| Developer: Studio 33 | Publisher: Gathering |
| Release Date: March 29, 2004 | Also On: None |
Destruction Derby Arenas theoretically puts you behind the wheel of a “supercharged wrecking ball of American muscle�. On paper, the concept might sound appealing, but in actuality, the game is executed poorly in nearly all departments, except graphical aspects.
20 “muscle cars�, each with their own unique drivers, strengths, and handling, are available. Of course, most of them need to be unlocked by playing the single-player mode. If in any given race, you beat the person that you are assigned to beat, you unlock that person in all other modes.
DDA has exhibition races that let you jump in the action immediately after opening it, with a friend or by yourself. Of course, with nothing unlocked, it is recommended to play the championship mode (single-player) to get the goodies. Each season progresses through wrecking-style races. Points are awarded for smashing other cars and finishing the race in a decent position. The game also has two two-player split screen modes. One is a racing mode and the other is the arena mode, where you smash your cars to death, in an attempt to rack up the points.
Points are acquired for stylish moves, such as skids and flipping opponent’s cars. Spin 90 degrees and you are awarded with 500 points; spin 180 and receive 1,000. Points are awarded for banging other cars, along with hitting items on the track, such as trash cans and signs.
Let’s quickly do a control overview. X is used to accelerate, square to reverse, R2 to hand brake, and L2 to boost, but only when you pick up nitro. All controls are customizable according to each player’s preferences.
Online gameplay is conceivably the most exciting feature in this whole package. Most of the online game modes allow for only eight to sixteen players. The USB headset is used for communication, but only in lobbies or in the post-match screen. The online modes pick up variety that offline doesn’t have. The online game modes include racing, capture-the-trophy, and more.
Even if Destruction Derby Arenas was a budget title, I couldn’t recommend this title. This would be a nice rental for those of you that like playing games online, but for everyone else, avoid this at all costs. The game’s flaws greatly outweigh any good. I’ll kindly recommend picking up Ford Racing 2 or Corvette over this any day.
| Graphics: | 6 |
| Sound: | 2 |
| Gameplay: | 2 |
| Creativity: | 2 |
| Replay Value/Game Length: | 5 |
| Final: | 2.9 |
| Written by Kyle | Review Guide |