Twisted Metal for Playstation
here is another original review of a Playstation game from 1995
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The game comes in the new box. Inside it are plugs for other PS peripherals, and other games which are coming soon. The manual is well-written with a touch of humor, although there are several errors (did the programmers moonlight as copy editors? :)
PROLOGUE: (from the manual)
You can remember that night as clear as this one. Six months ago, somewhere between midnight and morning, your computer signaled an incoming e-mail on the United Internet System. When you saw the name of the sender, CALYPSO, your eyes glazed over with visions of your greatest fantasy, your ultimate desire. And then, when you read the message, you knew this dream was within your grasp. The message, flashing in red, simply said: WILL YOU DRIVE?
Once a year the legendary Calypso, a man who dwells beneath the streets of LA, holds the TWISTED METAL competition. The contest takes place all around the Los Angeles area and calls upon vehicles of every kind to battle to the death. The one driver still alive at the end of the night is granted any request - any prize he asks for. There are no limits on price, size, or according to some, even reality.
Your special invitation from Calypso has given you the chance to do battle in Twisted Metal. This is where all of your skills, all of your luck, and all of your guts, are put to the test. This is where life and death decisions occur every instant. This is where the Grim Reaper lurks around every corner, waiting to strike. And this is where your ultimate dream can come true. Welcome to the big time.... WELCOME TO TWISTED METAL.
The following sections describe the game, and may not appear in any logical order (sorry I've been playing this game for too long! :)
PRELIMINARIES:
There are plenty of options in this game. You can adjust the difficulty of the game, the sound/music mix, the controller settings and even the stage where the battle will occur. The latter is accomplished by entering 5-button codes which correspond to the main buttons on the controller pad.
You can choose up to twelve different cars. By selecting a car you take on the role of its driver. Each car has its own unique weapon, eg the ice-cream truck fires ice-cream cones.
While playing the game itself you can choose up to 3 external views and one in-car view. Other options include a toggle for radar and a rear-view mirror.
The game also supports two-player competitive play, accomplished via a split-screen view. While in this mode the view is solely restricted to external-only. Several other luxuries like the rear-view mirror also cannot be activated while in this mode.
THE ENVIRONMENT:
The Twisted Metal (hereafter TM) world consists of many different objects, including ramps, barrels, stop signs, bridges, barriers and many others too many list. These objects can be found in almost every stage, and their placement is dependent on the battle zone. The zone also determines the number of opponents you face.
The amount of detail in the battle zones is simply incredible. There are many thoughtful touches, such as the Christmas decorations on store-fronts, Christmas trees, a Sony "Jumbotron", and even a skating rink. There are also harmless pedestrians and power execs. Then there are the evil "refs" who fire guns and missiles at you, so you have to keep moving. There are even people on lawn chairs!! Finally, there's a cute dog which you can't kill.
The battle zones themselves are varied. They range from the simple arena to the sprawling Cyburbia, which is basically a suburban area complete with motorways and a canal. Other zones include the rooftop of buildings, a freeway, and of course the cityscape.
CONTROL:
Some people have complained about this game's control, and they are right. It does take getting used-to. Furthermore, each vehicle has its own handling characteristics eg the sports car is more nimble than the semi. However, it soon becomes easy to gain complete mastery over your vehicle, and fishtails, T-stops, T-slides and generally irresponsible driving patterns soon become possible.
WEAPONS:
As has been stated above, each car has its own unique special weapon. There are other weapons which the vehicles share in common. They can be grouped into the following categories...
machine guns - your basic weapon. Every vehicle has them and they never run out of ammo. However, continuous use will result in overheating, resulting in a mandatory "cooling-off" period during which you can't use the weapon.
missiles - there are five kinds. "Fire" missiles are the "base-model"; they do the least damage but have some homing-in ability. "Rear" missiles are like "fire" missiles but fire backwards. "Freeze" missiles will freeze your opponents upon impact. "Homing" missiles are slightly more powerful than "fire" missiles with better homing-in ability. "Power" missiles do serious damage upon impact. However these missiles aren't really smart and have a tendency to miss their targets.
passive weapons - these include mines, spikes (which slow down an enemy), oil (causes the hapless vehicle to skid and slide), rear flame (a backward-facing "breath of death") and catapults (which will launch the impacting vehicle into the air)
GRAPHICS:
The graphics are passable. They're nothing spectacular, but they're not that bad either. The colors seem to suffer from a "washed-out" quality, possibly from the compression (then again I'm not a programmer so I can't really comment on that :). The framerate is smooth... somewhere in the low 20 fps range (this was measured by eyeballing and playing countless games of Marathon, Wolf3D, DOOM and other 3D games).
SOUND:
Sound effects which you'd expect from a battle are all in the game. From the distinctive "whoosh" of a missile launch, to the maniacal laugh emanating from the ice-cream truck... all these sound effects contribute greatly to the game. There is also a continuous, looping sound track for each stage.
GAMEPLAY:
This is where the game excels. There is a lot of action going on at any one time. eg You could be chasing a vehicle which in turn is chasing another at high speed. While this is going on there is an ongoing exchange of gunfire and missiles between the vehicles. Meanwhile the "refs" on the sidewalk launch a few more missiles your way to make things interesting.
The handling characteristsics of each vehicle, combined with its unique special weapon, allow for an almost endless variety of tactics. eg I like the monster truck because it allows you to roll over other vehicles without taking damage. While using the motorcycle you can ride through narrow lanes without fear of pursuit.
The entire world is 3D; you are not restricted to just a 2D plane. eg you can park your vehicle under a bridge while a battle rages on above you. This aspect of the game is particularly satisfying. And when it is combined with the speed of the action, it makes for a dizzyingly good time. Images from countless high-speed car chase sequences instantly come to mind, and are actually not that difficult to replicate in the game.
CONCLUSION:
Some folks have totally written this game off without really giving it a chance. Play it for a while, and it will grow on you. It is also important to note that this game is extremely violent, and doesn't make a pretense of it. eg you can run over the "refs" and other pedestrians. So a parent might want to take this into account before purchasing this game. For those without similar misgivings, I'd strongly recommend this game and nominate it for "Playstation Game of the Year".
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