Everybody is excited about the UK release of Destruction Derby. I purchased it
on 20th October and had great expectations of a fine game. However i feel I 
must warn people about this game. My view is that it should have stayed in 
development for a couple more weeks. The basic problem is that the gameplay is
just not there. 

For a start the cars just aren't fast enough and you never get any real 
sensation of speed. Certainly, the graphics are outstanding and quite possibly
the best seen so far on the PSX, but i would rather have gameplay than 
graphics. Also the control of the car just isn't right. Unlike Ridge Racer you 
can't skid round the corners at full speed, instead you have to break in 
order negotiate the corners. And considering the speed is fairly pedestrian 
at best, this makes for a very dull game. 

The game offers a large number of options in an attempt to enhance the 
durability of the game. However you will be disappointed by them. For example
there is the option to turn the game into a straight racer but this option is
very dull and highlights the poor playability of the game. 

There are six tracks available which all look very nice but all play pretty 
much the same. One track features a crossover which is a nice idea. However 
after being spun round 630 degrees by a car coming from the other side the 
camera view spins round and you are left with no idea whatsoever as to which 
direction you should take. All they needed to do was put some arrows on the 
track, and this just confirms my feeling that this game suffers from being
rushed out without adequate playtesting.

The Destruction Derby bowl is again a nice idea but suffers from the fact
that in order to spin the other cars needs planning and unfortunately the 
field of view is inadequate for this purpose. Most of the time, it comes
down to luck.

The link up option is a nice touch but does not resolve the fact that the 
gameplay just isn't there. 

I bought my Playstation on the day it was released and had been eagerly 
awaiting the launch of DD. When I had played the game for a couple of hours 
the following thought came to my mind "Is this it?". 

I know many of you have also eagerly been waiting to play Destruction Derby, 
and i suspect you will feel annoyed by my review of the game. However my 
advice to you is to forget about this game and save your money for something 
better.

Reviewed by: Adam el Badini (ecpgl@csv.warwick.ac.uk)