Destruction Derby
Encyclopedia
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
(PC
). Based around the real-life sport of demolition derby
driving, the game involves wrecking other cars
for point
s, or driving a simple stock car
race around one of five tracks. Though simplistic in its aims, the game achieved popularity and was one of the first games to achieve platinum sales on the PlayStation console. The game was given a name change just two months prior to its release on October, 1995. It was originally called Demolish 'em Derby.
The popularity of the game resulted in a 1996
follow-up, Destruction Derby 2
, released for PlayStation and MS-DOS, 1999
's Destruction Derby 64 for Nintendo 64
, 2000
's Destruction Derby Raw
for PlayStation, and 2004
's Destruction Derby Arenas for PlayStation 2
. The games in the Destruction Derby series have led to several attempts by other companies to recreate their success, such as Demolition Racer
by The Pitbull Syndicate (later to become Midway Studios Newcastle
), and Bugbear Entertainment
's FlatOut
series. The game is currently available on the PlayStation Network for PSP and PS3 download.
s, the aim in Destruction Derby is not just to be the first to cross the finish line, but rather to accumulate the most amount of points. Points are gained by wrecking the player's opponents' cars. In every race there are 19, (15 in MS-DOS version), opponents of differering ability who race against the player. There are several game modes in the game, including:
Wreckin' Racing
Points are awarded based on two factors: the player's position in the race and the amount of damage inflicted on the opponents.
Stock Car Racing
Points are awarded mainly on the player's position in the race. It is important here to sustain minimal damage and try and get first place.
Destruction Derby
This takes place on a track known as The Bowl. It is not a circuit but a large open space where the only aim is to get as many points as possible by performing the best crashes into the opponents.
Time Trial
This time attack
playmode can mainly be used to gain familiarity with the tracks.
In Stock Car mode, points are awarded for 1st to 20th place in the following order: 50, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
Unlike in sequels, damage could not be repaired during a race, as there is no pit lane functionality in Destruction Derby.
on the normal track.
on the normal track.
and 3D Lemmings
on both tracks.
and the game itself on the normal track.
It is worth noting that in some Championship races the finishing line has been adjusted from its visual indication; for example, on a reverse race of the normal Speedway track the finishing line is under the electronic position board.
version of the game. Graphically and technically, the game was considered by some people as better than its PlayStation counterpart, with more cars available, brighter and better graphics and better recreation of crash damage, which included the hoods and trunks of cars flying off in hard collisions. The development of this game was done by Intermetrics Entertainment Software, LLC after Intermetric's acquisition of Looking Glass Studios (see Looking Glass Studios
for history). The development was done in Redmond, WA, Intermetrics' studios.
There are 24 cars in all. The player starts out with 12, but as well as the cars that are gradually unlocked there are 12 secret cars that you earn by doing championship mode and time trials. The cars in the game are left generic and have no manufacturer branding; possibly due to missing licensing agreements with the automobile manufacturers. These cars include:
The tracks are varied, from the traditional demolition derby arenas to the circuit races such as 'Destruction Junction' and are reasonably detailed in comparison with the PlayStation version, although the texture detail suffers due to the Nintendo 64's smaller texture memory.
Multiplayer has split screen for up to four players. The arenas that can't be played in single-player 'arcade' mode are available in multiplayer once they are unlocked in the championships.
The fastest raw stock car driver in the game is clearly The Skum in every race, whereas there are several competitors who are better in the "Destruction Derby" mode. Competitors such as Psycho, Undertaker, Barmy Army and The Taxman are amongst the best drivers in all modes, whereas drivers such as Suicide Squad are good in wrecking modes, but very slow in stock car modes.
In each Championship, the drivers start out in a system of five (four in MS-DOS version) divisions, with the goal for the player being to climb to and win Division 1. The drivers that are in each division remain constant for every new game, but are not ordered by ability (clear by the fact that L. Driver is in Division 2, despite being the weakest competitor in all game modes, but hardly ever takes damage meaning he is the best at the longer races). There is, however, an obvious pattern to who climbs to the top divisions and who doesn't; in stock car modes, only deliberate player intervention would stop The Skum from rising meteorically from his starting Division 3 to the top division.
Most of the drivers also have a voice clip for when points are taken from them by the player in wrecking modes, or for when the player "grips" them in all modes. Also, each driver has their own car design, and a cartoon
picture of the character displayed on the race and championship standings screens. The division of each driver can be seen during races by the colour of the roof of their car - Division One is black, Division Two is red, Division Three is cyan, Division Four is yellow and Division Five is white.
The competitors in each starting division, along with their car number are as follows:
One criticism of the game was that, in the "Duel" mode of the game, the driver who the player faces is always the Trashman (who is an average competitor in wrecking modes, and above average in stock car modes). Most of the characters were retained for the second Destruction Derby series game, Destruction Derby 2, with new additions The Master, The Chief, The Pro and Rivit to replace The Taxman, The Doctor, Crunch Bunch and The Idol.
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
video game developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Reflections
Reflections Interactive
Ubisoft Reflections Ltd., formerly known as Reflections Interactive, is a video game developer based in Newcastle, United Kingdom. The studio focuses on racing games and it is best known for creating the award winning Driver series.-History:...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Psygnosis, the former of which would later develop the successful Driver
Driver (series)
Driver is a series of mission-based driving video games developed by Reflections Interactive , and originally published by GT Interactive and later by Atari. The gameplay consists of a mixture of action, driving, and third-person shooting in open world environments...
series. It was released for PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, and MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
(PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
). Based around the real-life sport of demolition derby
Demolition derby
Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another...
driving, the game involves wrecking other cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
for point
Score (gaming)
In games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points, and events in the game can raise or lower the score of different parties...
s, or driving a simple stock car
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
race around one of five tracks. Though simplistic in its aims, the game achieved popularity and was one of the first games to achieve platinum sales on the PlayStation console. The game was given a name change just two months prior to its release on October, 1995. It was originally called Demolish 'em Derby.
The popularity of the game resulted in a 1996
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
follow-up, Destruction Derby 2
Destruction Derby 2
Destruction Derby 2 is a video game released in October 1996 for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows, developed by Reflections Interactive. A version for the Sega Saturn was also planned and developed by Probe Entertainment, but was never released....
, released for PlayStation and MS-DOS, 1999
1999 in video gaming
-Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”...
's Destruction Derby 64 for Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
's Destruction Derby Raw
Destruction Derby Raw
Destruction Derby Raw is a video game for the PlayStation and is the fifth installment of the Destruction Derby series. It was developed by Studio 33 and was first released in June 2000....
for PlayStation, and 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
's Destruction Derby Arenas for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The games in the Destruction Derby series have led to several attempts by other companies to recreate their success, such as Demolition Racer
Demolition Racer
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...
by The Pitbull Syndicate (later to become Midway Studios Newcastle
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 Bugbear Entertainment
Bugbear Entertainment
Bugbear Entertainment Ltd. is a Finnish video game company. It was established in March, 2000 and employed 40 employees as in 2007. The company solely focuses on various kinds of racing games.- Released games :- Upcoming games :...
's FlatOut
FlatOut
FlatOut is a racing video game developed by Finnish Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive and Vivendi Universal Games in 2004 and 2005. Gameplay in Flatout places emphasis on demolition derby-style races, and features a sophisticated physics engine...
series. The game is currently available on the PlayStation Network for PSP and PS3 download.
Gameplay
Unlike other racing gameRacing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s, the aim in Destruction Derby is not just to be the first to cross the finish line, but rather to accumulate the most amount of points. Points are gained by wrecking the player's opponents' cars. In every race there are 19, (15 in MS-DOS version), opponents of differering ability who race against the player. There are several game modes in the game, including:
Wreckin' Racing
Points are awarded based on two factors: the player's position in the race and the amount of damage inflicted on the opponents.
Stock Car Racing
Points are awarded mainly on the player's position in the race. It is important here to sustain minimal damage and try and get first place.
Destruction Derby
This takes place on a track known as The Bowl. It is not a circuit but a large open space where the only aim is to get as many points as possible by performing the best crashes into the opponents.
Time Trial
This time attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...
playmode can mainly be used to gain familiarity with the tracks.
Points system
Each championship mode race uses a points system. The Destruction Derby mode awards points only on the basis of wrecking other players' cars, and Stock Car only on race position, with Wreckin' Racing a hybrid of the two, (albeit with less points for positions than Stock Car). The maximum number of points available per race in the wrecking modes is 99, whereas Stock Car has a maximum of 50, (the points for first place). The points system for wrecking is as follows:- In Wreckin' Racing mode, the race position 1st gets ten points, 2nd gets six and 3rd gets four.
- In Destruction Derby mode, the last car not "gripped" gets ten points.
- Gripping a car gets ten points.
- Spinning a car 360 degrees gets ten points, with 180 degrees getting four points and 90 degrees getting two points. If you spin the car which is in first place during the Wreckin' race, the points are doubled.
In Stock Car mode, points are awarded for 1st to 20th place in the following order: 50, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
Cars
There are three cars found in the game, the Rookie, (Psygnosis), the Amateur, (Grim Reaper), and the Pro, (Smoothie). The rookie is the easiest to handle but it has the least power and speed of all the cars. The Amateur and Pro are more difficult to handle but have more power, are able to turn more effectively, and have greater speed.Damage engine
The game features an engine that simulates what effect collisions have on the vehicles. If a car has been severely damaged its handling will become worse, with the level of damage indicated by a car diagram on the right of the screen. Severe damage to one of the sides of the car will make it pull significantly to that side, and severe damage to both will make it almost impossible to turn at all. Heavy damage to one side of car's rear will reduce its ability to accelerate and hold speed; severe damage to the back on both sides will result in a the commentator's audio announcement "You've broken the rear axle!" and make the car almost unable to move. Damage to the front will eventually give the car a "blown radiator". If more damage is received by the front, eventually the engine will be blown and the car unable to move (for the player, resulting in the end of the race).Unlike in sequels, damage could not be repaired during a race, as there is no pit lane functionality in Destruction Derby.
Speedway
In Race Practice and Divisions 1, 2 and 5 (Championship) the Human Player races on an oval track with two left turns for 12 laps (reversed in Divisions 1 and 2). In Divisions 3 and 4 though the player races on a track beginning with a 90-degree left turn, followed later by a left-right-left kink that comes onto the home straight (this is reversed in Division 3). The race takes place during the day in all Divisions except 4, where it takes place at dusk. There is a promotional billboard for 3D Lemmings3D Lemmings
3D Lemmings is a computer game released in 1995, developed by Clockwork Games and published by Psygnosis. The gameplay, like the original Lemmings game, requires the player to lead all the lemmings to their exit by giving them the appropriate "skills". It was the first Lemmings game to be rendered...
on the normal track.
Crossover
In Race Practice and Divisions 2 and 5 (Championship) the Human Player races on a figure-of-eight for 10 laps, creating several opportunities for "gripping" cars, the Human Player to suffer steering failure and spinning opponents through 360 degrees. In Divisions 1, 3 and 4 the Human Player races on a slightly altered track that has one slightly longer loop turn and one turn cut into three 90-degree right turns (reversed in Division 1). The race takes place at dusk in Divisions 2 and 5, otherwise taking place during the day. There is a promotional billboard for Krazy IvanKrazy Ivan
Krazy Ivan is a mech first-person shooter released for PC, Sega Saturn and PlayStation in 1996 by Psygnosis.The player took the role of Ivan Popovich, a Russian soldier controlling a giant mechanical suit, defending the Earth from robotic aliens....
on the normal track.
Ocean Drive
In Race Practice and all Divisions (Championship) the Human Player races on a track beginning with a 90-degree left turn, then a straight followed by a left-turn hairpin and a right-turn 90-degree corner. The player then goes through a small passage before the lap finishes with a long left-turn hairpin (this is reversed in Divisions 2, 3 and 4). The race takes place during the day in all Divisions except 4, where it takes place at night.Cactus Creek
The largest track in the game in normal Race Practice and Divisions 1 and 5 (Championship), it begins with a long straight (in most cases) followed by a left-turn. Two left-turns follow, then a long straight before a long right-turn hairpin. Another straight follows before two left-turns, another straight and a tight left-turn to finish. There are 4 crossovers on the track, so steering failures and "grips" are not uncommon, as too are 360 degree spins. In Divisions 2, 3 and 4 the track is simply three left-turns linked with long straights (reversed in Divisions 2 and 3). The race takes place at dusk in Divisions 1 and 2, otherwise taking place during the day. There are promotional billboards for Assault RigsAssault Rigs
Assault Rigs is an Action game by Psygnosis, released in 1995 for PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The game is based in the future, where real sport has been overtaken in favour of virtual sport. And everyone's favourite is Assault Rigs...
and 3D Lemmings
3D Lemmings
3D Lemmings is a computer game released in 1995, developed by Clockwork Games and published by Psygnosis. The gameplay, like the original Lemmings game, requires the player to lead all the lemmings to their exit by giving them the appropriate "skills". It was the first Lemmings game to be rendered...
on both tracks.
City Heat
This track in Race Practice and Divisions 2, 3 and 5 (Championship) begins with a tight right-turn and two narrow passageways followed by a tight right-turn. A long straight beckons followed by a right-turn, a straight and another right-turn over the line (reversed in Division 3). In Divisions 1 and 4 the Player races on a circuit that begins with a tight left-turn followed by a left-turn hairpin after a short straight. A right-left kink comes after, with a long straight and a tight left-turn to finish (reversed in Division 1). The race takes place at night in Divisions 3 and 5, otherwise taking place during the day. There is a promotional billboard for WipeoutWipeout (video game)
Wipeout is the first in a series of futuristic racing video games developed and published by Psygnosis. It was originally released in 1995 for Sony PlayStation and PCs running MS-DOS, and in 1996 for Sega Saturn...
and the game itself on the normal track.
The Bowl
A straight smash finishes all seasons in any Division in this race with no track, but merely straight "gripping". Takes place during the day in Divisions 1, 3 and 5 and takes place at dusk during Divisions 2 and 4.Ruined Monastery
A reward for coming first in Division 1 (Championship), this track begins with a right-left kink before a straight leads into a right-turn hairpin in a tunnel. After this a left-right kink comes up before a short straight and a 90-degree right turn to come onto the finishing straight. Takes place exclusively during the day.It is worth noting that in some Championship races the finishing line has been adjusted from its visual indication; for example, on a reverse race of the normal Speedway track the finishing line is under the electronic position board.
Destruction Derby 64
Destruction Derby 64 (DD64) is the Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
version of the game. Graphically and technically, the game was considered by some people as better than its PlayStation counterpart, with more cars available, brighter and better graphics and better recreation of crash damage, which included the hoods and trunks of cars flying off in hard collisions. The development of this game was done by Intermetrics Entertainment Software, LLC after Intermetric's acquisition of Looking Glass Studios (see Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
for history). The development was done in Redmond, WA, Intermetrics' studios.
There are 24 cars in all. The player starts out with 12, but as well as the cars that are gradually unlocked there are 12 secret cars that you earn by doing championship mode and time trials. The cars in the game are left generic and have no manufacturer branding; possibly due to missing licensing agreements with the automobile manufacturers. These cars include:
- Baja Buggy: A blue and yellow car, which looks like a Volkswagen BeetleVolkswagen BeetleThe Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
. - Low Rider: Purple low rider with blue hood design, which looks very much like a 1967 Chevy Impala.
- Woody Wagon: Green wagon with wood panels.
- Pickup: Cloud and gold color. Looks like a Chevrolet S-10Chevrolet S-10The first compact pickup from General Motors was the rebadged Isuzu KB sold since 1972 as the Chevrolet LUV. The 1973 Arab oil embargo forced GM to consider designing a domestically-produced compact pickup truck. As usual, parts from other GM chassis lines were incorporated. The first S-series...
. - Taxicab: Yellow taxi with checkered pattern.
- Blue Demon: Ford Mustang GT. Light blue with a blue stripe through the middle.
- Ragtop: Red car with white stripes. Appears to be a 1957 Chevrolet CorvetteChevrolet CorvetteThe Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
. - Hot Rod: Black Hot Rod with flames, reminiscent of the popular 1932 Ford hotrod..
- Ambulance: White with red stripes closely resembling a Ford Econoline ambulance.
- Hatchback: Similar to a AMC GremlinAMC GremlinThe AMC Gremlin is a two-door subcompact car produced in the United States and Canada by the American Motors Corporation between 1970 and 1978. AMC reduced its development and manufacturing costs by adapting a shortened Hornet platform with a Kammback-type tail...
. Green with a dark green stripe. - Street Rocket: Light blue with turquoise front. A bit more ambiguous, this car appears to be a late '60s Oldsmobile 442Oldsmobile 442The Oldsmobile 442 was a muscle car produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. It was introduced as an option package for F-85 and Cutlass models sold in the United States beginning with the 1964 model year. It became a model in its own right from 1968 to 1971, then reverted to an...
or Pontiac GTOPontiac GTOThe Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac Division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, and now classic muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s...
. - Police Car: Grey with white doors, this car is obviously a late '80s to early '90s Ford Crown VictoriaFord Crown Victoria-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
.
The tracks are varied, from the traditional demolition derby arenas to the circuit races such as 'Destruction Junction' and are reasonably detailed in comparison with the PlayStation version, although the texture detail suffers due to the Nintendo 64's smaller texture memory.
Multiplayer has split screen for up to four players. The arenas that can't be played in single-player 'arcade' mode are available in multiplayer once they are unlocked in the championships.
Competitors
In each race, there are nineteen CPU drivers (fifteen in MS-DOS version) who compete along with the main player. Each driver is of differing ability, and each one has a (slightly) different driving style, which initially creates variation for the player but can easily be predicted after playing the game for a while. Some CPU drivers perform better in different modes, with some weak at stock car racing but strong in wrecking-for-points environments.The fastest raw stock car driver in the game is clearly The Skum in every race, whereas there are several competitors who are better in the "Destruction Derby" mode. Competitors such as Psycho, Undertaker, Barmy Army and The Taxman are amongst the best drivers in all modes, whereas drivers such as Suicide Squad are good in wrecking modes, but very slow in stock car modes.
In each Championship, the drivers start out in a system of five (four in MS-DOS version) divisions, with the goal for the player being to climb to and win Division 1. The drivers that are in each division remain constant for every new game, but are not ordered by ability (clear by the fact that L. Driver is in Division 2, despite being the weakest competitor in all game modes, but hardly ever takes damage meaning he is the best at the longer races). There is, however, an obvious pattern to who climbs to the top divisions and who doesn't; in stock car modes, only deliberate player intervention would stop The Skum from rising meteorically from his starting Division 3 to the top division.
Most of the drivers also have a voice clip for when points are taken from them by the player in wrecking modes, or for when the player "grips" them in all modes. Also, each driver has their own car design, and a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
picture of the character displayed on the race and championship standings screens. The division of each driver can be seen during races by the colour of the roof of their car - Division One is black, Division Two is red, Division Three is cyan, Division Four is yellow and Division Five is white.
The competitors in each starting division, along with their car number are as follows:
Division Two
- Crunch Bunch (#22)
- Learner Driver (#37)
- Psycho (#40)
- Heavy Metal Hero (#52) (not in MS-DOS version)
Division Three (This division (cyan) is not available in MS-DOS version)
- The Skum (#13)
- The Goddess (#35)
- Pyromaniac (#64) (not in MS-DOS version)
- Undertaker (#77)
Division Four
- The Idol (#23) (not in MS-DOS version)
- The Optician (#47) (not in MS-DOS version)
- The Beast (#66)
- Passion Wagon (#69)
Division Five
- Human Player (#01)
- Trashman (#07)
- The General (#50)
- The Bouncer (#88)
One criticism of the game was that, in the "Duel" mode of the game, the driver who the player faces is always the Trashman (who is an average competitor in wrecking modes, and above average in stock car modes). Most of the characters were retained for the second Destruction Derby series game, Destruction Derby 2, with new additions The Master, The Chief, The Pro and Rivit to replace The Taxman, The Doctor, Crunch Bunch and The Idol.