Twisted Metal screenshots

That's a promising start - a good approximation of the original font. Missing some bullet holes, but okay.

And there's Sweet Tooth circa TM : Black - also promising.

Calypso describes each new arena in the Story Mode. This is the first one, an idyllic town.

Stat keeping is probably more useful for multi-player.

I appear to have had a stroke at the wheel. I have no idea why this happened.

Story Mode progression.

Calypso keeps 'memento's' of each contestant.

Calypso's office - cut scene.

A very nicely framed shot during a cut scene. The direction in this is very stylized.

The production value though - that wig is terrible.

It's at this screen where things start to feel WRONG.

A level intro with a Christmas theme.

A cage match where going outside the cage is penalized - similar to a wrestling match and an outside ring 'count'.

Yes, it's a transformer. It also flies with rocket propulsion.

Playing Darkside is about smashing into people repeatedly.

Even the other tank-shaped vehicles are fair game to the big rig.

Weapon gathering is relatively moot when you can just punch things to death.

Some stats - not bad for a relative newcomer to the game, but the gameplay is honestly not very twisted metal.

A radio playing Patsy Cline's "Crazy for being so lonely"

The cut scenes integrate live action and CG very well - going for a stylized look instead of focusing on realism.

The story intro's are clever.

Really amazed that they got someone with the proper physique to play Sweet Tooth.

And we find out why he has one eye.

Calypso's actor looks the part, but his voice lacks any real menace.

"Uh, hey boss, why is your head on fire?"

A stated objective for what he'll wish for.

The third chapter focuses on Doll-face.

Still having the same name, her story is retconned here.

Instead of a tortured child she's a paranoid obsessive.

Actually she's a dead rip-off of the Batman villain Calendar Girl.

So Mr. Grimm is Black this time. Because somebody has to be. Nobody is Asian or Indian or any other race than White though.

His story is a dead rip-off of the first Nicholas Cage 'Ghostrider' movie.

Right down to his wish.

But the direction is possibly better than that movie.

This level is about racing. The game helpfully tells you that 'faster vehicles are probably better' for racing.

The controls and weapons are not suited for racing though.

As evidenced by the way you are constantly man-handled by opponents.

And frequently find yourself hurtling through the sky, missing way-gates and self-destructing as a result.

Another race - this one with checkpoint markers you have to drive through. This feels more like 'Superman 64' than 'Twisted Metal'

You can play as a helicopter on a lot of levels. The AI opponents never do though, probably because it was too hard to script behavior for.

Setting up some 2-player co-op.

This is probably the most welcome mode in the game for me - really old-school feeling to it.

Although the fact that we're both apparently Sweet Tooth is a little weird.

Setting up some 1-on-1 action in 2 player - the options are varied.

Picking side-arms. You can either have the mounted guns or pick a shotgun, machine gun, or high powered pistol. Or cluster missiles.

Split screen action.

Each car has 6 preset paint jobs and a custom tint option.

But the game-play mechanics are highly questionable.

Well this is going to go well.

About as well as expected.

Twisted Metal

PlayStation 3 screenshots