To say that Twisted Metal is back with a vengeance would be a dire understatement. Sure, some of the same characters/cars, gameplay styles, and features might be the same, but the latest installment of Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal Black, is a whole new animal – and Incognito Studios gave this animal longer claws, bigger teeth and made it run faster (60 frames per second to be exact) than something out of your worst nightmare. 

Twisted Metal is a genre of its own. I would have to say the easiest way to put it to those unfamiliar with the series is that it’s a demolition derby with a delightfully demonic twist. You have a selection of characters to choose from, each with their own special cars that have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some are light and fast, but with little armor, while your heavier vehicles may have great armor but make you a much easier and slower target to hit. Throw all these vehicles into a closed arena filled with obstacles, ramps, steep grades, plenty of things to blow up, and narrow paths, and now you’re ready to go to work.

Twisted Metal has always been famous for its rather interesting collection of lunatics, homicidal maniacs, and of course, your friendly neighborhood killer clown. Actually almost all of the characters should be familiar from previous editions including  Mr. Grimm, Spectre, and of course the infamous Sweet Tooth whose lovely dental health and ‘charming’ portrait graces the front of the game package. While the game guide which comes with TMB lightly covers their backgrounds, you will get a cinematic glimpse into the dementia the character you choose during story mode.

There are a few different game modes to choose from in TMB, but the basic premise of all of them is: It’s you against the pack – either alone or with a friend to help (or harm you). Single player mode comes with a Story mode (self-explanatory), an Endurance mode (last as long as you can with one life), and Challenge mode (restricted to one car, one level). Of course, what would a game like this be without the multiplayer mode. Here too are the standard variations: Deathmatch, a Co-Op where you work together through the storyline, and Last Man Standing (pick your teams and see who survives). Nothing surprising here, this is pretty standard fare for games of all types.

Some of this might be review for you Twisted Metal fans, and what you really want to know is, well, is it any good? The answer is a resounding YES! This rendition of Sweet Tooth’s saga is overall an absolute success. The good folks over at Incgonito studios have once again take the reins of the combat racing series and have made it an epic. Why, you ask? Here’s why:

First of all, you’re going to notice that you’ve been given a reason to be visually impressed by an PS2 game. Every nook and cranny of graphical goodness has been exploited. Cutscenes/eye-candy screens have a rough film grain look overlying some of the most in-depth and wonderful work I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen dark scenes look so “bright” and clear. I would HIGHLY recommend getting a buddy to play for a while just so you can sit back and “spectate” on the intricately designed levels, obstacles, and cars. When you eliminate an enemy you can ever watch the driver jump out in flames. A little macabre? That’s what this series is about!

FAST FAST FAST! You’re bound to be impressed by the speed at which you are going to seek, destroy, and otherwise annihilate everything in your path. It makes the game impressive, and tough. First you need to master the fine art of acceleration, deceleration, the turbo and the hairpin turn. Once you have that down, the real control work comes into play when managing your weapons.. It’s not so much the variety of weapons such as missiles and ricochets that add flair to the series, it’s the special attacks that come with each player that really make each player unique. Also, for those players who want a different amount of control over their weaponry and cars, there are Run N’ Gun and Control Freak configurations which can customize your control experience to your hearts desire. It takes a bit of work to really excel at this game – button mashing will not get you very far against the highly skilled and smart enemies you will face. Even if you’ve played the game before, if your skills have gone rusty, or you’ve never played before – you will spend many a short lived game just learning to use your cars advantages to your favor. The combinations are sometimes require precise timing, and with all the action flying by around you, you’re in for a challenge.

Now, on to the tracks. I have three words for you “Blow Things Up.” Those are not only words meant to incite the enjoyment of watching some really splendid environments to bits, they are also words of wisdom. After all, where else can you find some really cool weapons and items? But don’t miss the journey for the destination – Anything from crates, to houses, to anything you can imagine has been finely crafted to meet its demise. The detail is amazing, and so is the sheer depth, design, and even size of some of the tracks. For instance, the suburbia field is not only chock full of houses which will fall victim to your vehicle, but it’s also going to feel infinite in size the first time you play through it. There is, of course, the trademark examples of Twisted Metal ‘extreme condition’ tracks such as an icy track which tampers with your car handling, as well as the familiar skyscraper top field which is obviously unforgiving to even the slightest driving mistake. Once again, Twisted Metal fans will be treading onto some familiar territory. 

Something does need to be said for character development in this rendition. While previously you were given very basic descriptions of the demented cast, TMB takes the time to really delve into the stories of the characters, why they do what they do, and does justice to character development. Easily, this game was impressive without this added touch, but in doing so, Incognito turned an impressive game into more than just a game – they created a fascinating tour de force.

All in all, TMB has finally made me feel that I had seen the reason the PS2 was made. Up until now, I have not felt a title had take full advantage of the system and was really worth the hype. More surprisingly, as similar as it is in function to the early Twisted Metals in the series (it should be since must of the same team for the early two games returned for this incarnation), Twisted Metal: Black still dazzles and astounds with its visuals, audios, and incredibly fun gameplay. This game could have quite easily become a very shallow attempt to make a weapon racing game with a superficially dark setting. Instead, Incognito has take their original concept, built on its strengths and produced a game which shows evidence of hard work and a true love for the craft of game-making. 

Game Play (9.5):
Easy to get into, easier to look at, and as smooth as a freshly paved road – TMB is a masterpiece of the macabre vehicle combat game genre it is famous for. Despite the intensely detailed graphics of this title, it suffers absolutely no slowdown and there are no annoying loading times (more than I can say for many of my recent PS2 experiences). There is the usual variety of one and two player gaming modes to choose from. 

Graphics (9.5):.
If you can do it, get your friends to play this one for a while and sit back and enjoy the awesome graphics from the storyline to gameplay graphics. This is probably one of the first games to come along that I felt really validated my purchase of a PS2 so far. Battle effects like fire, explosions and missiles are crystal vivid, and I really enjoyed the extra touches of “film grain” during character cut scenes.  

Sound (9): 
As a general rule, I’ve never felt original music was a truly high priority for game makers in any genres other than mostly RPG, adventure or select action titles. Twisted Metal Black could have easily been one of those titles that used music as background fodder – but TMB has also exceeded my expectations when it comes to music. The soundtrack is the perfect blend of heavy, sinister, and orchestral. The sound effects and voice overs are crisp, clear, and well done. 

Difficulty (8.5):
Even the easiest level on TMB is quite difficult and this may or may not be frustrating to some gamers. Enemy AI shows no mercy on you, if you stop even for a second, you’re going to be punished by an enemies fire. At first the most difficult factor to get used to is the blinding (but beautiful) speed at which this game moves. While the controls do have a slight complexity to them and are tricky to master well, I don’t think this will turn off anyone but the laziest of game players.  

Concept (8):
It’s tough to keep a good series going strong. I’ve seen sequel after sequel crash and burn – but this game is the absolute pinnacle of the series. TMB takes advantage of the PS2 system to create a great game which, although it may be part of a series, recreates the best of its past and builds it on the foundation of the future. While TMB doesn’t bring much that is new to the mechanics of the gameplay, it does more than make up for it in its sheer presentation. 

Overall (9.5):
Twisted Metal Black is absolutely impressive on every level. The gameplay is fun, fast, and delivers what fans of the series have always craved. For the seekers of the macabre aspects, TMB avoids falling into the common “oooh.. there’s lots of dark backgrounds and some people with wicked names” method of portraying the environment and the evidence is in the incredibly textured graphics, the impressive soundtrack, and the fully developed storyline. Twisted Metal Black may seem more than a little familiar for fans of the series, but I think that what they’ve done with those foundations has warranted praise.