Parent's Guide: Scrap Metal - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

A fender bending, top-down demolition racer, Scrap Metal is a racing game that cares little for either rules or realism. Rather than giving you a penalty for cutting a corner, in Scrap Metal, anything goes, as you duke it out with eight other racers, and even use weapons to blow your foes up in pursuit of first place.

Whether you're getting behind the wheel of a brand spanking new pink monster truck or racing a bulldozer with a flipping scoop to victory, Scrap Metal is a game that's easy to pick up and play. With a simple control scheme that sees you simply having to push the stick where you want the car to go, rather than having to fiddle with perspectives and triggers, the controls are the great equaliser, and you'll soon be crashing into, and firing off your weapons at the best of them, no matter which mode you're playing. With a whole host of missions to complete, whether you're taking part in a standard race, a destruction derby, or a mission where you have to defend a vehicle from attack, each race shares a similar theme - it's easy to get into, and a lot of fun to play.

In terms of things children may struggle with, there's not all that much here that'll present too big a barrier. Perhaps the only thing that could really be a potential issue is the game's difficulty, which does tend to have a few slightly awkward spikes, where it asks you to complete a goal that's just that little bit too challenging, potentially putting younger players off in the process. It's the missions that ask you to survive for a certain length of time that cause the most problems, as it kind of goes against the grain of the game - having your car blown up comes easily, so staying intact is quite the challenge. Sadly, younger players won't be able to rely on any backup, either, as the four-player split-screen multiplayer mode, while awesome, is separate to the single player game - so you can't bring a friend along to complete one of the challenges. Apart from that, the controls should pose no problems, but a reading ability is required, if only to understand exactly what it is you're supposed to be doing in each mission. Sample sentences include: "The Fuzz and Paparazzi found out you were part of the derby! Did Semi Slapshot tell them? Who cares, get the heck away from them!" and "Elimination race. Wake up kid! The race is about to start!"

Although it lets you attack the other cars with a variety of weapons, ranging from a machine gun to a flamethrower to a steamroller with attached spikes, Scrap Metal never seems seriously violent. While the name of the game here is both racing and destroying other cars, defeating a foe is anything but realistic, as they explode with a completely over the top bang, before promptly respawning.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360