Reviewed: July 19, 2001
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer
Incognito Studios

Released: June 19, 2001
Genre: Action
Players: 4
ESRB: Mature

9
9
8
9
8.9

Supported Features:

Popular games almost always spawn sequels and it is inevitable that these sequels seldom live up to the original. In the case of Twisted Metal we saw one excellent sequel then the series took a nosedive when 989 Studios took over the franchise for the third and fourth installments. These sequels were truly uninspired and were obvious marketing ploys to get your gaming dollar based on a popular name rather than a quality game.

Incognito Studios is back in charge for the latest installment and Twisted Metal: Black is not only the best Twisted Metal game in the series - it may very well be the best car-combat game of all time. They have squeezed every ounce of processing power from the PS2 to bring us an amazing and rather disturbing look into the twisted world of demolition cars and the maniacs who drive them.

As the subtitle, Black may indicate, this is a much darker journey into vehicle carnage with a mature rating and content to justify it. Many of your favorite characters are back along with some demented new ones. The story mode provides a cinematic intro for each of these drivers who just so happen to be residents of the nearby Asylum. Their freedom is offered in exchange for winning an 8-arena tournament match where only one can survive.

As with the earlier games, you have an assortment of combo attacks you can use much like any fighting game. These directional combos can give you that extra edge you need to generate a shield or launch a devastating attack. The cars are all balanced extremely well giving no one (human or AI) a clear advantage.

Each of the 14 vehicles has their own unique set of stats that allow it to handle and fight differently. They also all feature their own unique special attack. Fans of the original Sweet Tooth character will be glad to know he's back and that his ice cream truck can now transform into a mechwarrior-type robot with deadly missile attacks.

The cars are all tied to their own insane drivers and the cast is as disturbing as it is large. You have Billy Ray driving Junkyard Dog, Preacher driving Brimstone, Agent Stone in Outlaw, Mr. Grimm in Mr. Grimm, John Doe in Roadkill, No-Face driving Crazy 8, Raven in the Shadow, Bloody Mary in Spectre, Dollface in Darkside, and of course, Sweet Tooth in his famous ice cream truck made famous in the original. There is also a large list of additional characters from the previous games including, Raven, Axel, Cage, Black, Son and Minion and Calypso are back as bosses.

As you battle across the nine enormous levels in this game you will discover amazing and powerful weapons and other power-ups scattered around the arenas. These all offer their own unique destructive capabilities and launch techniques. The gas can, for instance, can be picked up then launched by firing the secondary attack, which sends out a targeting reticule along the ground. When you actually launch the gas can anything in that circle will be engulfed in a fiery death. You also have a multiple missile attack called the Zoomy where you fire 10 consecutive missiles. Damage increases exponentially based on how many of those missiles hit your target.

Playing the game is easy. The control system is intuitive and very responsive. The analog stick offers excellent control over your vehicle while weapons are changed and fired using the front buttons. While the cars have some unnatural and very unrealistic capabilities you always feel that you have complete and precise control over every movement of your vehicles. If you flip upside down you simply nudge the stick to either side to instantly flip over and continue driving.

While most games slowly introduce you into the game with a series of increasingly difficult levels, Twisted Metal: Black thrusts you into hardcore combat with the very first level. It took me four attempts to win the first arena and that was using all of my lives. The AI is highly challenging, even on the Easy skill level. If you haven't played a car-combat game in awhile you may want to brace yourself. Even veterans of the earlier Twisted Metal games may be in for a shock if you haven't played in awhile.

It is possible to eventually learn the tactics and patterns of the AI opponents. They realistically run away from you when they are damaged and they pursue and attack you relentlessly when they sense you are near death. I can't count the times I've been gang-attacked as I tried to reach the recharging pad. Sometimes the AI can be uncannily intelligent, but it never gets unfair, even though I would often like to blame my own inadequacies on the computer.

Level design is amazing and I can't begin to imagine the work that went into designing these mammoth landscapes. The arenas are huge with multiple levels and full of hidden areas. If you see a narrow ramp leading off somewhere chances are it leads to some obscure secret area with lots of power-ups. The levels are fully interactive. On the initial level there is a giant car-smashing device that regularly slams shut crushing anything inside doing massive damage. One of the few health power-ups constantly regenerates inside this chamber always taunting you into taking the risk. This device can also be used strategically to lure other cars into the crusher as you slip out the other side, hopefully unscathed.

Almost everything in a level can be blown-up, set on fire, or destroyed in some fashion. If you've seen the TV spots or magazine ads you've already seen the 747 going down in flames. This plane is flying overhead on the first level just begging for a stray missile to add it to the collateral damage count. In the Suburbs level you can literally smash through hundreds of houses as you battle through the seemingly endless cityscape. If you liked blowing up the 747 just wait until you blast the Ferris Wheel and watch it roll into the ocean.

The animation is amazing with all sorts of subtle things thrown into the game. The vehicles show your pick-up items appearing from various weapon bays located about your car. You may pick up the homing missile power-up and see a missile launcher system appear from a panel in the roof of your truck. When the ammo is gone the device slips back into your vehicle until you get more ammo. While you may never have time to notice these tiny details in the frenzy of combat, it is definitely these nuances that set this game above the rest.

Special effects are used in abundance and include, smoke, fire, wreckage, and some of the most insane particle effects I have seen on the PS2. Firing a "Zoomy" will send 10 individually modeled rockets complete with smoke trails toward their target resulting in amazingly realistic explosions, fire, and burning wreckage.

The menu system is totally unique as you spin around a 3D environment that shows each of the vehicles frozen in a Matrix-like still frame allowing you to read the character bio. The other parts of the menu are as easily accessible with all options presented in a clear and concise format.

I had high hopes for the music when I loaded this game for the first time and heard "Paint it Black" start to play. It ended after only a few seconds and I was left to think what could have been. The music that does remain is very nice, in a twisted and disturbing sort of way. You can probably pick out a clever mix of orchestra and techno influences but the music quickly falls into the background like any good soundtrack should. While it may enhance the combat experience and overall mood of the game, you will probably have no conscious memory of the music when you are done playing.

It took me on average around two hours to complete any one character's story on the easy skill level. Even if you don't go back and replay at higher difficulty levels you can still expect 40-50 hours of intense combat action just in the story mode. To complete the game entirely could easily take a month or even more depending on how many hours you devote to your PS2.

The multiplayer modes of this game add to the infinite replayability of this title. You have the obvious two-player split-screen mode, or if you have the controller-tap you can go for a four-player mode. You can choose between traditional Deathmatch or an exciting Last Man Standing option where everyone drives the same car forcing you to rely on your combat and driving skills alone.

Another first for the car-combat genre is the Co-op Story mode where two players join together to complete the Story mode. The trick here is that both characters dip into the same shared pool of extra lives. The designers did an excellent job of making the Story mode work well in both solo and multiplayer modes.

The only thing that would make this game perfect would be online support. We can only hope for Internet play in a future sequel after the PS2 modem is released.

Twisted Metal: Black is as good as car-combat gets and probably one of the few must-have titles available for the PS2 right now. If you enjoy driving games, fighting games, or just hardcore action games that offer sheer mayhem with lots of flashing explosions and visual effects then you owe it to yourself to get this game. You may want to pick up a multi-tap and some extra controllers while you're at it. You may find yourself with some unexpected new friends.