. The wrecking race also makes you go for the finish line, but adds extra points for doing damage to your opponents' cars along the way. A new feature to Destruction Derby 2 is the pit stops. In the stock car race, you can stop in the pits and fix damage to your car as often as you like. In the wrecking race, you can only pit one time, but it is a very valuable stop because the cars are constantly smashing into you.

The one thing you will notice about this title is that a greater emphasis was placed on the racing aspect of the game. This game could stand alone towards the top of the heap in the racing genre. The cars control quite well. The only problem is that if you get nudged by any car in the race, you will always spin out and end up facing the wrong direction. Getting turned around in the right direction is a somewhat laborious process. Most of the races are very competitive, and you are always one good lap away from the front of the pack or one bad spin out away from the back.

Destruction Derby 2 has four different stock tracks that include sharp cornering, narrow corridors and even high flying jumps. All of the tracks are a blast to race on and every race is different. In all modes of the game, there are constant car parts flying from incident or purposeful contact. If you make it a whole race without loosing your hood, you will be in good shape. As the race progresses, the unlucky drivers whose cars have failed them will sit smoking in the infield of the track, and the really unlucky drivers that could not get their cars off the track will be scattered on the track. This adds a whole new aspect to the racing game. If your front end has sustained considerable damage and you fly around a corner and hit a smoking car with full force, this could mean the end of your race. Also littered across the track are car parts that were once attached to the cars racing the course.

The second part of the game is the good old demolition derby. This was what made the first title such a hit. I would rarely do the races on the first title. I went straight for the Bowl and some smashing fun. The Bowl is back, but renamed and refined. In the middle of the bowl you will find a jump that sends you flying. To add to the realism of the demolition derby, cars can now flip over, spin in the air and even catch fire. The car parts are constantly flying and you will feel like your car has a target drawn on the passenger door. I have to admit that sometimes simpler is better. The designers tried to step up the pace of this race by about a hundredfold, and what you get is about 15 seconds of the hottest action and then it is over. I will admit that in the original title, it got a bit tedious when you were one of the final cars remaining and your steering was going out. They sure fixed this problem, because you can't stay alive long enough to worry about this.

They did do a good job in adding the cars flipping and spinning in the air, but they may have gone just a bit too far. Watching replays show cars thrown 30 feet in the air. This is a bit ridiculous. I think that this would have been better if they would have taken the first game, stepped up the action a bit, added the effects like fire and losing the hood, and left the basic engine intact. Unfortunately, what you have now is a hyperactive 15 seconds with flying cars, smoke and then it's over. You really don't have enough time to get involved before it is over.

Graphics

Destruction Derby 2 has cleaned up the graphics from the original title. Gone are the breakup problems, and they've added fire and flips. The cars are more detailed and the tracks look very cool. I love the look of my car as it is flying over jumps and landing with a front-ended smash. The parts of the cars that are constantly flying are now somewhat recognizable. For example, you will see a hood fly by or the lid of someone's trunk lying at the edge of the course. The fans lining the track are very animated and seem to be cheering you on the whole way through the race.

Bottom Line

Destruction Derby 2 fixed the problems with the original title and broke what was good in the first. I really enjoy the racing part of the game now, and actually get frustrated trying to race in the destruction derby. As a racing game, the wrecking race adds a cool twist to the traditional stock car race. The graphics are top notch and I really enjoy the selection of tracks available. This game is a solid title all the way around, if they would just tone the energy level down on the destruction derby. The strange thing is, I keep going back to it and trying to master it so I guess that says something.