Twisted Metal

"This series hit the ground running"

This is the game that launched this series, making TM a huge hit; so much in fact it was seen spinning in many a persons PSX.

Gameplay: The concept for Twisted Metal has always been simple from the very beginning, pit a bunch of people in cars equipped with missiles and the like, and let them have at it for the ultimate prize for the one combatant left alive, namely any wish his troubled heart desires.
TM consists of two easy to remember modes, 1 player, and 2- player. In single player mode you travel through the tournament defeating every opponent in a stage then you move on, make it all the way through and you view
a very special video for your character. In 2-player you compete vs a human friend and get bragging rights when you destroy his sorry hide. Two-player by far has the most replay value since the fun of fragging a real live human lasts for quite awhile, meanwhile 1-player can wear thin pretty quick. The one upside to 1-player though is the fighting venues are a pretty sizable chunk larger, Cyburbia for instance is limited to just the water drainage tunnel portion of the level. Personally I enjoy 1-player every once in awhile just because of the simple fact that the areas for the most part are alot larger then in 2-player.

Graphics: Well Twisted Metal is a first-generation PSX title, and the graphics definitely don't betray that statement. Although you are your opponents cars look decent, the areas have a very blurry look to their texturing, plus the draw-distance is pretty short. However, since this game obviously got nowhere near the systems limits it keeps aliasing down to a minimum. A tip: If you have a PS2 turn activate the texture smoothing feature via the system menu, it actually does a pretty good job of improving the look of the blurry textures.

Sound: Pretty basic. Standard weapon sound effects go off, while you listen to a lyrics-less rock soundtrack. Nothing to make you turn the volume down, it just doesn't cut the mustard compared to latest from PSX.

Control: With the exception of the woefully lame TM3 the TM games have always been known to have a bit of a arcade feel to their controls. Picture this: You can do 360 spins at lightning speed, and then nail a opponent with a missile; then head for the hills. Nows that entertainment! That said the control feels solid, and doesn't take very long to get to grips with.

Twisted Metal is a real solid release, and it's no wonder people eagerly anticipated a sequel. The game is a blast to play, and is still enjoyable to this day.
However, I still prefer Twisted Metal 2 (4 is good too) over this one; after all the sequel added more characters, weapons, and more environment interaction. Still I picked this game up brand new for a paltry $10 bucks, and if you can find it for around that price (new or used) snag it. Even though later on this dog learned new tricks, you can't deny it was well trained in the first place.

Replay Value: Medium

Closing Quote:'' Welcome to the big time...Welcome to Twisted Metal!''

Score:7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/02, Updated 07/20/02