PixlBit

Playing Twisted Metal is a lot like going to your ten year high school reunion.  Sure it’s great to hang out with old friends, bask in nostalgia and relive some of the good ole days but at the end of it all you go home and thank god that you aren’t in high school anymore; that you’re not wearing the same clothes, that you aren’t living with your parents and that you aren’t as stupid as you were back then. But then again there are those like Twisted Metal that peaked in high school and would give anything to go back.

I don’t mean to sound harsh.  The Twisted Metal titles are the source of some of my fondest gaming moments of yesteryear, but time has not been particularly kind to this car combat franchise.  There have been many advancements in gaming since Sweet Tooth last took the wheel.  What should have been a golden opportunity to introduce an old stalward to a new generation was instead a practice of ‘more of the same’ – a course of action that may have worked a decade ago, but falls flat in today’s gaming landscape.

Getting behind the wheel again for series veterans will be as familiar as riding a bike.  The arcade heavy controls are near exactly the same as they were ten years ago.  Steering is simple, breaking is effective and the quick turn still allows you to change directions as if you were on a lazy Susan from hell.  A game as over-the-top as Twisted Metal has never really had much use for an accurate physics engine and this newest edition proves to be no exception. Your car will be launched into the air as inconsistently as ever, whether from a slight bump or a pummeling of missiles from all sides.

And you will get pummeled by missiles since all of your opponents seemingly only have eyes for you.  It is understandable that as the human player you’ll garner more attention than the odd pc bot, but when you’re the recipient of five sniper bullets from five different opponents at the same time (this seriously happened to me) you’ll begin to wonder if there is indeed a conspiracy against you.

An added wrinkle is the ability to switch vehicles in a garage. At the beginning of each stage you’ll be allowed to select three different vehicles from your stable. Some players may elect to ride it out in a single car, but for those so inclined you can switch out your ride mid event at a garage.  As an added bonus, garaged cars will slowly regain health as long as they remain there. This gives the player some additional freedom to adapt to the battlefield as necessary and can be a much needed lifeline when health begins to run low.

Taking advantage of the PlayStation 3’s hardware, the game’s maps are absolutely huge and nearly completely destructible. The havoc wrought on a previously idyllic suburban neighborhood will render it practically unrecognizable in just a few short minutes of play.  Each map is highly explorable and contains a plethora of hidden goodies.  Familiarizing yourself with these maps will prove to be a chore at first, but is completely necessary if you want to dominate online matches with other players.

The new story mode plays a surprisingly important role this time around. In the past, you would take each driver through a series of events to see their path. It wasn’t much, but it offered some nice variety that made it worth seeing through for all characters. This has been replaced by a singular story mode that takes you through arcs on three different characters: Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm and Dollface. 

The decision to go with a more intricate story mode actually shoehorns the player into experiencing the game in a very specific way, rather than letting them take the path that interests them most. It also removes one of the best things Twisted Metal had going for it: the colorful cast of characters. And if the story isn’t your thing then too bad – it’s a must-play in order to unlock all the game’s vehicles and weapons.

Another new addition that misses the mark is the inclusion of races. I’m sure the sentiment here was to introduce some more variety to the game, but the chaotic nature within the Twisted Metal formula ensures that this mode fails in maddening fashion.  Playing a race in Twisted Metal is like playing a round of 150cc Mario Kart in which every other character has an ample supply of red and blue turtle shells. If you are unable to secure the lead early you may as well start from the beginning.  Other racers have no interest in actually winning; they just want to make your life a living hell and will at times go out of their way to ensure that you don’t win. This would be fine if that was the point, but in theory the other racers have a seated interested in coming in first, not just ensuring that you lose.  These segments were the source of most of my frustration during story mode and I had to take more than one break in order to keep myself from popping my disc in the microwave for a couple minutes.

This is not to say that Twisted Metal is not a worthwhile experience. When played online with friends or strangers it’s easy to remember why you fell in love with the franchise in the first place. Getting into a game lobby is pretty simple and intuitive and the game runs at a smooth clip. You could easily waste hours and hours playing multiplayer; thoughts of unbalanced AI melting away, because if you do find yourself on the receiving end of five sniper bullets in a row, they really are out to get you.

If Twisted Metal was developed as a downloadable online multiplayer game I would be much more fond of it, but its current incarnation leaves much to be desired. Old fans of the series that just want to relive the glory days will find ample value in the game’s online offerings, but those looking for the series to evolve or who never heard of Sweet Tooth until recently best wait for a price drop or better yet play the demo first.