Wow. Has it really been more than 10 years? More than 10 years since we saw a proper Twisted Metal game? I guess it has. Damn. I wasn’t as big a fan of Twisted Metal: Black as I was for the, in my opinion, iconic Twisted Metal 2, but I remember Black gave us new PS2 owners a game to show off to friends besides The Bouncer. So I guess it deserved some credit. Now the newest iteration in the series has finally been unleashed upon us by David Jaffe and Co. and GODDAMN is it fun.

Graphics:

The graphics in Twisted Metal aren’t going to dazzle anyone who walks by the TV as you’re playing. That’s not to say they look like ass, by any means. The frame rate is always consistent at what looks to be 60 fps, which is key when you have half a dozen cars speeding around the (nearly) fully destructible environments. And that destructibility, while not exactly realistic, is incredibly satisfying to see when you plow through a suburban house in the Sweet Tooth ice cream truck. The full motion video cutscenes (didn’t think we’d ever see THOSE again…) have a nice grainy, exploitation film-meets-green screen look, but they seem to contrast with the bright and colorful tones of the gameplay, so I’m not sure that was a good decision.

Gameplay:

You’re not going to find tighter driving controls in any game anytime soon than in Twisted Metal. I couldn’t help but allow a small smile to cross my face as I pulled my first handbrake turn in the midst of a tense battle with the Brothers Grimm and didn’t go spinning out of control. Sure, it may not be realistic, but since when was the Twisted Metal series ever lampooned for not being realistic? When playing this game, you feel like you’re in complete control of your vehicle, and with car combat that is an absolute necessity; this is something I’m really glad David Jaffe and his team didn’t forget.

This games throws the kitchen sink of controls at you right from the get-go, even putting the Sixaxis to use for a quick boost in your turbo, so it may behoove you to go through the live training option to figure out all the moves available to you and your car (something I did after getting about a third of the way through the campaign, realizing that there were almost half a dozen moves I didn’t know). And that’s not including a whole new suite of controls for flying vehicles like the Razor helicopter. The depth here is truly incredible.

Each arena in the game is, like in past Twisted Metal games, a large free-roaming environment. You’re allowed to select three vehicles to use before each match along with the sidearm that you’re going to be using a lot. The ability to switch vehicles at a garage is a godsend (especially if you don’t want to hunt down the “health trucks”), because sometimes, to be perfectly frank, you’re gonna suck (whether online or off) and the new full bar of health (and new weapons) can alleviate any potential frustration.

While you ARE driving throughout the game, there is a bit of variety to the gameplay throughout the campaign. For example there’s a level where a sort of cage is moved around the map and you must be battling the other competitors inside it, or you will begin to take damage. There’s also just a straight-up racing level in which you have to make it to end before everyone else to detonate their cars (finally: getting first place in a racing game makes SENSE!). Each section of the campaign ends in a boss battle, which is set up like an arena fight, offering even further variety to your play experience. In sum, this game is an incredibly fun, fast-paced, arcade-like experience that will satisfy car combat AND action game enthusiasts to no end.

Story:

It’s probably a fair counterargument to demand “Who the hell plays Twisted Metal for the story?” You’re right. Probably not many people. But that doesn’t give it a free pass from being complete garbage. Pulpy, silly garbage, yes. But it has this tone that suggests it (and the Sweet Tooth storyline, in particular) was written by some 13-year-old Juggalo who drinks way too much Robotussin. I guess there’s a certain appeal to the silliness of it all, but the FMV cutscenes, like the cutscenes of Twisted Metal: Black, have this dark and somber tone that just doesn’t mesh well with the bright frivolity of the rest of the game. As she walked past the TV while I was sitting through one of the cutscenes, my girlfriend appropriately said, “God…it must have been hard for these actors to say these lines.”

Replayability:

Twisted Metal comes packed with a multiplayer suite that includes both online and, much more importantly, OFFLINE modes. That’s right: Twisted Metal split-screen combat is back! I have this feeling that the inclusion of this was not only necessary for the game’s replayability but was also Mr. Jaffe’s way of giving the middle finger to Sony for making him include an online pass for the game’s online multiplayer features. And while the online modes are pretty cool, the inclusion of split-screen multiplayer exposes Twisted Metal for what it is: a goddamn awesome party game to play with friends! Up to 4 at a time, in fact! There’s even a split-screen co-op story option AND a LAN option, so you have no shortage of reason to come back to this game. Sad thing is that a lot of the awesome variety of gameplay from the campaign, like the aforementioned cage matches and death races, don’t get carried over to the multiplayer, diminishing the replayability a bit. There’s also trophy support for the collect-o-philes out there (including some hilariously-titled ones like “Blah Blah Blah, Gimme the Trophy” which you get for completing the Live Training mode), so you do have some pretty good value on your hands if you pick up this game.

Conclusion:

Despite a story that can be qualified as complete balls, some meh graphics, and the requirement of an online pass, Twisted Metal offers what scientists call “a fuck-load of fun” to any PS3 gamers willing to spend the green. It’s nice to see what David Jaffe called “the Rodney Dangerfield of video games” (i.e. car combat) is still alive and well with this reboot/sequel. Newcomers and hardened Twisted Metal veterans alike are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy themselves while playing this game. If you’re not much of a multiplayer gamer, you might just want to give this a rental, but during the time you’re leasing it, it’s probably safe to say you’ll be having fun. And that’s really all that matters.