The basic premise of Destruction Derby Arenas is rather simple: smash into other cars for while trying to survive the match. This concept permeates the various modes offered in the game.

Wrecking Racing is the meat of the single player game. There are four rounds, each consisting of three races and a destruction bowl. Finish in the top three of the round and you advance to the next. Each event has a track champion, rank higher than the champion to unlock their respective vehicle. With each round you advance, your car receives upgrades. Placing first for all events in a round will give you access to more upgrades, while finishing first in every race and bowl will unlock two “secret” levels.

At most, Wrecking Racing takes between three and five hours to complete with everything unlocked. Because of the way each round is set up, it does not matter how well you place in a race. As long as you get some points by smashing into other cars at every opportunity, you're set. All you need to do for victory is survive the bowl and come out on top, an easy task. Briefly enjoyable, Wrecking Racing has nothing more to offer once conquered, unless you want to play through with another vehicle.

There’s also a Destruction Bowl mode, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you just want to smash, this is your mode. Sadly, the gameplay here is also what you’d expect. Smash into other cars while trying to survive. While this is fun at first, it quickly gets tiring.

Once bored with the single player game, you may find yourself hopping online for a few games. Destruction Derby Arenas sports an online mode that supports the impressive number of 20 players online. While the online community is rather sparse, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one or two games at any given time. Voice chat via the USB Headset is even supported, but only in lobbies, not during the actual match.

Unfortunately, the online portion suffers from the same flaws as the single player mode. Even with the various online gametypes (Speedway, Capture the Trophy, Pass Da Bomb, and Last Man Standing), the gist is that you just crash into each other until someone explodes or the match ends. It's fun while it lasts, but after about ten minutes you may find yourself wondering, “Isn’t there anything else to do?” The answer, by the way, is no.

The problems with Destruction Derby Arenas extend far beyond the gameplay. The PlayStation 2 is almost four years old, and this particular title was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. As such, there is no excuse for the poor graphics, nor the various graphical errors displayed on some tracks. From cars clipping through each other to texture warping, the lack of graphical polish is rather baffling, especially considering the sometimes-impressive scenery. Another baffling design flaw lies with the lack of an auto-complete option for high scores. You enter a name for your profile, but each time you attain a high score you have to enter your name again. More annoying than detrimental to the game’s entertainment value, the auto-complete option has been a standard for years, and its absence here is questionable. The generic heavy metal and over-the-top announcer are also worth a mention, if just for the sheer fact that you are guaranteed to block them out after the first five minutes.

Destruction Derby Arenas is the videogame equivalent of bubblegum; you’ll keep busy for a few hours, but after that it’s over. The online gameplay may briefly extend your playtime, but even that grows tired rather quickly. In the end, Destruction Derby Arenas isn’t especially memorable, but it also isn’t that bad. If you simply must play it, rent it. Otherwise, steer clear.