Vehicular combat, AKA the genre gone stale, has nearly dropped off the face of the Earth. Most of these games died off long ago, getting replaced by power-up-heavy racers (Full Auto) and open-world driving games (Grand Theft Auto). The sole exception has been the Twisted Metal series. But even that franchise has suffered – we haven't gotten a new sequel since the PSP iteration in 2005.

This month marks the release of Twisted Metal Head-On for PlayStation 2. Those who played it before may be tempted to skip this console port. But don’t rule out its entertainment value until you read about the abundance of extras crammed into the Extra Twisted Edition.

Twisted Metal Black 2: The Game You’ll Never Play

All was not lost when Twisted Metal Black 2 went away. Like any game, the project was designed in chunks. Four of those chunks – Death Port, Suburban Terror, Stadium Slaughter and Carnival of Darkness – are the levels that make up the lost section of the game.

The designs are excellent, surpassing the depth of the Head-On stages with a larger number of areas to explore. Each is comprised of architecture that not only looks good but also makes for a great place to battle. Death Port is the series’ first on-edge level, and I mean that literally. Stuck out at sea, you have two enormous ships to cruise through. The layout is great with lots of battleground on top of and within both ships. Skid off the edge, however, and you’ll be down one life. This is not a new idea to gaming, but it isn’t something that’s commonly found in vehicular combat games. Whereas before you’d be dedicated to blowing up your friends, now you might just want to push them over the edge for an easy win.

Carnival of Darkness is another wonderful stage and should be included in any future Twisted Metal titles, albeit with some changes/updates to keep it feeling fresh. The roller coaster is great – rather than climb another pillar or building, you get to climb the coaster, score additional power-ups, and take out opponents from up top. There’s a cool underground area as well, and other hidden passages to find.

Suburban Terror and Stadium Slaughter fall in line with the series’ previous level designs. They’re not as interesting as the other two, but both are a fresh take on their respective styles: urban battlegrounds and arena/stadium combat.

DVD Extras

Most people don’t buy DVDs anymore for the so-called “extras,” so it’s unlikely that you’d buy a video game for behind-the-scenes discussions with the series’ creators. It’s also unlikely that you’d buy a game for live-action ending films (which would’ve played when you beat the game with each character) that were scrapped before the original Twisted Metal was released.

But as a bonus for those who were already going to buy the game, the discussions are quite valuable. David Jaffe has several eye-opening, I-can’t-believe-he-just-said-that things to say. You don’t get that much honesty from the behind-the-scenes crap that floods DVDs, mainly because those are created for publicity (hence the “It was so great working with [Actor X]” hyperbole). This, however, was created to show us how the games were made.

As for the live-action endings, they’re on par with the quality of Sega CD’s videos. Watch one and you’ll know why they were deleted.

On Foot Gameplay!?

There’s no crazy idea game publishers and developers won’t consider. Before Black 2 was canned, the developers began working on a mode where you could take Sweet Tooth out of his famous ice cream truck and control him on foot. No cool weapons on his back. No wheels in his shoes. Just him, his fists and the glow of fire running off his head.

We’ll never know exactly what that mode would have played like, but you’ll get to experience a portion of the developer’s vision in Sweet Tour, a mode you’ll only see in ETE. Given that the stages and hand-to-hand combat had not been completed, the developers added 29 Sweet Tooth icons for you to collect, each of which offers different facts and behind-the-scenes images (photos, concept art, etc.) from the series.

 
Look behind Sweet Tooth for a glimpse of the Impound Lot stage.

The first one notes, “What you see is all that remains of these foot missions. The animation is crude, the art is not final, and there is little gameplay.” That’s an honest assessment. Sweet Tooth’s walk is choppy, has only one attack (hold your breath for this one – he can punch), and there aren’t any enemies to fight. Instead, you’ll explore the repetitive corridors of an asylum, and climb over and around piled up cars in an impound lot.

The facts are more exciting than the mode itself, but there is one cool feature. Toward the end of the stage you’ll encounter a few traps – such as two giant cogs grinding together – that the Black 2 developers had planned to include. They’re not finished so you can walk right past them.

Their look, however, is very gruesome and evokes thoughts of Mortal Kombat, which is ironic considering one of the game’s revelations: when the Twisted Metal series began, they chose hardcore fighting fans as their target gamer for focus tests. The developers told ‘em, “It’s a fighting game on wheels.” But the testers, who were used to Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, Street Fighter, or all four, were not amused. They made fun of the game, striking fear in the hearts of everyone who worked on it. Lucky for them, focus test participants rarely represent the kinds of people that will (or could) end up buying your game.

 
The asylum’s repetitive corridors could drive you crazy. Ironic, no?

Head-On PS2

Transylvania, the new stage added to the Head-On lineup, is an unrelenting blast. It must have been a joy creating this stage’s castle, whose enormous size is never overwhelming but always inspiring. You can never be sure you’ve seen it all, because just when you think you have, another tunnel, portal or secret area reveals itself. The high pillars and low, bridge- and wall-dominated environment give players several places to escape death in a close battle. Heat-seeking missiles can only travel so far. Round a tight corner and the missile won’t make it past the barrier.

Plus, it looks really cool. It’s the kind of place I’d want to visit in real life – you know, if I had a weapon-equipped vehicle and could leave the arena in one piece.

Bonuses Not Reviewed

ETE comes with two bonuses that weren’t available for review: an art book and downloadable soundtrack.

 
A page from the art book.

If you’ve played the original Head-On to death, the four lost levels and brand-new Head-On stage might not be enough to quench your thirst. However, the game hasn’t lost its luster, not even as a port from a handheld to a console (the strangest of all ports that occur in our industry). It sucks that the technology didn’t allow for split-screen gaming, so you’ll be limited to just two players. That’ll turn off some players, no doubt.

But two of the best Twisted Metal games were also limited to just two players. And though a full-fledged sequel would’ve been better, it’s hard to argue with the upgrades. When is the last time you’ve played a port that contained more than a graphic difference?

Gameplay: 8.2
Twisted Metal: Head-On retains the three Fs all vehicular combat games need to succeed: fun, fast and furious gameplay. There are slight differences in the graphics and in the way the game feels, but you’re mostly getting the same content (plus five new levels that shouldn’t be missed).

Graphics: 7.0
Head-On looks good on PS2 but not as good as it did on PSP since these visuals appear more impressive on a smaller screen. The lost levels are wonderfully designed but, since Black 2 was never finished, their visuals aren’t on par with the original Twisted Metal Black.

Sound: 6.0
Lots of grunting, moaning, dark music… Some good stuff here and there, but the majority is just barely adequate.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
David Jaffe says it himself in the game: Twisted Metal Black was too hard. Thus, they made this a really easy, pick-up-and-play experience that any gamer can finish in a day. The bonuses are fun but only a few of them are well-hidden; most fit with the mainstream appeal the Extra Twisted Edition is trying to achieve.

Concept: 8.0
This score goes out to the new content, which shows that the developers are still the kings of vehicular combat.

Multiplayer: 7.0
Stellar but scaled back. The Extra Twisted Edition is a blast – a game you’ll want to play continuously for hours. But it’s limited to just two players, which pales in comparison to what the PSP edition offered.

Overall: 8.0
Not a must-buy for everyone, but a must-play for every Twisted Metal fan. You’ll love the bonus stages, the chat with David Jaffe, and the series facts held within Sweet Tour. And if by some chance you haven’t played Head-On for PSP, then it most certainly is a must-buy on PS2.