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Review: Twisted Metal

I grew up on Twisted Metal. I spent HOURS on my original PlayStation going through all different characters and their career modes. After all, once you beat out opponents and won the overall tournament, you got your life’s desire granted. I couldn’t wait to see what twist (pun intended) the nefarious Calypso had in store for victors and their wishes. Fast forward to 2012, and David Jaffe is back with the newest, slightly rebooted entry in the vehicular combat series. Does it live up to my nostalgically heightened expectations?

Yes and no.

Twisted Metal remains a guilty pleasure; you know that going through the story mode, whoever you’re playing as is going to get punked by Calypso in the end. In said mode, you’ll only be playing as one of three characters: the iconic Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm or Dollface. Gone are all the other favourites you’ve made over the course of the series, but their spirits live on through their cars. Live-action shorts tie different chapters of the story together, and after you get used to them, they’re fairly decent. Let’s face it though: it’s hard to connect with Sweet Tooth as you’re only playing as a car as soon as you start using your controller. The stories are cheesy and borderline ridiculous, but isn’t that what fans of Twisted Metal have come to expect?

The problem with story mode is that it can alienate new players VERY quickly. The learning curve of this game is steep and unrelenting, and even though you’re supposed to be playing in a tournament against other players, the computer AI will only attack you. It’s a bit unfair to be plunked in your first match to realise your six other competitors have somehow formed a makeshift alliance, Survivor-style. If you give the game time, you’ll eventually get the hang of it…but that being said, I was pretty close to turning the game off and abandoning it due to frustration.

It doesn’t help matters that the controls of the game are completely bizarre. The control scheme is ripped from 1995 and the first Twisted Metal game, it seems. It took me about three hours to realise I could go in reverse by double-tapping the “O” button. Three hours. Again, given time, you’ll persevere, but that’s hardly a positive feature, is it?

Before I move on, let me give you some fighting tips: don’t bother with the machine guns, and don’t bother with your special weapon. Start every fight by avoiding enemies and picking up every homing missile that you can find on the map. Then, unload on one enemy until they’re destroyed. Rinse, repeat. It’s effective, but it’s also a bit boring. The boredom is thankfully quelled by new and exciting game modes: my favourites are “Juggernaut”, where a massive semi-truck travels through the map, unloading new competitors until you destroy it, and also the fun (but slightly frustrating) new race modes on offer.

Oh, and also? Once you play through enough of the game to unlock the helicopter, just use that. It’s insanely overpowered and cheap. You’ll never die again. Even on the simlarly overpowered bosses.

The game’s salvation is definitely multiplayer. Going up against real people means that you’re not going to suffer from “everyone vs one guy” scenarios. Well, as often. There are many game modes on offer, but my favourite is definitely “Nuke.” You start off playing a “capture the flag” type game, where you’ll track down and drag an enemy leader to a launchpad. You’ll then launch the enemy leader (in a bomb) at a massive flying statue. Three bombs to the statue, and the round is yours. Why? No idea. But it’s fun!

Overall, the game is a must for fans of the series – it’s nice to see the franchise is on the up again. If you’re not fully invested in the game, it might gather dust very quickly; if you’re on the fence at all, a rental is in order to see if it’s worth your dosh. It’s good, but it’s good after you get used to that…and with so many games landing on the scene right now, Twisted Metal may not be for you.

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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.