Twisted Metal: Head-On

"A Showcase for the PSP's Ability!"

This was my second PSP game and I really was expecting this game to be good. I had remembered the good old days when I was younger and my friends and I loved the other Twisted Metal games. The last game I had played was Twisted Metal Black Online and it was great. This game feels the same only it isn't nearly as dark.

Graphics - 10

This game represents the PSP perfectly. Explosions from the weapons look fantastic and the enviroments are great. Weapons fly by your car and you see the stream they leave before they create an explosion causing the vehicle next to you to explode with pieces flying everywhere. The enviroments look just as good and include destructible enviroments (well mostly walls and stuff you can run over but still) this game looks very good.

Controls - 9

A lot of reviewers (like in GI and EGM) complain about this games controls because you have to use the D-pad to control your vehicle. You can use the analog stick but it is near impossible to retain control over your vehicle with it. Personally, I think the controls for this game are fine and using the D-pad gives me better control over my vehicle.

The other complaint about this game is the special moves which are done by imputting a directional combo such as up, down, up to activate freeze. The reviewers complain about this calling it archaic but it works fine and doesn't hamper gameplay so no big deal. The controls get a 9 because the analog stick sucks and I would've like to try it in this game.

Sound - 8

The sound in this game is average. Nothing really stands out and everything sounds the way it should. Explosions sound like explosions and each character does have a voice that you hear during the ending and I belive their is a soundtrack during gameplay but it is so bland it doesn't stand out at all.

Story - 8

This game has a pretty complex story if you had played all of the games. But in brief, each character enters the tournament called Twisted Metal with a certain goal in mind. If they win they can wish for whatever they want. If you have played the previous games, there is more background for each character but it is not necessary.

Gameplay - 10

Basically, you drive around a destroy your opponents. You have shields, mines, machine guns, missiles and napalm lus special attacks. This sounds boring but its not. For some reason its just great to drive around and destroy other vehicles. Plus, this game has online mode so it prevents things from feeling stale.

Replay Value - 8

I give this an eight because of online but if you play this game a lot it will get old. But, after overplaying this game and then getting new games I still found myself coming back to this game because it is very good.

Overall - 9

Great game with no actual flaws. Buy it now!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/16/05