Destruction Derby Raw Preview

Destruction Derby was one of the titles in the PlayStation launch lineup that really did wonders for that console. Reflections, the development studio behind Destruction Derby, had created one of the biggest orgies of twisted steel and auto grease the PlayStation had ever seen. The game sold bucketloads and went straight to number one in the sales charts. The sequel, simply named Destruction Derby 2, surpassed the success of the first installment and allowed Reflections to set its sights on new projects like Driver. Unfortunately, once Reflections was bought by GT Interactive, the company lost the rights to Destruction Derby. The spotlight is now on Midway - which bought the Destruction Derby francise - and Studio 33, the development team behind Destruction Derby Raw (previously known as Destruction Derby 3).

Raw is more of the same over-the-top destruction you've come to expect from the previous DD games. The different play modes have been enhanced, and now you can play with up to four players. The single-player game has four modes: wreckin' racing, crash for cash, bowl, and pass da bomb. The wreckin' racing mode lets you compete in a single race where you need to place first to proceed to other tracks. To be ranked first, you must find the right mixture of racing fast and getting a good number of points from spectacular crashes. Those who place first in total may proceed to the next track and carry on. Crash for cash lets you purchase a car and modify it then compete in different events to earn money. You can eventually buy new cars and modifications as you progress. The new pass da bomb mode is basically a bomb-tag mode where you tag another player with a bomb to disable his vehicle. A total of 31 tracks are waiting for you to master, and 22 cars are available in the game - which is quite a boost from the previous Destruction Derby titles.

The graphics are clean, and they stay at a constant frame rate, with only minor slowdown in the multiplayer games. The car models are rather realistic and feature some incredible damage indicators. Hoods crumple, windshields shatter, and wheels wobble after you've run into a few things. The soundtrack is filled with wailing guitars and screaming power-chords that help put you in the mood to destroy stuff. The sound effects are absolutely great, from the convincing pinging sound of your engine on its last leg to the horrible squeal of twisting metal.

At this point Destruction Derby Raw is quite an addicting game, and it is shaping up rather nicely. Little touches like the skyscraper race or the effect damage has on the car's handling help Raw stand out from other derby racers, while a solid number of modes and and a realistic game engine make Raw a most promising game. Just make sure that you don't drive like that on your way to the local supermarket when you go shopping on the weekend. After all, it's just a game, remember?