Vehicular combat game

Last updated

A vehicular combat game (or car combat game) is a vehicle simulation video game where the primary gameplay objectives include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled by the CPU or by opposing players. The genre normally features a variety of different vehicles available for play, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and special attack abilities. Players may also unlock hidden vehicles by completing certain in-game tasks. Games may include racing themes, but they are generally secondary to the action.

Contents

Gameplay

Vehicular combat games normally follow a simple play pattern; the player must defeat increasing numbers of not very skilled enemies before facing off against a final, super-powerful, boss character. Vehicular combat games differ from traditional racing games both in the combat aspect and in the general lack of any set path for players to follow, instead allowing them to explore each level at their leisure. The complexity and strategy required to complete games vary, from the careful resource maintenance and intense story-driven plotlines of the Interstate '76 series to straightforward smashups like WWE Crush Hour . Often, the primary plot will involve a contest or competition of some sort, encouraging the various characters to fight and destroy one another to obtain a reward. The Twisted Metal series has been attributed as the first "true" vehicular combat game, without cartoony graphics as seen in kart racing games. [1]

History

Vehicular combat games featuring cars have been particularly well-represented on PlayStation consoles, starting with games like Destruction Derby, Twisted Metal, Wipeout and Rollcage . [2]

In the 2020s, vehicular combat games are largely considered a "dead" genre due to their lack of prominent entries, despite some games still being released in the modern day, such as Destruction AllStars . [3] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic racing simulations and more fantastical arcade-style racing games. Kart racing games emerged in the 1990s as a popular sub-genre of the latter. Racing games may also fall under the category of sports video games.

<i>Twisted Metal</i> Video game series

Twisted Metal is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As of October 31, 2000, the series has sold 5 million copies. Several of the games in the series were re-released as part of the Sony Greatest Hits program. The original game and its first sequel were also released for the PC.

<i>Vigilante 8</i> 1998 video game

Vigilante 8 is a vehicular combat video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. Although officially it has no connection to the Interstate '76 series, it features several of its themes.

<i>Jak X: Combat Racing</i> 2005 combat racing video game

Jak X: Combat Racing is a 2005 vehicular combat video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 console. It is the fourth installment in the Jak and Daxter series. The plot follows protagonist Jak and his allies who, after having been poisoned, must partake in a championship of the fictional sport of "combat racing" in an effort to obtain an antidote.

<i>Destruction Derby</i> 1995 video game

Destruction Derby is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Psygnosis. Based on the sport of demolition derby, the game tasks the player with racing and destroying cars to score points. The developers implemented simulated physics to make the results of collisions easier to predict, and they kept the game's tracks small to increase the number of wrecks. Versions of Destruction Derby were released for MS-DOS, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Critics found Destruction Derby enjoyable and they praised its graphics and car damage system, but the Sega Saturn releases received mixed reviews. The game started the Destruction Derby franchise, beginning with its 1996 sequel, Destruction Derby 2.

<i>Twisted Metal 4</i> 1999 video game

Twisted Metal 4 is a vehicular combat video game developed by 989 Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America on November 16, 1999 and was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in 2000. Like the previous installment, it wasn't released in the PAL regions.

<i>Twisted Metal: Small Brawl</i> 2001 video game

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is a vehicular combat video game developed by Incognito Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Santa Monica Studio assisted on development. It was released in North America on November 27, 2001.Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is the sixth installment in the Twisted Metal series of video games.

<i>Twisted Metal: Black</i> 2001 vehicle combat video game

Twisted Metal: Black is a vehicular combat video game developed by Incognito Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first game developed by Incognito Entertainment. Santa Monica Studio assisted on development. It is a reboot of the Twisted Metal series and was released on June 18, 2001. An online enabled multiplayer-only variant, Twisted Metal: Black Online, was released later as a free send-away.

<i>Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012</i> 1998 video game

Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012, also known as Rogue Trip, is a vehicular combat video game developed by SingleTrac and published by GT Interactive for the PlayStation in 1998. The game is set in an apocalyptic fiction alternative history version of the year 2012 where mercenaries fight against each other using vehicles, and various weapons as they pick up tourists, hitchhikers, and passengers paying them fares for bringing them to vacation destinations around the remnants of the destroyed United States, and these mercenaries call themselves "auto mercenaries".

<i>Destruction Derby 2</i> 1996 vehicular combat video game

Destruction Derby 2 is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Reflections Interactive and published in 1996 by Psygnosis for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. The sequel to Destruction Derby, players race with the goal of earning points by damaging opponent cars. Standard races and matches based in arenas with the goal of remaining the last player driving are also available. The game is an overhaul of the original and features ideas that did not make it into the first game including tracks that feature obstacles and improved realism. The car mechanics were also redesigned. Development was also focused on Americanisation: the game style shifted away from the British banger racing of the original, and the cars and music were changed to fit a NASCAR theme. The game features Paul Page as commentator, and the soundtrack was created by thrash metal bands Jug and Tuscan. The game was positively received, with reviewers praising the large tracks and car physics, though the PC version was criticised for its difficulty.

<i>Twisted Metal III</i> 1998 vehicular combat video game

Twisted Metal III is a vehicular combat video game developed and published by 989 Studios for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America on November 10, 1998 and was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in 1999. It is the first installment not to be released in the PAL regions.

<i>Destruction Derby 64</i> 1999 video game

Destruction Derby 64 is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by THQ, under license from Psygnosis. It is the third installment in the Destruction Derby series, released on 1 October 1999 in North America and 12 October 1999 in Europe for the Nintendo 64.

<i>RoadKill</i> (video game) 2003 video game

RoadKill is an open world vehicular combat video game developed by Terminal Reality and published in 2003 by Midway Games. The game was described by Midway as "the only mission-based combat driving game set in a post-apocalyptic world".

<i>Twisted Metal</i> (1995 video game) 1995 vehicular combat video game

Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and SingleTrac and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America on November 5, 1995, in Europe on January 13 and in Japan on November 15, 1996. The North American version was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up on March 3, 1997. It is the first installment in the Twisted Metal series. The game's plot is centered on the titular competition in which various drivers in modified vehicles must destroy the other vehicles in an attempt to be the last one alive. The winner meets the organizer of the competition, a mysterious man named Calypso, who will grant the winner a single wish, regardless of price, size or even reality.

Darkwind: War on Wheels is a turn-based racing and vehicle combat massively multiplayer online game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux by Irish developer Sam Redfern. It is inspired by the tabletop game Car Wars and the Mad Max movies, but set in an original universe. Darkwind was opened to the public on May 4, 2007, after two years of development and been continually updated. It was re-released for Steam in 2014 as free-to-play.

Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. This includes automobiles, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and a variety of other vehicles. The main challenge is to master driving and steering the vehicle from the perspective of the pilot or driver, with most games adding another challenge such as racing or fighting rival vehicles. Games are often divided based on realism, with some games including more realistic physics and challenges such as fuel management.

<i>Motor Mayhem</i> 2001 video game

V.C.L.: Vehicular Combat League Presents - Motor Mayhem, also known as simply Motor Mayhem, is a vehicular combat game developed by Beyond Games and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2 in 2001.

<i>Destruction AllStars</i> 2021 video game

Destruction AllStars is a vehicular combat game developed by Lucid Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 5 on 2 February 2021. It received mixed reviews.

References

  1. ↑ Schwab, Brian (2009). AI Game Engine Programming. Cengage Learning. p. 192. ISBN   978-1584506287. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Thorpe, Nick (February 2, 2021). "From Destruction AllStars to Twisted Metal: A brief history of PlayStation's vehicular combat games". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (August 21, 2021). "What 'dead' genre deserves a comeback?". PC Gamer . Retrieved October 16, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.