Remember when you were younger, and you used to have that rather slow moving remote control car. You could never find anyone to race against and when you did the radio controls interfered with each other and your respective cars just moved randomly? I know I had that problem, I also wished the car would go faster and have weapons like they did in the majority of the Saturday morning cartoons I used to watch (fine, fine I still watch them ok). Well my childhood dreams have been realised with this latest addition to the Xbox LIVE Arcade House/Block Party collection.
Scrap Metal is fantastic to play and very hard to stop once you get started. It’s one of those games you can pick up without any trouble and just jump straight into the action. There is a tutorial level that you have to play through as is standard with a lot of games, but unlike other games this one will only take a minute or two, a plus in my opinion.
The single player mode is where you will cut your teeth with racing, demolition derby and elimination matches. You know, I could go on here but there are so many ways of playing this game that I could take up a paragraph listing them all. Granted a lot of the game modes are similar but when you are in the heat of a race or the thick of battle you will barely notice. Instead you will be too busy trying to gain your gold star in order to earn upgrade points for the multitude of cars that are available. Cars need to be unlocked as with most racing games but it’s not too taxing and worth the effort when you eventually get your souped up tank or big rig lorry to blast your opponents.
Now we move on to the main event of this tasty game, multiplayer! The multiplayer is a blast and it’s utter chaos as everyone tries to gain the upper hand as you play through one of the multitude of courses and game types. Half the time it really is anyone’s game as there is no room for finesse as you ram, blast and trap your opponents. I actually didn’t get annoyed once as I played against some of the craziest drivers I have ever seen as I was just as frantic in my urge to gain the coveted first place position for longer than 5 seconds. The game is fast paced and filled with fun elements which only serve to enhance your enjoyment. Even the traps are amusingly evil, with the likes of rockets, oil spills and mines just to name a few. I would actually recommend this game solely for the multiplayer madness that can ensue.
With all the serious racing style games out there, this is like a breath of fresh air. It’s fun without being twee and a joy to play. I recommend snapping this title up as fast as you can and joining the fun and frolics.
VideogameUK verdict: 8/10
