GamerNode: Columns - History 101: Destructible Environments in Videogames

History 101: Destructible Environments in Videogames

Creating non-scripted destructible environments that are both fun and realistic, yet limited enough so that the player can't break the game has been a serious challenge in the past. But many games have gotten them right, and thus have been a blast to play.

Since gaming started to take off in the '80s, through the transition from 2D to 3D in the mid-'90s, and into today's high definition, online multiplayer epics, developers have been able to utilize increasingly powerful hardware to create destructible environments. Brace yourself for some of the best videogame titles in the last couple decades to offer gamers the ultimate in the art of destroying, pulverizing, annihilating and exploding polygons.

1986 - Rampage (Arcade)

This arcade classic was one of the earliest to feature actual destructible buildings. The simple premise of selecting one of the three huge monsters and climbing on and knocking down buildings, eating people, and destroying vehicles was immense fun and ahead of the curve for its time.

Rampage was later ported over to home consoles like the NES and Sega Master System, and also received sequels on the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and most recently, the Nintendo Wii.

Unfortunately, as time has gone on the Rampage series has only stagnated. Despite graphical upgrades and more playable monsters, the gameplay remained almost unchanged and never innovated on its original idea. Rampage has sadly slipped into the category of games that developers release to cash in on the memory of a classic title -- one that many of today's gamers probably don't even remember.

1995 - Worms (Amiga)

Team 17's Worms, which was originally released for the Commodore Amiga computer, featured one of the more unique ideas of its time; using a wide array of unique weapons, players controlled a small platoon of worms over deformable terrain and battled either human- or computer-controlled teams.

While deformable terrain wasn't really the main draw of this game, it was neat and impressive for its time and would catch you off guard if you judged the game on its visuals alone.

1997 - Blast Corps (Nintendo 64)

Developer Rare struck gaming gold during the N64 days, and things didn't get much better than in 1997. GoldenEye 007 was released (which some of you may have heard of), as was Blast Corps, a game that had players clearing the way for an out-of-control nuclear missile carrier by using an array of current and futuristic vehicles.

It was a great, new idea that grew ever challenging as the game progressed. It also prided itself on the complete and utter destruction of every building that stood in your way. But blowing up buildings wasn't the only thing Blast Corps had going for it. There was also a good deal of strategy to it. Some vehicles, like the Optimus Prime-looking J-Bomb took advantage of a jetpack to fly into the air before slamming down and crushing the structures beneath, while others like the Backlash dump truck required players to gain speed and power slide through buildings to plow them out of the way.

But no matter what vehicle was used to destroy everything in the environment, it always resulted in a lot of huge, colorful explosions.

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