Scrap Metal Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 6th April 2010

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Heading for the scrap heap.

Scrap Metal Details:

	Racing
	Xbox 360
	Slick Entertainment
	Slick Entertainment

TBC

Out Now

1-16

Combat racing games have always proved popular with the more casual gamer, so it comes as no real surprise that Microsoft is looking to take the chequered flag with Scrap Metal, but unfortunately the game sadly fails to make any significant impact.

Scrap Metal takes place from a top down perspective and rather than straight up racing, races tend to be mission based. Some do offer rewards for coming in first pace but more often than not during the course of the game there will be a special condition needed for victory, such as wrecking a specific opponent’s car, being the last car standing or scoring the most wrecks. As you may have guessed the race objectives usually revolve around causing maximum destruction.

There are no major problems with the game however Scrap Metal lacks that zest that racing games need in order to standout in an ever increasingly crowded genre. This is mainly due to weapon use and crashes being a little understated, you just don’t get the feeling or satisfaction you do from other similar games and this is the games biggest problem. The developers seem to have kept things rather low key which takes away any feeling of intensity which makes the race feel more laboured than dramatic. This is also reflected in the games upgrade system, it allows you to modify multiple aspects of your car such as, speed, weapons and armour but yet rather disappointingly it seems to have little to no affect at all. This all sounds quite disappointing but there are glimpses of what could have been during races and these come from using various power-ups. These allow you to score instant kills or use special weapons against your opponents and although they don’t last very long they do have quite a dramatic impact and make the game feel more, how you would expect it to.

Track design is quite varied and it’s clear the developers have tried to emphasis the combat element of the game with various obstacles and hazards that have been used throughout the design of the tracks, such as jumps, and routes that cross paths allowing for high speed collisions. Scrap Metal’s single player element is quite extensive with lots of race events set across the different tracks. Despite this Scrap Metal lacks that certain “edge” and it’s not at all difficult to pinpoint the reason, the game lacks intensity and that’s mainly due to the fact that the games A.I concentrates more on racing than causing destruction and taking you out. But still you shouldn’t expect an easy ride as the games A.I is more than competent, so much so that the casual gamers it’s aimed at may find it a little inaccessible.

Scrap Metal’s multiplayer modes fare better and are considerably more enjoyable than the single player aspect. Mainly due to the fact real players usually have a similar interest to you, to cause as much carnage as possible. The game supports online and offline multiplayer games via split screen and in all honesty it’s well worth giving it a try and is much more of what I expected from Scrap Metal than the single player element.

The games visuals are pretty much standard for this type of game with very little that stands out to talk about. There is an option to play in 3D with a range of formats available to play, although this does little to enhance the playing experience on offer in Scrap Metal.

Scrap Metal sadly doesn’t deliver the playing experience the many fans of the genre had hoped for, whilst its overall difficulty may put off the more casual gamer. The multiplayer aspect does offer some hope, but this is definitely one title that seems destined for the scrap heap.

Scrap Metal - The Verdict

5/10	Positives + Multiplayer is enjoyable + Track design varied. Negatives - Races lack excitement - Upgrade system has little effect



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