1997 · Action-adventure · Racing

Auto Destruct

PlayStation exclusive

It's the near future and Los Angeles is about to be ravaged by an evil terrorist group known only as the Cult of Lazarus. An underground agency hired by the United States government has requested your assistance as an expert driver. It's also a personal matter to you as Lazarus killed your wife and child. Payback and government service -- what could be better?

Released: 1997
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: Action-adventure Racing
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Themes: Action
Country: Sweden
Age ratings: ESRB T

About

Auto Destruct is a video game developed by the Swedish studio Neurostone and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation. The player takes on the role of a retired race car driver hunting down the fanatical cult that murdered his wife and daughter. The music was composed by English electronic producer Danny Briottet.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player takes control of a futuristic supercar in 3D urban environments and must accomplish a series of missions. Objectives vary widely, and include seek-and-destroy missions, escort missions, and taxicab driving.

Story

A cult known as the Disciples of Lazarus orchestrates a rash of terrorist attacks in San Francisco. Booth, a retired race car driver, lost his family members during the event. He is then contacted by an organization known as the Temple, whose mission is to stop the cultists from destroying the world. Booth accepted the invitation and is then provided with the heavily armored supercar, and traveled across the world from San Francisco, New York, and Tokyo.

Reception

Auto Destruct saw a range of opinions from critics. Next Generation said that the game sets itself apart from other vehicular combat games with its variety of missions, the depth added by its resource management elements, and most especially its detailed and expansive 3D city environments, which give the player unprecedented freedom. They criticized that the graphics look like a first generation PlayStation game and the music and sound effects are generic, and concluded that the game is "a good ride, but it could have been much more." Three of the four reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly similarly said that though the graphics have problems, the missions, resource management, and massive environments give Auto Destruct more depth and potentially more enjoyment than other vehicular combat games.

They also praised the usefulness of the radar, and said the resources are balanced such that what the player needs is always just within reach, leaving only oneself to blame for failure. Only Shawn Smith deferred, saying the missions eventually start to all feel the same. Joe Smith of GameSpot, however, gave the reverse opinion, saying the graphics outshine those of other vehicular combat games, but the mission-based format drags the game down by restricting players to a very specific set of actions rather than letting them do what they want. He found the missions repetitive as well.