Twisted Metal: Black

It's twisted, and it's definitely black...

Just what you need to unwind after a hard days work....

You climb into your car, put on your seat belt, start the engine, adjust the mirrors... then blow stuff up!!

That's right, Twisted Metal is now on PS2, and is more dangerous and psychotic than ever before. With it comes the customary rockets, machine guns, flame throwers and many other weapons of mass destruction, which in some ways define the game.

As with the other Twisted Metal games, all the usual suspects can be seen or used, with many secrets to uncover as well.

Though there isn't a plot of any shape or form what so ever, the game makes up for it with all-out violence. Who needs story lines!?

Besides, how will a story fit into a game where all you do is kill stuff and make things explode? By having no cut scenes, you have more gameplay, thus more destruction, and ultimately more fun.

Don't think for a second that the game was made for sticking a bunch of weapons on a cool, fast, highly realistic vehicle, because it is quite the opposite.


Ye olde faithful ejector seat - arrrrrh!
So, you can imagine that the cars don't really have the accurate physics of Gran Tourismo, because all the effort was put into the weapons, but this in no way relegates the game to bargain bin-only status.

It is fun to have a car that instantly reaches top speed and that can come to a stop within five metres, but as mentioned, the weapons are the epicentre, the crux of the game.

With a comprehensive selection of artillery including guided missiles, super machine guns and petrol canasters, you are sure to find a favourite that you can use to explode, burn, detonate and, well... put holes in your foes.

Gameplay mainly consists of destroying every other enemy on the map and doing so can be a whole lot of fun. Do you char-grill your arch nemesis or perhaps rain death on him from above with some mortar shells. Decisions, decisions...

While the phunny-car physics are a bit painful at first, it doesn't take long for your brain to decipher how to best exploit the game engine and soon you'll be hand-braking on a dime and launching yourself off the top of tall buildings.

The graphics of Twisted Meatal: Black have somewhat improved since the previous Playstation versions. For example, each weapon you select causes the car to change form, like a loading mechanism, so that you discharge it as gracefully as possible.


Check the amazing smoke effects!
Sweet Tooth's special attack is particularly cool, as his ice cream van (!!) unfolds into a 'mech warrior' type robotic thing, resembling himself, which shoots out twenty guided missiles. Very cool....

Furthermore, with the good graphics comes great sound. Each weapon has its own individual matching sound samples, adding to the effect of the devastation.

The sound of the cars are well, pretty generic car sounding sounds. Nothing special in particular here. Yet Sweet Tooth (once more) has a cool distorted ice cream van tune, which would create the impression of nothing less than mouldy, soured ice cream. A tasty thought...

At the end of the day, Twisted Metal: Black is a fun, timeless game for those who can't put up with excessive dragged out cut-scenes with detailed and multi-branching plots.

It's great for playing with friends in one on one death matches, or team based tournaments and is, generally speaking, a good fun, no-nonsense action title.

It is not a particularly addictive game, but nevertheless, the kind that won't grow old in a hurry. So, if you have the spare cash, it will be money well spent.

Game: Twisted Metal: Black
System: Playstation 2
Players: 1-2
Memory Card: Yes
Developer: Sony
Distributor: Sony

Rating: 80%