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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