Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal was one of the earliest games on the first Playstation and at the time really showed what the fledgling system could do. It set the standard for vehicular combat games for years to come and developed a cult following of devoted fans.

PlayStation

Overview

Twisted Metal is an arena-based vehicular combat game published in November 1995 by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the Playstation and developed by Single Trac studios (who also developed the original Warhawk). The game's plot revolves around a competition hosted on a yearly basis in Los Angeles by the enigmatic "road rage enthusiast" named Calypso.

Plot

The plot of the game, while originally intended to be illustrated with full motion video cut scenes, was eventually told via a short back story for each character and an ending cinematic which varies depending on which character is used to complete the game. The main crux of the plot is that Calypso will grant one wish to the winner of the competition and the individual end sequences detail the consequences of the various characters' wishes. Most of the sequences have a "be careful what you wish for" theme, with Calypso granting wishes in a way that usually has dire repercussions for the wish-maker.

Person/ Vehicle Name and Type

Needles Kane/ Sweet Tooth (Ice Cream Truck)
Charlie Kane/ Yellow Jacket (Taxi Cab)
Mr. Ash/ Darkside (18 Wheeler)
Carl Roberts/ Outlaw (Police Cruiser)
Bruce/ Thumper (Low Rider)
Agent Stone/ Crimson Fury (Sports Car)
Angela Fortin/ Pit Viper (Dune Buggy)
Commander Mason/ Warthog (Armored Vehicle)
Mr. Grimm/ ??? (Motorcycle)
Scott Campbell/ Specter (Classic Roadster)
Dave and Mike/ Hammerhead (Monster Truck)
Captain Spears/ Road Kill (Junkyard Car)

Gameplay

Twisted Metal consists of a series of arena-based battles against an increasing number of opponents in increasingly large arenas. These battles culminate in a face-off with the winner of the previous year's competition, Darkside, who drives a large armored car which fires multiple missiles at once.

Players can choose one of 12 different vehicles with which to enter combat. Each vehicle has a distinct driver and special move. The controls consist of accelerator, brake, "tight turn" (essentially a handbrake) and turbo on the face buttons, with main weapons and machine gun selection and control on the shoulder buttons.

Arenas are populated with weapon pickups to re-supply missile stocks, repair stations for repairing damage to your car, pedestrians, and course stewards armed with either machine guns or missile launchers.

Legacy

After a failed reboot in Twisted Metal (2012), and Sweet Tooth's appearance in Playstation All Stars Battle Royale, the series would lie dormant for ten years until it was rebooted with a television series streaming exclusively from the Peacock platform.