DethKarz

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1998
• Genre: Racing
• Style: Demolition/Combat
• Similar Games: Wipeout (Sega Saturn), Wipeout (PlayStation), P.O.D. (Commodore 64/128), Pod (IBM PC Compatible), Wipeout (IBM PC Compatible), Wipeout XL (IBM PC Compatible), S.C.A.R.S (PlayStation), S.C.A.R.S (Nintendo 64), S.C.A.R.S (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Combat racing -- it's the wave of the future and the future is now! The year is 2408 and the most popular sport in the world takes place on four purpose-built racetracks around the globe and on Mars. The only people who don't like combat racers are combat racers -- up to 19 rivals in any given race. Using power-ups, stealth technology, turbo boosters, intelligent missiles and more, these futuristic Dethkarz go bumper-to-bumper at breakneck speed with malevolent arsenals.

A dozen racetracks, three each at four locations, set the scene for pulse-pounding, fusion-powered intense combat racing. Located at Metro City, The Pole, Grand Keys and The Red Planet, each venue has short, medium and long track circuits. Races in Metro City take place among towering skyscrapers, The Pole features cliffs of ice among the frozen wasteland of Antartica and the super-rich vacation spot of the Grand Keys boasts undersea tunnels, islands and bridges. Racing gets out-of-this-world, literally, at the far reaches of outer space on the Mars track, a lethal combination of alien landscapes, volcanoes and deadly atmospheres.

In Dethkarz, you select any of 12 vehicles to race, each with unique combat, speed and handling capabilities. Cars are governed by six characteristics (difficulty, speed, acceleration, handling, weapon and armor) and all have either automatic or manual transmissions. There are four types of cars (Astor, Blitzwagon, Hyperon and Anassi) with three classes in each: starting Platinum, intermediate Iridium and ultimate Titanium.

Dethkarz is designed to expand as you advance. At the start of championship mode, the key to unlocking new cars and tracks, you have access only to Platinum Class cars and can only participate in the first of eight Race Corps championship seasons, the Pep Cup. Through qualifying and earning points by finishing in the top five positions in each race, advancement to tougher, longer seasons and better cars is achieved. Other modes of play include arcade, time trial and multiplayer.

In addition to four racing teams (Speedar Group, RKA-1 Collective, New Empire Racers and Team Kibachi) consisting of five drivers and cars that compete in each race, Dethkarz features nine power-ups ranging from heat seeking missiles and shields to nitro-boosts and bombs. Complementing the power-up weaponry are the two major types of firepower found on the cars, plasma cannons and pulse lasers, both of which can be recharged.

Dethkarz supports multiplayer action for up to eight combatants over a LAN or the Internet and two over modem or serial connection. The game also offers the option of 3D acceleration and force feedback controllers along with steering wheel, joystick, keyboard or gamepad input. Other options include easy, normal or hard difficulty settings, ghost car setups in time trial mode and choice of combat or non-combat racing.

Step into the future of auto racing -- buckle in and hold on tight as you take it to the limit in Dethkarz!

Roots & Influences

Demolition/combat simulations date back to the early 1980s with such titles as New Rally X for the arcade platform. The genre has seen a proliferation of titles encompassing nearly all types of racing (including futuristic) ranging from off world tracks and development prototypes to "climb-the-ladder" competitions.

The evolution of demolition/combat games for the PC occurred mainly in the latter half of the 1990s and includes such titles as Death Rally (1996), Carmageddon (1997), Demolition Racer, (1999) and Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home (2000).

Setting the stage for this type of racing simulation are such PC entries as MegaRace (1993), Hi-Octane (1995), Wipeout (1996), Jeff Gordon XS Racing (1998) and Star Wars: Episode I: Racer (1999). While not demolition/combat games per se, many similar elements of these futuristic racing games (structure, control, environments) are evident in the Dethkarz style of gameplay.

Review: Overall

As futuristic combat racing simulations go, Dethkarz is one of the better I've seen. It's challenging enough to make sure you keep it on your hard drive a while but not so impossibly hard that it reeks of futility. Dethkarz definitely delivers the goods for combat racing fans.

Graphically, Dethkarz is slightly above average compared to contemporary games of its genre. The racing machines are polygon-based but didn't notice any cutouts or disappearing modules that tend to plague similar games. The scenery is very good although there are only four raceways, each divided into three increasingly difficult tracks and featuring its own "look" and character.

The effects that power-ups had were very enjoyable, especially the mushroom cloud that filled the screen whenever one of the Dethkarz was destroyed -- except, of course, when it was mine!

Dethkarz features a good techno soundtrack and a number of good sound effects. The music is definitely a big part of the game as it is with other successful combat racers. Each power-up has its own associated sound and most of them are typically cartoon-like effects.

Dethkarz offers multiplayer support but there is no server set up to allow Internet play. Therefore, unless you know other players that own copies of the game, your multiplayer options are reduced quite a bit.

The only real drawback is the game's repetitiveness. When you take away the weapons, the game is really about racing cars in a poorly formed circle. No matter how you dress that up, when it gets old, it gets old fast. So, while Dethkarz is one of the better combat racers available (c. 1998), it can still get boring.

If you like racing and you like watching things explode, give Dethkarz a spin -- you'll want it in your collection.

Review: Enjoyment

The game is challenging but not impossibly difficult.

Review: Graphics

The car graphics are polygon-based and while not amazingly smooth, they do get the job done. The scenery is good though limited.

Review: Sound

The game combines good techno music with good cartoon-like sound effects.

Review: Replay Value

There are enough courses and cars to keep it on your hard drive for a good amount of time.

Review: Documentation

The manual is fairly extensive although the game is fairly self-explanatory -- gas, brake, turn, shoot.

Production Credits

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)