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GF! Archival Version Copyright 1995-2004


Destruction
Derby

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by Psygnosis
An Unofficial History of Destruction Derby:
"With the invention of the motor car came the invention of the flagman. And shortly after the invention of the flagman came the sport that is Destruction Derby." The flagman was basically an early traffic light. With red and green flags in hand, it was his job to keep traffic flowing smoothly. Occasionally, however, a freak gust of wind would blow the flags into the face of the unwitting flagman and, with arms flailing wildly, he became the premium filling in a metal sandwich. Drivers were annoyed of course, but the crunching sound of a bumper was just simply irresistible. So they set out to make it an official pastime. Nowadays, most cities around the world have a Destruction Derby track. And those that don't, such as Rome and Athens, remedy this by allowing people to use the public roadways. But you don't have to worry about any of this. In fact, you don't even need to know how to drive because all of this is just a game. So go out and get wrecked!

The Review:
I think everyone has at one time or another just wanted to say, "to heck with it!", and ram their car into the twit who just cut him off in traffic. Well, now you can. Destruction Derby isn't a theme game per say, it is more of an arcade style game. However, you do get to enter your name and build a career throughout the race season.

You can play three levels of difficulty in Destruction Derby at four different events. The first is time trials, which is just a simple race against the clock for the best time. The second is stock car racing, which is just a simple all out race for first place, with no points awarded for wrecking. Third is "wrecking racing", which is stock car racing with the twist of points awarded for cool wrecks. 10 points for wrecking an opponent's car or spinning it 360 degrees, 4 points is awarded for a 180 degree spin, and 2 points for a 90 degree spin. If the car you damage is in first place at the time, then points are doubled. And, additional points are awarded for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finishing. In addition, there are five different tracks to race on in this or the stock car racing mode. The fourth event is Destruction Derby. Your track is basically a big "bowl" and you punch your gas and go for it. Additional points are awarded for being the last car still moving.

I really liked this game. The graphics were great, although a pretty fast computer is recommended to make the action move smoothly. The car moved and handled pretty realistically. For example, your car rocks to the outside when you make a sharp turn and you loose your ability to steer sharply when your car's front end gets smashed up. Also, there is a little diagram of your car in the lower right of the screen which shows the condition of the various sides of your car. Total destruction of either of the two front sections means your car is wrecked and you are done. The other sections are expendable, which is useful in the Destruction Derby mode because you can back into all of the other cars to wreck their front ends without harming your own, just like in real demolition derbies. Watch out though, the other cars have the same idea and use it against you too!

The only thing I would like to have seen extra in this game is more car paint jobs to choose from. There are only three now, one for each difficulty level you play (i.e. one for novice, a different one for intermediate, and another for expert). Other than that, I really had no gripe against this game, it is just a good, wholesome, fun game to be played when you are feeling stressed or just in the mood for some destruction.

--Brent Hegarty