Finally, Lucas Arts Does Something Right!
Plot 7/10
The plot of this game is necessarily basic. Jaba the Hutt, the notorious underworld kingpin, has started a new underground sport. He holds Demolition tournaments for both entertainment and profit on various planets throughout the galaxy. Many of the combatants are forced, for one reason or another, to join the tournaments, but others voluntarily join for reasons of their own. Demolition features 10 playable B-list characters (not counting the 3 secret unlockable ones), each one with their own specialized vehicle and motive for entering the tournament. Small sub-stories are given for each character, and each one has a specific victory and defeat video pertaining to their story. Despite the existence of a plot, the emphasis on the story line is so low that it might as well be nonexistent, but the game doesn’t need a plot to be good. The plot just exists as an excuse to support the crash and bash style gameplay. I must give Demolition props for incorporating a somewhat intricate plot into a game that doesn’t really need one at all.
Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay in Star Wars: Demolition is absolutely phenomenal. The battles are intense, and the ability to go head to head with a friend or play along side one another just adds to the fun and excitement. There are four modes of gameplay: Battle, Tournament, High Stakes (my personal favorite because you can play for loads of cash), and Hunt-A-Droid. Each one is very different and requires a unique style of gameplay. Although the goal of the game is to play through the Tournament mode with all ten of the main vehicles in order to unlock all of the planets and hidden vehicles, the game is technically open-ended. Each vehicle operates differently and requires a specialized fighting style, and learning to utilize the abilities of each adds to the overall fun of the game. To mix it up even further, each of the 8 worlds host a whole slew of strikingly unique landscapes and perils, and there are tons of different types of secondary weapons and powerups to collect. The battles themselves are intense meles, where skill and awareness of your surroundings are necessary for survival. The level design itself is expansive and literally everything is destructible. I love the go anywhere dynamics of the levels, but regret that there are so few of them. All in all, it is its solid and highly addicting gameplay that carries demolition and makes it such a great game.
Graphics 5/10
The graphics are Demolition's one weak point. In most places they are extremely pixilated, even to the point of making surfaces appear gritty and the edges of objects brutally jagged. Aside from this, it is not uncommon to see disjointed objects and mysterious holes where there shouldn’t be, but the area where the graphics truly fall short is that of motion. When there is too much going on on the screen, the frame rate is prone to slow to a near crawl. In the heat of battle, this can be very annoying, even frustrating. On the other hand, Demolition does feature fairly nice environments, and the battle effects are great (this game features some of the most wonderful explosions I've ever seen in a PSX game).
Sound 9/10
The sound in this game absolutely shines! The soundtrack is taken straight from the original movie trilogy, and the intensity of the musical score makes for great battle music. The loops are surprisingly long, so that they take quite a while to get tired of, and the bonus songs are good too. In fact, the game score is so good, that there is an option where you can listen to the music and skip tracks, just like a CD, which I have actually done. The sound effects are magnificent. The explosions are thunderous, and the vehicle noises also sound as if they were pulled right out of the movies. The overall soundtrack enhances the Star Wars: Demolition experience in a way that very few game makers have been able to achieve.
Replay Value 10/10
As I mentioned previously, Demolition is an open ended game. The action is fast, and no two battles are ever the same. The AI is can be rather smart at times, providing for more of a challenge than the average game. So, it never seems to get old. The various game modes and multiplayer options just add to the already high replay value of this game.
Content/Extras 7/10
Star Wars: Demolition doesn’t have any bonus features in the traditional sense, but it features tons of unlockables and hidden vehicles. That alone is enough to keep a devoted gamer coming back for more.
Overall Rating 8/10
Despite the lackluster graphics and loose, shallow plot. Demolition is an absolute blast to play. Somehow, this game never seems to loose its intensity, and it is even better when you play with a friend. Whether for a few minutes or a few hours, Star Wars: Demolition delivers solid gameplay that no gamer can complain about.
Buy/Rent/Ignore ?
Buy!! whether you are a Star wars fan or not, this game delivers countless hours of fun, smooth, and rather inventive gameplay. This game is quirky, and unusually unique for a Star Wars game. Demolition will make a welcome addition to any gamer's collection.
Bottom Line
Star Wars: Demolition is an unusually good Star Wars game. It stands out as a unique and innovative instalment of a franchise that is often stale and formulaic. This is, by far, the best Star Wars game to date...