Review: Twisted Metal Black
There was a period of time where this game series was one of the premiere titles in Sony's lineup but with the original developer leaving the series, so went the quality of the series. Well Twisted Metal Fans rejoice! Incoginc has returned behind this twisted series, but can it recapture the former glory that it had on the PS1 on the first iteration of this series on the PS2?
Story:
Calypso has escaped from his mental intuition and brought some new and twisted freaks into the fray to restart his Twisted Metal tournament again. Each one of these characters has a sick and deviant storyline on their own that help add to the grim atmosphere laid out buy the games story.
Graphics:
The graphics are good, dark, and gritty, or in other words, just what fans of the series have come to expect, and that is especially good news, since this game came out early in the PS2's life cycle. The cut scenes look good also. All is not perfect however the action occasionally can chug in a heated battle when someone activates a super power attack, but the chugs don't hinder anything at all, and are barley noticeable.
Music:
Well the music is not all that great to be quite honest. Then again neither has any of the music of the rest of the series. And to have music that would fit better on the PS1 than on the PS2 is a large letdown. Let's face it I had been hoping to have some better music for this version of twisted metal since this is the next generation of gaming or at least it was in 2001. Other than the disappointing soundtrack, the sound effects are true to the series, and the voice acting is good.
Control:
Control has returned to the tight handling and control we all loved in Twisted Metal 1 & 2. Not only has control been tightened up but they have fixed some of the problems from the last game Incoginc did. There has been a major improvement in the Mortar/Napalm system in that you now can see where you are going to launch your attack giving you more control over your attacks, including distance, and firing arc. This does take some getting used to but once mastered is an invaluable piece in your arsenal.
Design:
One of the fun features in the Twisted Metal series is now and always has been the destructible environment, and this is even taken to new levels as it is not only fun to destroy the environment, but necessary to unlock new drivers, and hidden stages. And shortcuts that allow you to gain an advantage on your opponents. But what makes this game a blast is the multiplayer, and co-op options for playing the game with friends in the room.
Is this a return to glory for the Twisted Metal Series, I hope so because I enjoyed this game, and although the music is bad, almost everyone will find something to like here, too bad it is rated M so only adults will be able to enjoy this game. Try it out because this is a good waist of an afternoon, and a must for when your buddies are over and you are looking for some fun.
Graphics
8/10
Game play
8/10
Sound
7/10
Fun factor
9/10
Tilt
8/10
Average score
8.0
Twisted Metal Black:
Pros:
A lot of unlockable goodies
Multiplayer fun
Shooting down landmarks as fun as it has ever been
Cons:
Really bad music
Napalm launching takes some getting used too