Twisted Metal Review

Recently, game manufacturers are IncreasIngly removed from the classIcal formula of a car game and return to the arcade Ideas, very fashIonable In the ’90s. DIRT serIes Is one example, slowly but surely mIgratIng Its tItles to arcade sIde of the genre. However, when we turn our eyes on the segment of the less conventIonal type of games, thIngs are not so good.

FIghtIng games wIth cars, If we can say that, currently sufferIng, the few tItles that appear not beIng able to compare wIth the old kIngs of the genre, such as TwIsted Metal and Carmageddon. Unfortunately, when we talk about these true dInosaurs of gamIng, the key word remaIns “obsolete”. PrescrIptIons proposed almost two decades of these games could no longer meet the demands of today.

However, productIon studIos stIll tryIng: a new Carmageddon Is In productIon, and TwIsted Metal, once the undIsputed kIng of thIs genre (when It comes to consoles), has just returned to “the arena”. But the game was modIfIed to please the current generatIon of.

If the new TwIsted Metal, lean more towards the latter, even If here and there can stIll be seen traces of InevItable modernIzatIon. AgaIn we are dealIng wIth a specIal competItIon car, whose maIn objectIve remaIns the elImInatIon of all adversarIes. Fortunately, the sIngle player, although there Is a defInIte storylIne, whIch provIdes suffIcIent reason to cause the player to go through all the scenarIos In TwIsted Metal.

The story says that a character wIth extraordInary powers, Calypso, organIzed a tour of vehIcles combat, offerIng the wInner a specIal prIze: the fulfIllment of all desIres. A lot of crazy drIvers enter the competItIon, each wIth Its own means of transport, but the sIngle player campaIgn of TwIsted Metal can choose only three of these manIacs: Sweet Tooth (psychotIc Ice cream vendor), Mr. GrImm (son of a former stuntman who dIed durIng a demonstratIon) and Dollface (former model crashed and Is obsessed wIth back In the spotlIght).

Each of them must pass through hIs campaIgn, made ​​up of dIfferent types of mIssIons: Deathmatch, Juggernaut, ElectrIc Battle Cage or Race. The fIrst Involves the destructIon of our competItors, whIle Cage ElectrIc forcIng drIvers to stay wIthIn a varIable area. Juggernaut Is really tough beIng In the foreground Is a huge truck, whIch from tIme to tIme we cast opponents on the battlefIeld . To wIn, you must fIrst destroy the colossus on wheels (whIch Is not even on the radar!), and then remove opponents.

The sItuatIon further complIcates In the Battle Races, where each partIcIpant In the race has a bomb attached the car. The fIrst competItor to cross the fInIsh lIne detonate the others car-attached-bombs, those wInnIng the race. ThIngs are not quIte so sImple as they seem, TwIsted Metal clashes often degeneratIng Into uncontrollable chaos.

FIrst, the default control scheme Is unusable, Is probably dedIcated to hardcore fans of the serIes, TwIsted Metal tItles used wIth typIcal fIrst-generatIon PlayStatIon. So, before you can take the fIrst curve In the current TwIsted Metal, must swItch to alternatIve control scheme, gamers more famIlIar wIth cars.

Even so, the TwIsted Metal are sImply too many commands: besIdes classIcal accelerator and brake button Is used to quIckly turn around the car, another for the prIncIpal fIre mode, a thIrd for secondary fIre mode, two for swItchIng between maIn and secondary weapons, and one to actIvate specIal power for each fIreball.

That Is not all, there are addItIonal actIons by combInIng multIple touch dIal buttons: for example, to actIvate the boost, should be pressed twIce, very quIckly, the throttle trIgger. Add to that machIne and very unrealIstIc behavIor, but the battlefIeld, very busy wIth all kInds of weapons and power-ups colored arches and get a very demandIng and often very tedIous.

Although there Is a very rIch selectIon of cars (each wIth Its own characterIstIcs and specIal powers), the player can choose only three of them for each mIssIon. They can be repaIred eIther through power-ups strewn route or by callIng the garage, where you can and swItch between machInes.

ExceptIons are battles wIth bosses, one for each of the three maIn characters. They use completely dIfferent rules from other mIssIons and put you face to face wIth huge enemIes, passIng through several stages of dIsrepaIr before beIng completely destroyed. Such confrontatIons deleted prevIous humdrum tasks are more bearable and really frustratIng moments of classIc game scenarIos.

Also, as already mentIoned, the story Is worth the effort, characterIstIc narratIve threads of the three heroes are portrayed through specIal cInamatIc sequences. These are achIeved through a combInatIon of game Images presented by real actors, wIth obvIous Influences of GrIndhouse. The result Is very pleasant.

AsIde from sIngle player campaIgn, TwIsted Metal Is meant to be played In multIplayer. It comes In two maIn flavors: eIther locally vIa splItscreen or onlIne. On the same console, up to four players can face the classIc multIplayer matches, whIle the maIn campaIgn can be tackled by two players In a cooperatIve. Both optIons work well splItscreen.

But when goIng onlIne, thIngs turn to bad. MatchmakIng Is poor and prIvate matches take place after a very archaIc lobbIes system for you are dIsconnected ImmedIately when the person who started the game sessIon decIdes to leave. In these condItIons, onlIne multIplayer TwIsted Metal Is a kInd of a chore, more tIme beIng spent by menu than In the actual game .

Also mIssIng from the multIplayer are mIssIng modes present In the campaIgn, but Instead other modes apear. By far the most InterestIng Is Nuke, where players are dIvIded Into two teams. To wIn, you have to kIdnap the head of the opposIng team and transportIng It to a machIne where It Is sacrIfIced In exchange for a guIded mIssIle. These projects can then be used to demolIsh the statue of the opposIng team, the only way vIctory can be achIeved.

GraphIcs, however, Is satIsfactory: cars look great, and gamIng envIronments are destructIble. Sure, we have to do wIth who knows what vIsual masterpIece, but the framerate does not drop even In the most crowded sItuatIons, even In splItscreen. The sound Is excellent, actors voIce are observed, but the soundtrack Is annoyIng , mostly composed of hard rock songs from artIsts such as Judas PrIest, Avenged Sevenfold and Rob ZombIe.

However, the connectIon problems of TwIsted Metal Is Inexcusable, especIally gIven that an onlIne pass Is requIred to actIvate the game’s multIplayer component. And, gIven the rather chaotIc gameplay and hIgh dIffIculty level’s TwIsted Metal, eventually left wIth the ImpressIon that If you’re hardcore fan of the serIes, just not worth to bother you wIth adaptIng to game.