Twisted Metal: Head-On

"It's not quite Twisted Metal: Black, but it's still great"

So, I finally decided to buy a PSP. I looked around at all of the great games on the self wondering which one to get first. As soon as I see Twisted Metal: Head-On, I pick it up and check it out. I loved Twisted Metal 2 and Black, so I knew that I had to have this game. I had heard that it's like the two games combined, and on top of that, it's portable! I had a lot of hype for this game, and I am glad to say that it lived up to my expectations.

Story: I'll start with TMHO's story, seeing as it is the only thing about this game that came as a disappointment to me. As I'm sure you all remember, Twisted Metal: Black had a very dark tone. All of the characters had a great, twisted, story, some which could even give you nightmares. TMHO is rated Teen, so they couldn't do as much with the story. It's still the same concept though; you win the contest, you make a wish, and Calypso grants wish, but it doesn't turn out the way you intended. Some characters, such as Grasshopper and Mr. Grimm have a good story, but others like Thumper and Twister and just plain dumb and predictable. I first beat the game with Thumper and it almost made me not go through the game again. However, I pushed past that and am really glad I did; this game is just too fun to not play because of a stupid ending of one character.

Sound: Seeing as this is my first PSP game (and probably a lot of other people's considering it was a launch title) I didn't know what to expect from the PSP's speakers. I previously owned a DS and was disappointed with the sound quality the speakers gave, but that is not the case for the PSP (at least for this game). The sound quality is great; I feel like I'm playing Twisted Metal on my T.V. The music is great; it reminds me of Twisted Metal 2. The explosions, missiles soaring through the air, and machine guns all sound great. Turn up the volume, and feel like you're in the battle!

Gameplay: The characters of Twisted Metal 2 meets the gameplay and controls of Twisted Metal: Black. All of the characters from Twisted Metal 2 return and control as beautifully as they did in Twisted Metal: Black, making this game really fun to play. You have lots of different types of missiles, machine guns, and special weapons unique to each character. Each character can also perform special abilities such as freezing, turning invisible, using a shield, shooting backwards, and jumping. After you destroy a car you can pick up an item giving you more turbo, a bigger jump, mega machine guns, upgraded armor, and upgraded special attacks. If your car is destroyed, you lose those special items (you have 3 lives so you won't have to start the level over). The levels are big, but not massive like they were in Twisted Metal: Black. There are 11 levels, including 3 bosses. The only bad part about this is that it is that is very short and easy, even on hard mode. The fact that it is short is also good, however, because then you can play through with all of the other characters.

Graphics: This game looks great for a hand-held system. They are almost as impressive as Twisted Metal: Black's graphics were, but not quite. I was very impressed when I saw this game for the first time, as it greatly surpassed all the games that I played on the DS. The movies are all done as cartoons, and look very good. This game looks great, especially for a launch title.

Overall this is a great game for anyone who has played a Twisted Metal game or anyone that enjoys car combat games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/06