As a PlayStation loyalist, I found myself obligated to play Destruction AllStars thoroughly, especially with it being a new IP under the newly-establish PlayStation Studios brand. This is a vehicular combat game that takes obvious inspirations from the likes of Destruction Derby and Twisted Metal, which were previous classics under the PlayStation branding. Destruction AllStars takes risks that, ultimately, don't work out too well.
The main chunk of Destruction AllStars is its online multiplayer. A player chooses from a wide selection of characters, each with their own abilities, and hops into an arena with two objectives: find a vehicle to wreck other vehicles, and survive being hit when you don't have a vehicle yourself. Among this gameplay loop is a handful of different games to play, from a standard high-points match to last-vehicle-standing challenges. It's a fine mix, but the variety isn't too differentiated. If I had to give one pro to this gameplay, it's the implementation of the DualSense controller, which uses its adaptive triggers to warn you when your vehicle is low on health. Consequently, however, the rest of the controls make sacrifices, such as using the traditional camera control stick to make "slam" moves while in the vehicle.
Other modes in this game include the Challenge Series, which acts as the game's single-player content. These challenges come in sets for each character on the roster, one set of which is free for new players. It was nice to experience some different takes away from the online gameplay, and it gave some nice cosmetic perks to go along with it. The downside to this is that, with most online games of this nature, additional challenge series require actual in-game purchases, thus locking you out of unlockables and... simply more gameplay. Thankfully, I wasn't too obsessed with the gameplay loop to care about purchasing more challenges.
Destruction AllStars is a mediocre multiplayer-heavy game among the other grand releases coming out from PlayStation Studios recently. It reminds me of those shortly-supported PS4 games that Sony put out back in the day (Kill Strain, Drawn To Death). The best move the team made here is to change its original $70 MSRP to a free-to-own for PS+ subscribers, and that's still a large microtransaction-filled pill to swallow. I'd give it a year until Sony cuts support altogether, because I just don't see this title gaining any momentum.
The main chunk of Destruction AllStars is its online multiplayer. A player chooses from a wide selection of characters, each with their own abilities, and hops into an arena with two objectives: find a vehicle to wreck other vehicles, and survive being hit when you don't have a vehicle yourself. Among this gameplay loop is a handful of different games to play, from a standard high-points match to last-vehicle-standing challenges. It's a fine mix, but the variety isn't too differentiated. If I had to give one pro to this gameplay, it's the implementation of the DualSense controller, which uses its adaptive triggers to warn you when your vehicle is low on health. Consequently, however, the rest of the controls make sacrifices, such as using the traditional camera control stick to make "slam" moves while in the vehicle.
Other modes in this game include the Challenge Series, which acts as the game's single-player content. These challenges come in sets for each character on the roster, one set of which is free for new players. It was nice to experience some different takes away from the online gameplay, and it gave some nice cosmetic perks to go along with it. The downside to this is that, with most online games of this nature, additional challenge series require actual in-game purchases, thus locking you out of unlockables and... simply more gameplay. Thankfully, I wasn't too obsessed with the gameplay loop to care about purchasing more challenges.
Destruction AllStars is a mediocre multiplayer-heavy game among the other grand releases coming out from PlayStation Studios recently. It reminds me of those shortly-supported PS4 games that Sony put out back in the day (Kill Strain, Drawn To Death). The best move the team made here is to change its original $70 MSRP to a free-to-own for PS+ subscribers, and that's still a large microtransaction-filled pill to swallow. I'd give it a year until Sony cuts support altogether, because I just don't see this title gaining any momentum.