Twisted Metal (game, 1995)

The game takes place in Los Angeles , on Christmas Eve 2005 . Every year, the top 12 drivers from around the world come here to take part in the toughest tournament called "Metal Rattle". The organizer of the tournament is the powerful and mysterious Calypso, whose face was disfigured in a car accident. The main prize in this tournament is the fulfillment of a cherished desire.

The player will control one of the characters using his vehicle. Each participant has a car with its own parameters: the strength of Special weapons, speed, handling and durability. The player can use various weapons: machine gun, missiles, napalm. Also, riders can just ram each other, which also causes damage. By choosing one of the heroes, the player will have to fight with opponents on various maps. Depending on the map, the number of opponents may vary. The game is conducted on the principle of "until the last survivor": to win, the player needs to defeat all opponents in the arena.

The arenas themselves also vary, both in size and in content. Various bonuses are scattered throughout the level: first-aid kits, ammunition. The locations themselves are partially destructible. There are secret passages and rooms with bonuses. Also, some locations pose no less danger than the opponents themselves: for example, in the last “Rooftop Combat” arena, you can fall off a skyscraper.

In addition to the classic arcade mode, the game has a mode for two players. In it, players can fight each other, using the ability to split the screen. The mode of cooperative passage in the game is not provided.

In total, 12 cars take part in the game:

• Sweet Tooth - psycho-clown Needles Kane, who escaped from a psychiatric hospital, took part in the tournament in order to find his missing friend. But was he really?
• Yellow Jacket - an elderly taxi driver Charlie Kane, took part in the tournament to find his missing son. Hmm, in the tournament there are two people with the name "Kane" ...
• Darkside - the mysterious Mr. Ash, who arrived from the underworld. He took part in the tournament to take from Cullipso the source of his strength: a creature named Black .
• Thumper - a simple guy from the streets - Bruce Cochrane, took part in the tournament for one thing: to return peaceful life to his quarter.
• Outlaw , a good cop Carl Roberts, took part in the tournament to end once and for all the deeds of Kallipso.
• Mr. Grimm - the mysterious soul-gatherer, Mr. Grimm, takes part in the tournament to get the soul of Callipso.
• Warthog - an old warrior, commander Mason, took part in the tournament to get a certain item for the US government.
• Crimson Fury - working for an underground organization, Agent Stone took part in the tournament to get some kind of thing that would “free” the whole world.
• Pit Viper , a double-life housewife, Angela Fortin, took part in the tournament to receive one million dollars.
• Hammerhead - two students, Dave and Mike, took part in the tournament, although they themselves do not know exactly what they need - they just have fun.
• Specter is the ghost of Scott Sempel, who took part in the tournament to return to life again.
• Roadkill - The military, Captain Spears, took part in the tournament to go back in time and save his comrades.

Also in the game there is one, unplayable character acting as a boss:

• Minion is an unplayable racer who plays the role of the boss. After passing through the fourth arena in the sequel, it turns out that the demon, who had previously won the Callipso tournament, sits behind the wheel of this combat vehicle.

There are 6 arenas in the game:

• Arena Duel is the first arena. Underground arena with crowds of spectators in the stands. There is only one opponent in the arena. However, through cheat codes, six opponents can appear on this arena.
• Warehouse District Warfare - the second arena. City streets. There are three opponents in the arena.
• Freeway Free For All is the third arena. Los Angeles Freeway. There are five opponents in the arena.
• River Park Rumble is the fourth arena. Beverly Hills Roads. There are six opponents in the arena.
• Assault on Cyburbia is the fifth and largest arena. It is a suburban area. There are eight opponents in the arena.
• ' Rooftop Combat' The Final Battle - the sixth and final arena. Roofs of skyscrapers in Los Angeles. There are only three opponents in the arena, and after their death the boss appears - Mignon.

The game received mostly positive reviews. The game received praise mainly for the original gameplay. Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the game at 93 points, noting good governance and an original game concept. " GameFan Magazine " awarded the game 91 points, also noting the originality of the idea and elaborated gameplay.

However, there were not quite positive reviews. “ IGN ” gave the game only 70 points, explaining that the game is good, but it has a too short single-player mode, which makes up for the possibility of playing together. “ The Video Game Critic ” gave the game 67 points, noting that the game has an insufficient frame rate, but otherwise the game is excellent ^[2] .

The PC version of Twisted Metal was published only in Japan in a small print run, because of which it was little known even there, and in the rest of the world for a long time they did not know about its existence ^[3] . ^[4]

• The game has only text endings. Initially, videos were shot with live people, but they never entered the game. Only in 2008 , with the release of Twisted Metal: Head-On Extra Twisted Edition , the same video endings appeared as additional materials ^[5] .
• Also, before the release of the restart game , this part was the only one where the clips with real actors were involved.
• This is the only game in the series where the view from the cockpit is available.
• Also, the Sweet Tooth machine appeared in the Rocket League, as exclusive to the PS4.