|
Destruction Derby Arenas Review
 |
Developer |
Studio 33
|
| Publisher |
Gathering
|
| Genre |
Racing
|
Destruction Derby Arenas isn’t the next Gran Turismo, and happily doesn’t aim to be. DDA is instead a game about crashing and bashing. Who doesn’t like ramming their vehicles into other cars at mach speed? It serves as a great stress reliever. And as such, DDA is not only a pretty nifty game, but it relieves stress like so few other games do.
DDA is one of those games that look pretty much domed from the start. It doesn’t sport the best graphics in the world, and the gameplay itself is so deceptively simple that substance is completely out of the question. Thing is though, how much substance need there be for the game to be fun? Apparently, not too much.
Gameplay - Destruction Derby Arenas is a very simple game at its core. Simply run your car into other cars on the track as hard as you can to earn points, all while attempting to stay as far ahead of the pack as possible. How well you stack up depends entirely on how much you crash your ride into others and how well you place, as you gain points for each. At least, that’s the theory. But in fact, crashing into other cars seems to be the best way to win, as you merely get bonus points for placing well in the race. The lion’s share of your point earnings come from wrecking into other cars, in any way you can. The harder the hit, the more points you can earn. In addition, your points skyrocket when you make other cars do certain things upon hitting them, like 180’s, 360’s, end-over-end rolls, etc. The whole idea is to basically smash things up really good. You can’t get more basic than that, though perhaps it’s the simplicity that makes the game so satisfying.
The meat of the game is the championship mode, where you compete in 12 races and 4 Destruction Bowls, which are competitions where cars are let loose in an enclosed arena to just crash and bash one another for points (and to see pretty explosions). There are lots of vehicles in which to choose, all driven by a different character with his/her own backstory (though each character is completely forgettable and does nothing for gameplay). As you progress through the game’s core mode, you’ll unlock a new character and their car if you score more points than they do on that particular track. Every four races, you also unlock upgrades for your vehicle that increases how fast your car goes, how well it holds up, and how easy it handles. It’s the unlocking process that makes the game so addictive. Couple this with the Destruction Bowls (the most exciting part of the game), and you can count on having tons of fun for hours on end.
There are some letdowns, most notably the track designs and the physics engine. The tracks are devoid of any real imagination, and contain very few points of interest. All are designed similarly, and the Destruction Bowl arenas aren’t particularly creative either. Developer Studio 33 tries to give you interesting themes for each track, but most of them are drab and uninspired. And a few of the Destruction Bowl arenas just contain dumb stuff (a Titan Hammer? For what?)
The physics model isn’t bad, just not as good as it could be. There isn’t enough bounce, so cars tend to hit and stay kind of stiff, taking a bit away from the satisfaction of hitting another car. Each car drives differently, so choosing a car that suits your style will serve you better in the championship mode, as cars with tighter steering tend to not perform as well with all the sharp turns and quick 180’s needed in the Destruction Bowls.
Online – While limited to two-player splitscreen play on one PS2, you can go head-to-head with up to 19 other players online, which can be a real blast, and contains modes not found offline. Pass-Da- Bomb is simply a game of Hot Potato, while Capture-the-Trophy is a bit like King-of-the-Hill. Speedway is simply racing, and then there are the offline’s games packed in there too. The online mode works very nicely, and contains a Friends List and customizable games. There is USB voice chat implemented, but only in the lobbies and postmatch screens. Probably a good thing, as having 20 irate players screaming into the mic at once would probably be irritating.
Graphics - DDA looks merely average most of the time. There are some nice touches here and there, and the screen is usually teeming with color, but there isn’t really anything of substance to admire. There is almost too much going on, and scenery tends to mesh together, making a lot of things difficult to make out. Car models don’t look bad, but are far from the most detailed. The damage model is underwhelming; there are definitely flying car parts, but very little of it is actually depicted onscreen, and what is there is unimpressive. Burnout 2 this is not. The game does run fairly smooth, and there is nothing particularly ugly about the game (save for those character drawings. Pitiful.), but this is far from the best on PS2.
The biggest flaw of the game’s graphics is the camera. At times, the disorienting camera pans are so bothersome that it affects gameplay significantly by using some of the stupidest and useless angles known to man. This mostly happens during the Destruction Bowls, and can cause you to take some viciously cheap damage.
Sound – Like the visuals, the audio department really doesn’t offer much more than the usual. The music is oddly reminiscent of the old Top Gear titles and the cheesy announcer’s voiceovers sound similar to other racers of the same era. That said, the cheesiness of it all gives the game an old classic feel.
Unfortunately, while the sound effects are adequate, they are also largely forgettable. Standard stuff.
Bottom Line -
Destruction Derby Arenas is a mindlessly fun game with an addictive quality to the upgrade system, and the mounds of unlockable cars also helps to boost the replay value. The online component will likely not get the attention it deserves, but is well-implemented, and is mostly lag-free, and can last players a long, long time if the conditions are right.
Still, the game is so simple that breezing through the championship mode shouldn’t take any longer than a few days to complete, making the unlocking addictiveness short-lived. There could be some improvements in areas that would really boost the game’s score, but as is, the straightforward gameplay makes it a fairly brief experience, even though the online portion offers some substantial replay value. At $20-$30, the game would be well worth your while, but at $40… that’s stretching it.
Review by Brendon Hivner
|
