Along with Wipeout, this is another Sony owned series that made its way to the N64, this time licensed out to Looking Glass Studios and THQ. Like Wipeout, this is another Psygnosis series that, despite a lot of love from fans, has been left abandoned by Sony.

Instead of being a port of the PlayStation games, this is a whole new game. It’s a bit more colourful than the PlayStation games, but I think that works really well.

Destruction Derby is a game about smashing other cars. There are multiple starting points on the track, with cars moving in opposite directions. To keep the game flowing, there’s a checkpoint system and a time limit. I usually hate this in racing games, but it makes a lot of sense in Destruction Derby. The goal isn’t simply to be the last person standing, but to score as many points as possible.

Your main scoring is from smashing into other cars and totalling them, although you also get points for reaching checkpoints, so you are rewarded for staying alive, but with diminishing returns, as you get less and less time the longer the match goes on. This creates a great risk/reward system, as you want to smash into others, but you also don’t want to blow up too early. Cars low on damage emit smoke, so you can target those specifically. It’s an immense amount of fun.

There are also some events that take place in small arenas. No time limit, it ends when only one car is left (although they may not have the most points). Lots of chaos here, although I personally preferred the races. There’s also a good amount of multiplayer modes.

One thing that surprised me is how good the handling feels. It’s kind of a shame that there’s no standard race option (where you can still destroy opponents) – this could have been a really great racing game as well. Still, this is a ton of fun.

Great

But, even given the amusement of the bowls, DD64 is a bog standard N64 game. There are sparks of enjoyment throughout, but the concept is just too limiting and you can complete the one-player game in about half a da (and that’s with a couple of easily avoidable mistakes chalked up). Mildly fun, then, but pretty average.

Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #36. Review Score: 65%

Remake or remaster?

A new Destruction Derby would be great. I think it would work best with slightly cartoony graphics, and keeping the game simple and fun. More realistic games like Wreckfest just aren’t the same kind of fun.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get Destruction Derby 64