Twisted Metal: Black

"Twisted Metal: Black is the long awaited return of the car combat franchise...does not dissappoint"

Twisted Metal: Black is the long awaited return of the car combat franchise, Twisted Metal, to the hands of its original design team, then at Single-trac, now at Incog Inc. They do not disappoint.

The Good:
The story… Although very dark and certainly for a more mature audience, the story provides characters with interesting backgrounds and mostly disturbing… goals in life. The basis of this game is that the winner of the Twisted Metal competition can ask for any prize they want from Calypso, the competition's coordinator. Each of the initially available character's stories unfolds through CGI animations through an initial movie, a middle of the game movie, end an ending movie. All of these look great and are more than a little disturbing… and fun.
The options and game play… With an arsenal of both new and old weapons as well as a fully interactive environment, this game provides for plenty of strategies. Note: By fully interactive I mean that nearly everything in each level can be destroyed, in fact destroying certain things will create special ramps or open new holes to the hidden areas spoken about in the Extras section of this review.
The graphics… With the power of the PS2 the game looks spectacular. Running at 60 FPS (Frames per Second), it also includes great lighting and effects. One can almost feel the explosions when you destroy another combatant.
The Extras… Twisted Metal: Black is full of extras that increase the already immense replay value of this title. Hidden through out the levels of the game are items that unlock other characters/vehicles and levels that can be used in multiplayer mode. And by no means are finding these secrets easy.
The Replayability… If I have not eluded enough to this aspect of this game then I will state it clearly. This game has an extremely high replay value. If you ever tire of the single player mode, then invite some friends over and have a tournament in the multiplayer mode (Up to 4 people can play at a time with the proper PS2 accessories). Or, my favorite, play the game through cooperative mode. Dig around until you discover all of the hidden characters and levels. Play through the one player endurance mode and see how many baddies you can toast before you loose one life. Have I mentioned this game has a high replay value?

The Bad:
The difficulty… By no means is this game going to be a walkthrough. The AI of the enemy cars is very high. Don't be surprised when you run from a fight for a breather and notice in your RADAR that all of the remaining vehicles are right on your tail. The computer has no trouble teaming up on you. It would be a good idea for those new to the game or a bit rusty to play in easy mode until they become accustomed to the controls and game.

In Conclusion:
As a general rule I do not keep games once I have beaten them sufficiently. Twisted Metal: Black will be one of the exceptions to that rule… easily. It looks amazing, plays amazing, has interesting stories and characters to accent the game play, and, overall, is extremely fun to play. I give this game 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/01, Updated 06/21/01