Part Micro Machines, part Death Race 2000, Scrap Metal from Slick Entertainment offers players the chance to wreak vehicular carnage against both computer opponents and each other. Despite some frantic gameplay and polished graphics, over sensitive controls and confusing map designs stop Scrap Metal from achieving the heights of the classic top down racers it aims to emulates.
At its core Scrap Metal is set into two categories: from a top down perspective, players race their vehicles around a track, either attempting to destroy everything in sight or make it past the finish line first and in one piece. Players are offered control of their vehicles under either a standard control scheme or an advanced option: standard controls leave acceleration to the left control stick, but advanced controls make the game a bit more fun, leaving controls for the triggers and giving Scrap Metal controls akin to racing a remote-controlled car. Regardless of which control scheme you’re using, a fixed overhead camera makes things a bit more complicated and frustrating, as changes in direction are relative based on what way you’re looking.
The game’s physics serve only to increase the difficulty in control and while they may work in favour of the game’s destructive nature with cars bouncing around quite easily, they also result in vehicles lacking weight or balance.
From a single-player perspective, the game is restricted to a career mode in which players race across themed stages before going up against a boss character, all of which are designed in an uninspired cell-shaded theme. Across each stage players unlock new weapons and customisable vehicles, all of which are controlled differently but none of which offer enough variety to seem unique. The more elaborate of these weapons such as buzz saws and rocket launchers lack the punch of the default machine gun and players will find themselves returning to the default vehicle for most stages. The level design also works against Scrap Metal, in combination with the fixed camera, leaving multiple cars racing through narrow rubble players will find it all too easy to get momentarily lost amongst the madness.
Multiplayer offers various Survivor and Destruction Derby modes, both locally and online. The differing control schemes, however, make it difficult to just jump into a new game without engaging in the practice provided by career mode, but even after investing in career mode, nothing can be carried over into the multiplayer game. It’s an all-round lack of custom-features that really means that Scrap Metal disappoints with its goal to relive Micro Machines-style fun.
Overall, Scrap Metal is a frustrating experience. Despite a fun core concept, and one that should have limitless potential, an uninspired art pallet and difficult controls keep the game awkwardly straddling the gap between a racing game and a destruction-fest, never really achieving the standards of either genre. It’s even more disappointing when you consider that Slick Entertainment’s previous game was innovative platformer N+ which proved to be an extremely fun an inspired game. Hopefully, Scrap Metal is just a sophomore slump and Slick Entertainment can get back to making better games in future.
Zombie Rating: C
Scrap Metal is available for download now on XBox Live Arcade.
