STORY
So the story of Twisted Metal follows three separate story arcs surrounding a vehicular combat tournament from which the game gets it's name. The driving force behind the tournament is a charming, if a little unhinged, man named Calypso. The three story arcs focus on the competitors Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm and Dollface, as they attempt to destroy the competition and win the wish on offer by Calypso.
The story is a little strange, in that it runs each story arc one after the other, thus making it difficult to try and iron out a continuity (as certain characters appear to die, then become the focus of the next chapter). Nonsensical issues aside, the somewhat reality removed campaign missions are bookended by nice little grindhouse style cutscenes, each elaborating on the twisted individuals in the contest. And the characters, while deranged, all sit at different points on the tragic spectrum, offering interesting personalities, back stories and goals (if nothing else).
PRESENTATION
Twisted Metal is an odd little game; it seems intent on keeping the personality of it's older, classic titles in the series. However, in doing so, it seems to have been left behind by the rest of the industry. Now, I'm not saying that Twisted Metal looks bad; it's graphics are certainly passable, and everything runs quite smoothly. It just doesn't hold up against other vehicle-centric games, such as Motorstorm and it's ilk.
What does look good however, are the cutscenes present in the single player campaign. The grainy texture, along with the often dark (yet somehow light-hearted) story presented remind me of the Grindhouse style of films. The only problem I can see with this, however, is that the darkness of the cutscenes tend to leave a massive disconnect from the somewhat ridiculous and sometimes silly gameplay sections.
The soundtrack is full of heavy, pulse pounding metal tracks from the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, and Judas Priest, which certainly fit the dirty, action packed gameplay to a t. The original soundtrack is mainly played during the story scenes, and are mostly quite creepy sounding (fitting the subject matter quite well). Voice acting, on the other hand, is mostly forgettable, but with special mention going to Calypso's voice actor, for being one of the creepiest, yet eerily charming character voices I've ever heard.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of Twisted metal is fairly simple, and hasn't been revisited for quite some time. For that reason alone, Twisted Metal would be worth a try. Luckily, it's also pretty good at what it does, however be warned if you aren't an online multiplayer fan. Much of this game is intended to be played online, as the single player campaign can be take down in an afternoon (if you're eager enough).
So, the basics: drive around a highly destructible environment and take down your many opponents before they do the same to you. It's essentially a shooter, but in cars. To help you in your carmaggeddon (yes, I realize that's actually another game), there a multitude of weaponry pick-ups that rain down destruction on the enemy. You also have your own side arm, which is usually either car mounted machine guns, or some form of standard firearm (used by your passenger).
On top of these murderous items, your vehicle also has it's own signature weapon. This can vary from the ice cream truck's robot mode, to the tow-truck's taxi launcher, to the motorbike's chainsaw... that you throw. What I'm getting at, is that there is a decent amount to diversify each vehicle from the others. Some have higher armor or speed, while some have more powerful special moves. It's easy to spot the overpowered vehicles, however none of them are at too much of a disadvantage.
The only problem with the vehicles in Twisted Metal, is that all vehicles can be used by all factions. This might just be me, but Sweet Tooth's Ice Cream Truck should really be limited to the clowns. I think a more elegant way of making (most) vehicles available to all factions would be to just make copies of them all, but with different visual tweaks. Making them all available to all factions cheapens the roster for me a little bit.
My only other complaint is with the number of game types. Most are just a tweak on the usual drive and kill formula, which works. However, when the game adds in further elements to the mix, it really shines. The "Racing" mode is interesting, despite the controls and physics not really lending itself to racing gameplay. The Nuke Mode is almost a capture the flag game type, where players must capture the opposing team's leader and drag them to a nuke launcher (using them as a sort of launch activation). Once launched, players must control the missile and blow up the opposing team's faction statue. It sounds ridiculous, and it is; but it's also very fun.
REPLAYABILITY
As I mentioned before, the game is very multiplayer focused. While I'm sure the four player splitscreen works well enough and is fun, chances are it won't match the insanity of a full 16 player twisted metal tournament. Problem: I'm really only inclined to play multiplayer alot on certain games, and only with people I know. For me, Twisted Metal lacks a certain amount of replay value, since it's single player section is not only laughably short, but also mainly functions as training for the multiplayer. Still enjoyable, but not as much as it could have been.
As per usual, there's also a bunch of trophies to satisfy all you completionists out there.
OVERVIEW
Twisted Metal brings back a genre and amount of over the top action we haven't seen in gaming in quite some time. While looking rather dated, the game still plays rather well, with a short but still satisfying group of 3 story arcs to fill the single player campaign. The game will (probably) satisfy anyone with a particular love of online multiplayer carnage, but single player enthusiasts should maybe only give this one a rent.
That's it for another week, I think I might pick up Prototype 2 tomorrow, or Tuesday. See you next time!!
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