Twisted Metal: Black

The original Twisted Metal and its sequel revitalized the car combat genre several years ago when the Playstation was introduced. The games were renowned for fast, furious gameplay and outstanding multiplayer matches between friends. The series began to go downhill, however, when development of the games switched from SingleTrac to 989 Studios, who produced the forgettable Twisted Metal 3 and 4. Not only did the overall setting of the Twisted Metal games lose its face, but also the gameplay was changed enough to be unrecognizable by fans of the series. In response to the degradation of Twisted Metal, original staff members from SingleTrac formed Incognito Entertainment to resurrect the series with Twisted Metal: Black. Twisted Metal: Black puts a sinister spin on the storyline. The game begins at Blackfield Asylum, where some of the world's most dangerous lunatics are invited to participate in a vehicular combat contest called Twisted Metal. Each character has his or her own storyline and motives, usually revenge, some of which are grisly and disturbing, but interesting nonetheless. The story is told in CG movies with high quality voice acting, always providing incentive for the gamer to continue playing. The character must fight against multiple enemies in various arenas ranging from a junkyard to suburbs to on top the city skyscrapers. Unlockable secrets are hidden throughout the levels; finding the secrets grants access to new vehicles and levels. Twisted Metal: Black excels in multiplayer games, supporting up to 4 player split-screen and 3 modes of play. Deathmatch, Co-Op Teamplay and Last Man Standing are available for you and your friends to engage in. Although TMB is a fun game, it is challenging. It is easy to pick up and begin playing but difficult to master. Even the Easy difficulty setting will cause some headaches in the later levels. Thankfully you get two lives per stage with unlimited continues and a save feature, so the game is not entirely frustrating. Practicing in the Challenge mode is highly recommended, for the game's Story mode is not friendly to newcomers.

One word describes TMB's graphics: smooth. From the moment the gameplay begins you will notice that TMB moves at a blistering 60 frames per second with no graphical slowdown. Sitting too close to the TV will result in slight motion sickness, in fact. Incognito has saturated this game with atmosphere using a dark, dirty and gritty palette of colors. In contrast to the dark atmosphere are the explosions which light up the screen in flurries of fire and flickering spark particles, as missiles, bullets, bombs and energy weapons fly across the battlefield, slamming into speeding cars. Animations are creative and innovative; each car has a different mechanism animation for weapons. Missile launchers pop out of compartments in the sides of the cars, explosive gas cans usually come out of the trunk, ricochet discs are slung off the roof and some characters can open the top of their cars to shoot at enemies with machine guns. There is nothing revolutionary about TMB's graphics, but they are impressive and eye-catching with plenty of charm.

Twisted Metal: Black is presented in Dolby Surround, meaning that the sounds of battle swirl about the room on a good theater system. The game's DVD-ROM format uses high quality audio samples of the explosions, crashes and screams of car battles. The soundtrack is a mix of rock and heavy metal with dark overtones, but the real gem in the music is TMB's official theme song: Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones, which is played briefly at the title screen and in its entirety at the game's end credits.

Some are already calling Twisted Metal: Black the first killer app for Playstation 2: a potential system-seller. It gets even better with the upcoming Twisted Metal Online expansion pack coming this Fall when Sony releases the modem/broadband accessory for PS2, and the critically acclaimed car racing game Gran Turismo 3 coming in mid July. TMB is a must-have title for PS2 owners. It's fast, furious, lots of fun and has great multiplayer modes and high potential for online play.