After nearly 4-years, I figured I'd update this thread and give it a bump. Alphabatized and new additions. Enjoy.
There are plenty of Demolition Derby games out there and some a great and some just suck. I usually don't play the ones that are terrible for very long, and in fact, I can barely remember their titles. So without mentioning the terrible ones, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite demolition derby games and a brief reason why.
I'm always looking for a new Demolition Derby game to add to my collection. One of the most important aspects that I look for in a Demolition Derby is how realistic the game play, crashes, and physics are. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple that aren't very realistic at all, but they were awesome in their day.
Here's my list of games, in order in which I could remember them.
BeamNG (PC) - From what I can tell, this is still a work in progress. It's a physics engine that allows someone to have nearly full control of the vehicle and place it in various senarios. I have an early release and there are some things that bothers me about the realism of the simulator. The vehicles (ones I used at least) had a wobble to them. Meaning the vehicle had a 'jello' like feel to it. They should be more rigid. Also, and this is a real dumb problem, the glass on the vehicles does not break, but stretch when the vehicle becomes deformed. I imagine on a later release or when the simulator becomes a game this will be resolved. It was kind of funny when the windshield stretches when driving under a low bridge or overhang.
www.beamng.com
Blood Drive (PS3) - A cross between Carmageddon and Twisted Metal. Weapons added to your car and you can crush zombies roaming the streets. It's an alright game, but not one of my favorites.
Blur (PS3) - Kind of like a Mario-Kart racing game with PS3 graphics. Not one of the best games, but if you scored it cheap then it'll keep you busy for a couple days.
Burnout 2 (GC) - A very fun game that consumed many hours of my time. From all the trophies that you can win and cars to unlock, this game required a lot of time and drifting expertise. There really wasn't anything more fun than wrecking into other cars in an intersection and watching it in slow motion. A very fun game. Burnout Paradise is one of the best in the series.
Burnout Paradise (PS3) - I bought this game the day it was launched and it was love at first sight. Although the game has an "arcade" feel to it's game play and it's fast paced, it's a definite favorite. This game offers a mix between the openess of the Grand Theft Autos while maintaining the style of the Burnout series. If you love Burnout and haven't played this, what are you waiting for?
Burnout Revenge (PS2) - I just purchased a Playstation 2 CIB from a co-worker and immediately picked up this game from GameStop. It is a heck of a lot better than
Burnout 2, but not nearly as good as
Burnout Paradise (PS3). The game play is pretty fast and difficult, keeping me interested. You cannot go wrong with the
Burnout series.
Carmageddon 2 (PC) - This game is somewhat of a cartoon, but it was highly entertaining. I've spent so many hours playing this game just bashing into things and finding power ups. I wasn't much of a fan of
Carmageddon 1 or
Carmageddon TDR 2000, and the N64 version shouldn't even be mentioned. After browsing the internet, I found a mod for
Carmageddon 2 that will completely transform the game to
Destruction Derby 2. I'm in the process of installing the mod on my
Carmageddon 2 and I'll update with how good it is. The conversion mod can be found here:
http://www.moddb.com/games/carmageddon-ii-carpocalypse-now/m... (I updated to the mod and it was really Destruction Derby 1 for the PSX).
Crash Day (PC) - I only played this for a few hours because I became quite bored with the lack of opponents. One of the best features was that you could customize your tracks without any special programs or knowledge. If some one spent the time, you could really make something awesome. However, the lack of features in this game really was a damper on its fun and I had a hard time convincing anyone to play it with me.
Demolition Racer (PSX & PC) - It's a good game, but somewhat unrealistic and on the cartoon side. I had a lot of fun playing and destroying cars by landing on top of them. It's been so long since I have played this one, I can't really tell you more about it. I did have some fun though. I just bought Demolition Racer: No Exit for the Dreamcast (received it today). I haven't played it and I'll update once I do.
Demolition Racer: NO EXIT (DC) - Received this game the day I made this post. Had a DC to play it on, but didn't have an S-Video TV. Ordered a converter and the game played in black and white. Bought another DC off of Craigslist and started playing this game. It's a lot of fun, but very challenging. This game definitely has other features to the game that the PSX and PC release didn't offer. The game was only $5.00, so if you have a DC, pick this one up.
Destruction Derby (PSX) - I'm not sure if I had the demo to this game or not, but I can remember obsessing over this game while I was in school. I'd walk home from my bus stop and just think about the ways I could wreck into other opponents. One of the things that frustrated me the most was that the car never left the ground. It didn't roll over, tires didn't go flat and the glass didn't break. It was fun back in the day. Today it's just a tad bit slow.
Destruction Derby 2 (PSX) - This game consumed a lot of my time also. I barely played this game in career mode (I had a gameshark to unlock tracks). I played the demolition derby bowls and found a way to sky rocket my car into the air hundreds of feet. It didn't gain me any points, but it was neat just to be able to do it.
Destruction Derby RAW (PSX) - I don't know how I missed this game when it was released. I didn't play this game until after the PS2 slim was released. Some how I was searching on eBay for Destruction Derby 1 and found this title. Luckily I found one (brand new) and scooped it up. I didn't play this as long as I played the other Destruction Derby's, but I still liked the game.
Flat Out (PC) - When I purchased this game and started playing, I literally didn't leave my computer until I unlocked everything... well almost everything. Towards the end of the game, it started to get impossible and I eventually just gave up. I had a lot of fun played, but shortly after I got this game, Flat Out 2 was released and I moved on.
Flat Out 2 (PC) - I was all over this game. Not only did I beat this game, but I kept playing my favorite races over and over again trying to get that "perfect crash". Not that a perfect crash is a part of the game, but just something for me to entertain myself with. I haven't played either of the Flat Outs on any console, so I won't give any input.
Full Auto (Xbox 360) - The Twisted Metal idea moves to the 360. My buddy got a 360 and this game was on his demo disc and we kept playing that one race over and over. He finally bought the full version and it was just as much fun. One of the draw backs would be that you have to pick your weapons at the beginning of the race, and that's all you get. This game has great graphics and was super fun. I don't have a 360 and my buddy sold his, so my time with this one was limited. I heard that
Full Auto 2 for the
PS3 was a flop and not that great.
Full Auto 2 - Battlelines (PS3) - Absolutely horrible. The physics engine is terrible and the gameplay is worse. If you own it, I'm sorry. Therefore, I'm sorry for myself ;-)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC) - Sure there was other things to do in the game, but after I got so far as to unlock all of the islands, I would just drive around and smash into things. I would just go around and shoot other cars, blow out their tires and shoot out the windows. Not that realistic of a game (physics wise), but I don't think that it would be very fun to total a car after hitting a fire hydrant. The other
Grand Theft Autos were great too, but
Vice City was the one I played the most.
Grand Theft Auto V (PS3) - Yes. Excellent game, great storyline, new concept all around. The car crashes are pretty decent, but the physics are geared towards not completely destroying your car on the first hit-Understandable. The online mode is awesome. Not a "demolition derby" game, but can be used as such.
Next Car Game (PC) - I recently downloaded the demo and I have to admit, the game it very realistic. The graphics are really good and the detail is unmatched across the demolition derby board. I can't wait to buy the retail game (which I think is available now). This game started out as a Kickstarter and then progressed into full development. Some of the features I'm looking forward to is the racing style of the Flatout series and the 24-person online multiplayer. Give it a shot at
www.nextcargame.com
Rush 2049 (N64 & DC) - How the hell could I forget about this game? It's not entirely a destruction derby game, but you could wreck cars and perform stunts. I love the Dreamcast version more than the N64, but I grew up on the N64 version. The Rush series was a very good racing series for the N64, especially with the introduction to the "stunt" mode in Rush 2. The original won my heart with all of the mountain dew's that you had to find, just to unlock the fastest car in the game and also the large amount of hidden short cuts.
Twisted Metal 2 (PSX) - Not a very realist game in my eyes, but the entertainment value when it came out was huge. I borrowed this from a friend (when I couldn't afford it) and played it until he begged for it back. The objectives of destroying the other cars and unlocking features kept me playing. Honestly, I haven't played any of the other Twisted Metals, despite owning all of the PSX releases. One thing that I've been looking for is the PC version of this game. I had a buddy in college that I played with multiplayer on the PC, but I have yet to locate my own copy. The multiplayer on the PC was AWESOME!!
Twisted Metal (PS3) - The game is pretty fun with the typical Twisted Metal feel. Drive around, gathering weapons and powerups. Destroy your opponents and challenging boxxes. The storyline is absolutely amazing and the cut scenes are VERY good. This is a definite if you have a PS3 and enjoy some old fashoned destruction.
Test Drive Eve of Destruction (PS2) - If you're a fan of demolition derby's, and haven't played this GO GET IT. I feel that it is one of the most realistic demolition derby's out there. There are so many different types of races and a lot of tracks and cars to unlock.
Vigilante 8 (PSX) - Although this game can be considered a Twisted Metal knock-off, it did offer it's own style of game play. I can't honestly say that I've played this game to death, but I played enough to know that it was very fun and a good competitor to the Twisted Metals. It's definitely a shame that these games didn't get more publicity and come out with more titles in the series.
If there are any games that I'm missing, leave a reply and I can try them out and add them to the list.
<--- Don't be a JIVE TURKEY! 
