Review: Danger Derby - If Tracks Could Kill
by Staff Writer
September 17, 2010
Overview
Combine a top down racing game with aspects of Roller Derby, and then add some more obstacles and you have Danger Derby. You get to race micro cars on tracks the size of the iPad banging against other cars while avoiding shifting hazards, and trying to finish first.
Features
There are four game modes with the main one the arcade mode where you progress through eight tracks and three difficulties. You begin going through courses one through eight on easy mode all the way up to hard mode with the difficulties describing the course itself, and not your opponents. There is also challenge mode where you try for the lap record, free play mode letting you play your own configuration, and mirror mode that amps up the difficulty of everything, and flips the track.The Good
The classic top down arcade racers of yesteryear have fallen by the wayside recently, but thankfully have been reinvigorated by Danger Derby. You get a birds eye view of the entire track, and race tiny cars through all kinds of tight bends. The entire course fits on the iPad screen and you can play in landscape or portrait.
You get to see everything at once so the game seems to be filled with action, and speed. The little cars are practically flying around the track, and as much of a challenge as it is competing against the other racers there is a more difficult challenge. You're mainly facing the track, and simply trying to make it through with the least errors possible, because its a foregone conclusion you will have errors.
The track is so tough that you can be on the final lap in first place, and one slip, and you finish last because when you mess up you lose a lot of time. The best aspect is that as you increase in difficulty the courses add in speed boosters, shifting spike walls, and add more gaps to fall off the track, or even be destroyed by spinning spike wheels. The game is only possible on the iPad because of the scale allowing the entire track to be on screen.
You can play head to head with a friend on the same iPad where controls are on each side of the iPad. The single player is extremely deluxe with the variable unlockable modes, changing difficulty, and changing tracks. There is an action filled soundtrack that has a silly style mixed in which fits the game so well.
The game looks great on the iPad with so much detail on the tracks filling every inch of the 9.7" screen. Then there are the animations of the cars speeding along, grinding on one another, and being destroyed by an obstacle.
