Graphically, the game has a more arcade look and less of a simulation appearance to it. Think Daytona USA compared to Gran Turismo. The cars are rendered nicely using the muscle of the Xbox, but the backgrounds and levels themselves are average, not any better than what a PS2 can generate. When you start incurring damage on your car, the animations of your vehicle losing its parts like doors and hoods, and if you are totaled, bursting into a flaming wreck, are great. Sounds of cars crashing are metal-on-metal effective. Music is a mix of rock/punk tunes from a bunch of unknown bands, but fits Totaled’s gameplay style well.

Totaled employs a simple control set-up to make the game easy to pick up and play. The two triggers control the acceleration and braking of the cars, and the “B” button sets off the limited supply of nitro boosts. The most important control, even though it seems innocuous at first, is the “A” button that operates your vehicle’s handbrake. Using the handbrake to force your car into sliding action is the key to scoring big points and completing the maneuver levels. It also protects the front-end of your car in the arena fights while inflicting damage with the less-important-to-your-survival side or rear of your metal motor monster.

The camera’s fixed position gives you a good perspective on the cars in front of you with some peripheral vision. However, by using the right analog stick, you can train the camera on both sides and the rear of your vehicle. It’s a good feature, like I said, it reminds me of an arcade game, or like a free pc game,  but in practice it can throw you off a little bit if you are cruising at a high speed. I generally avoided using it, but at least the developers included it for those who may want to incorporate it in the gameplay.