Twisted Metal
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Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat series made for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP. The series is published by Sony and developed by the game studio Incognito Entertainment. It is the longest-running PlayStation-exclusive franchise.
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Overview
In basic concept, Twisted Metal is little more than a demolition derby with weapons. The player selects a vehicle and an arena (or plays through a series of arenas in the story mode) and battles opponents with weapons obtained by gathering pick-ups.
Although each individual game features its own storyline, they all revolve around the same basic theme of a man named Calypso holding a vehicular combat tournament called Twisted Metal with the promise of granting the winner whatever they ask for. There is a general "careful what you wish for" theme, as many of the contestants wind up with not-so-happy endings. The games in the series usually contain a healthy dose of black humor.
Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2: World Tour (1995/1996)
Format: PlayStation
The first two Twisted Metal games were developed by SingleTrac, and Twisted Metal 2 is regarded by most fans as the best game in the series and a PlayStation classic in general. After developing these two games, along with WarHawk and the first two games in the Jet Moto series, SingleTrac left Sony and signed with GT Interactive, using their Twisted Metal game engine to develop other vehicular combat games such as Critical Depth and Rogue Trip.
Twisted Metal characters:
- Crimson Fury: Red sports car driven by Agent Stone, who fights to obtain a certain object.
- Darkside: Black semi-truck driven by the mysterious Mr. Ash.
- Hammerhead: Green monster truck driven by two high-school dropouts.
- Minion: Armored battle tank driven by the winner of the previous Twisted Metal contest. Non-playable character.
- Mr. Grimm: Black motorcycle driven by the Grim Reaper himself, out for Calypso's soul.
- Outlaw: Police car driven by an officer who wishes an end to this tournament.
- Pit Viper: Dune buggy driven by a woman with a mysterious past.
- Roadkill: Armored broken-down car driven by Captain Spears, a Vietnam veteran who enters the contest in hope to go back and save the friends he lost in combat.
- Sweet Tooth: Ice cream truck driven by homicidal clown Needles Kane, who is on a quest to find his lost friend.
- Thumper: Purple low-rider driven by Bruce Cochrane, who seeks to stop the violence in his neighborhood.
- Warthog: Military vehicle driven by an army commander determined to capture something for the government.
- Yellow Jacket: Taxi driven by Charlie Kane, an old man looking for his son whom he lost 20 years ago.
Twisted Metal levels
- Arena: Seedy underground demolition derby-like environment, complete with spectators. One opponent.
- Warehouse District Warfare: A battle on the street around some buildings. Three opponents.
- Freeway Free For All: Littered with the bodies of fallen vehicles. Five opponents.
- River Park Rumble: Town in the Christmas spirit, complete with ice skaters. Six opponents, multiplayer consists of just the park area.
- Assault on Cyberia: The largest level in the game, contained surburban neighborhoods, freeways and canals. Nine opponents, multiplayer consists of just one of the canals.
- Rooftop Battle: Being a skyscraper, vehicles can easily fall off and plunge to their deaths. Survive and do battle with Minion. Six opponents not including Minion.
- Fight For Your Live: Arena with five opponents.
Twisted Metal 2 characters
- Axel: Strange two-wheeled contraption which has imprisoned the driver for many years.
- Dark Tooth: Gigantic black ice cream truck driven by a mysterious force. It rises out of the sewers of Hong Kong for brutal revenge for the surviving car's actions and challenges the survivor to one last battle. Non-playable
- Grasshopper: Dune buggy driven by Kristina Sparks, a teenager looking to find her father.
- Hammerhead: Black monster truck driven by Mike and Stu, two punks looking for the power to fly.
- Minion: Armored tank driven by a dark demon on a mission for revenge. Boss of the Amazonia stage.
- Mr. Grimm: Black motorcycle with sidecar driven by the Grim Reaper again, this time with a great hunger to feast upon human souls.
- Mr. Slamm: Crane driven by Simon Whittlebone, a former engineer who dream of building the tallest tower of them all.
- Outlaw: Police car driven by a female officer searching for her brother, the original Outlaw, who disappeared in last year's contest.
- Roadkill: Red sports car driven by Marcus Kane, a homeless man convinced this whole world is one big nightmare.
- Shadow: Hearse driven by Mortimer, a mysterious man out to seek revenge for his ever more mysterious clients.
- Spectre: White sports car driven by a simple man with dreams of fame and fortune.
- Thumper: Pink low-rider with white hood driven again by Bruce Cochrane, who is now fighting for himself.
- Sweet Tooth: Ice cream driven by the ever-psychotic Needles Kane.
- Twister: F1 Car driven by Amanda Watts, who has a great desire for superspeed.
- Warthog: Military jeep driven by a 105-year old army general who wishes for youth.
Twisted Metal 2 Levels
- Quake Zone Rumble: The remains of Los Angeles, devastated from the effects of last year's tournament. Holds six opponents.
- Suicide Slide: A secret base in Moscow resembling a missile silo. Holds five opponents.
- Monumental Disaster: Battle in the streets of Paris, France and even the Eiffel Tower. Holds six opponents.
- Fire Walk: Ancient temple in Amazonia surrounded by lava. After six opponents are destroyed, Minion will rise from the lava to begin his revenge.
- The Big Drop: Rooftop battle in New York City with ledges that can cause instant death. Holds six opponents.
- The Drop Zone: Unstable iceberg in Antarctica, slowly breaking apart piece by piece. Holds seven opponents.
- Field of Screams: Large environment in Holland, featuring two windmills and tall grass for smaller vehicles to hide in. Holds over nine opponents.
- Hong Kong Krunch: The final tournament level, in the streets and subway of Hong Kong. Survive and then prepare to meet the challenge of Dark Tooth.
- Suicide Swamp: Bonus two-player level based on a racetrack from Jet Moto.
- Assault on Cyburbia: Bonus two-player level allowing both players to use the entire area of the original Twisted Metal level.
- Rooftop Battle: Bonus two-player level of the final battle from the original, this time with players able to play the role of Minion.
Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4 (1998/1999)
Format: PlayStation
After SingleTrac left Sony, Twisted Metal development duties were handed over to Sony's in-house development team, 989 Studios. Most fans regard the period in which these two games were released as the low point of the series; neither game scored well with critics or fans. They are no longer considered part of the official Twisted Metal canon and their storylines are disregarded in newer games in the series.
Twisted Metal: Black (2001)
Format: PlayStation 2
After developing several non-Twisted Metal vehicular combat games for GT Interactive, a large number of SingleTrac employees left the company to form the gaming studio Incognito Entertainment and signed with Sony. Naturally, Sony offered them the opportunity to develop a new Twisted Metal title and their first game was Twisted Metal: Black for PS2.
The game is much darker in atmosphere and style than previous games, and is the first (and to date, only) game in the series to receive a Mature rating due to its content. The designers have stated that the two main sources of inspiration for the atmosphere and storylines were Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs. Although Black takes place in an alternate universe and therefore is not a true sequel to Twisted Metal 2, it nevertheless won over critics and fans alike.
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)
Format: PlayStation
Instead of delivering a PS2 follow-up to Twisted Metal: Black, Incognito took an unexpected turn and developed Twisted Metal: Small Brawl for the original PlayStation, a Twisted Metal aimed at a younger audience that featured radio-controlled toy cars instead of actual vehicles. Despite being developed by the same team responsible for the much-beloved Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal: Black, Small Brawl was not well-received by fans. Most believe the game's development was rushed, as is evidenced by the poor frame rate, sloppy control, and sub-par graphics.
Twisted Metal: Black Online (2002)
Format: PlayStation 2
Simply an online version of Twisted Metal: Black, a free copy could be obtained by mailing in a card that came packaged with the PS2 online Network Adapter. It has since been added to the re-release of Twisted Metal: Black.
Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005)
Main article: Twisted Metal: Head-On
Format: PlayStation Portable
Despite the return of SingleTrac/Incognito with 2001's Twisted Metal: Black, they still had yet to deliver a true sequel to Twisted Metal 2. With the PSP, Incognito created a game that picks up where Twisted Metal 2 left off. Twisted Metal: Head-On is, for all intents and purposes, the "real" Twisted Metal 3. Utilizing the Twisted Metal: Black game engine but taking place in Twisted Metal 2's universe, Head-On combines aspects of the two most highly-regarded games in the series. It's the first game in the series to ship fully online-enabled.
External links
- Twisted Metal Alliance (http://www.tmalliance.com/home.shtml)
- MobyGames' entry on the Twisted Metal series (http://www.mobygames.com/game_group/sheet/gameGroupId,1166/)