Demolition Racer
Encyclopedia
Demolition Racer was a game developed by Pitbull Syndicate
and published by Infogrames
. It is a racing game that combines destruction and driving tactics in a fast paced racing environment. It is very similar to the popular series Destruction Derby
.
The game's soundtrack features music from bands such as Cirrus, Empirion and Fear Factory
.
resembling a Ford Maverick
, the Marauder keeps strength, acceleration, top speed and handling at a medium level, resulting in a car that is fast and strong enough to compete in any race. The handling even contributes to destruction as players can use its average speed to target their next victim.
Bobcat - A zippy little '90's hatchback
that is agile and good in avoiding collisions, but its minimal strength keeps it from getting too rough. Players could use its handling to get around tight corners with ease as well as finding vantage points in the track.
Cruiser - A bulky 50s luxury car that is the slowest vehicle among the line, but also one of the strongest. Its greatest advantage is its strength which enables it to inflict more damage than it receives.
Predator - A fast 80s style sports car that is the fastest vehicle in the lineup, almost to the point where it takes special skills in handling the vehicle's sensitive turning and quick start-up. Its strength is fairly moderate, being on par with the Marauder's, but its speed can cause it more damage than the competitors, depending on how well the vehicle is handled.
Renegade - A fast and aggressive everyday car resembling a 1980 Bentley Mulsanne
, the vehicle is fast enough to avoid collisions, but strong enough to inflict damage if necessary. It is considered a step-up above the Marauder.
Mantis - A fast and agile sports car resembling a Fiat
, this car excels mostly in its handling and top speed, though it is one of the weakest vehicles in the line up.
Vandal - A van that resembles a Ford Transit
.
Widowmaker - A long hearse
.
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
and published by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
. It is a racing game that combines destruction and driving tactics in a fast paced racing environment. It is very similar to the popular series Destruction Derby
Destruction Derby
Destruction Derby is a 1995 video game developed by Reflections and published by Psygnosis, the former of which would later develop the successful Driver series. It was released for PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and MS-DOS...
.
The game's soundtrack features music from bands such as Cirrus, Empirion and Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
.
Gameplay
Players were given a choice of 5 different modes, each with differing gameplay elements.Game modes
- Demolition: The object of this mode is to complete the race in the given number of laps by earning damage points inflicted on contestants and reaching the highest rank possible while simultaneously surviving the race. Points were earned by generally smashing against and ramming other contestants and the player's points were multiplied by a certain number based on the player's rank in the final lap at the end of the race. The players could increase their points by inflicting more damage on other contestants, including damaging their contestant's radiator, destroying the contestant's car completely and even by landing on another car, destroying it instantly.
- The Chase: A standard race where the player is awarded for their placement in the final lap and points are not awarded for aggressiveness.
- Chicken: The same principle as in The Chase, only the player is the only contestant set on the right side of the race track; every other contestant is set driving in the opposite direction.
- Last Man Standing: Set an any of the three arenas, players are awarded for causing as much damage amongst contestants as they can as well as surviving the round. The points follow here as they do in Demolition mode.
- Suicide: Set in an arena, players are awarded for being the first to demolish their car.
Leagues
In order to unlock more tracks and vehicles, players had the option of competing in various race leagues including the following:- Rookie League
- Semi-Pro League
- Pro League
- Endurance League
- Arena League
Vehicles
Marauder - A '70's muscle carMuscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
resembling a Ford Maverick
Ford Maverick (North America)
The Ford Maverick was a compact car manufactured from April 1969-1977 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and from 1973-1979 in Brazil — employing a rear wheel drive platform dating to the original 1960 Falcon...
, the Marauder keeps strength, acceleration, top speed and handling at a medium level, resulting in a car that is fast and strong enough to compete in any race. The handling even contributes to destruction as players can use its average speed to target their next victim.
Bobcat - A zippy little '90's hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
that is agile and good in avoiding collisions, but its minimal strength keeps it from getting too rough. Players could use its handling to get around tight corners with ease as well as finding vantage points in the track.
Cruiser - A bulky 50s luxury car that is the slowest vehicle among the line, but also one of the strongest. Its greatest advantage is its strength which enables it to inflict more damage than it receives.
Predator - A fast 80s style sports car that is the fastest vehicle in the lineup, almost to the point where it takes special skills in handling the vehicle's sensitive turning and quick start-up. Its strength is fairly moderate, being on par with the Marauder's, but its speed can cause it more damage than the competitors, depending on how well the vehicle is handled.
Renegade - A fast and aggressive everyday car resembling a 1980 Bentley Mulsanne
Bentley Mulsanne
The Bentley Mulsanne is a performance luxury car which was produced by Bentley Motors Limited from 1980 until 1992, though derivative models like the Continental T and Azure continued in production into the 2000s...
, the vehicle is fast enough to avoid collisions, but strong enough to inflict damage if necessary. It is considered a step-up above the Marauder.
Mantis - A fast and agile sports car resembling a Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, this car excels mostly in its handling and top speed, though it is one of the weakest vehicles in the line up.
- Special vehicles: These locked vehicles were mostly designed for kicks with their great strength, but unrealistically fast speed:
Vandal - A van that resembles a Ford Transit
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...
.
Widowmaker - A long hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
.
Trivia
- All of the tracks featured by Cirrus on the soundtrack were lifted from their album Back on a Mission.
- The game saw an immediate sequel which served as an updated version on the Dreamcast entitled Demolition Racer: No ExitDemolition Racer: No ExitDemolition Racer: No Exit is a racing game developed for the Dreamcast. It was produced by Infogrames and Pitbull Syndicate. It is an enhanced port of Demolition Racer for PlayStation....
.