Twisted Metal

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Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat series made for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP. The series is published by Sony and developed by the game studio Incognito Entertainment.

It is the longest-running PlayStation-exclusive franchise.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2: World Tour (1995/1996) 3 Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4 (1998/1999) 4 Twisted Metal: Black (2001) 5 Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001) 6 Twisted Metal: Black Online (2002) 7 Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005) 8 In Movies 9 News 10 Competition 11 See also

[edit] Overview

In concept, Twisted Metal is a demolition derby which permits the usage of ballistic projectiles. Players choose a vehicle and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with opposing drivers. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage. The last driver alive is the winner.

Although each individual game features its own storyline, they all revolve around the same basic theme: a man named Calypso hosts a vehicular combat tournament called Twisted Metal with the promise of granting the winner one wish. There is a general "be careful what you wish for" theme, as many of the contestants wind up with not-so-happy endings. The games in the series usually contain a healthy dose of black humor.

[edit] Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2: World Tour (1995/1996)

Format: PlayStation, PC

The first two Twisted Metal games were developed by SingleTrac. Twisted Metal 2 is regarded by most fans as the best game in the series and a PlayStation classic in general. After developing these two games, along with WarHawk and the first two games in the Jet Moto series, SingleTrac left Sony and signed with GT Interactive, using their Twisted Metal game engine to develop other vehicular combat games such as Critical Depth and Rogue Trip.

An IBM PC version of Twisted Metal 2 exists. It features slightly cut-down graphics compared to the Playstation version (minor details of some levels disappeared) but it doesn't require a 3D accelerator video card and plays well on weak computers. It also features multiplayer mode over a modem line or Internet.

Twisted Metal characters:

• Crimson Fury: Red Lamborghini type sports car driven by Agent Stone, who fights to obtain a certain object. His special was a weak red laser with no homing capabilities. While his car was the fastest, it also had the least armor and was relatively easy to destroy especially if he crashed into you several times.

• Darkside: Black semi-truck driven by the mysterious Mr. Ash. A monster of armor and size, Darkside players typically drove around ramming into people, for his special weapon, a white laser similar to Crimson Fury, was quite weak. People and the computer will often use a Freeze Missile/Ram combo rather than his special.

• Hammerhead: Green monster truck driven by two high-school dropouts. Their special attack deals damage to any car that they drive over; it is triggered automatically upon driving over the intended victim. Although it was slow, the armor was above average and the handling was decent.

• Minion: Armored battle tank driven by the winner of the previous Twisted Metal contest. Non-playable boss character (he can be obtained as a playable character by entering a third-party cheat code). His special (in the first game) is all the specials in the game, even Hammerhead's special, which is activated if you touch him. He is the Final Boss of Twisted Metal 1. In the second game, his special is the use of three homing missiles shot together along with a freeze attack firing with them. It is probably the strongest in the game, and Minion is probably the best overall car as well.

• Mr. Grimm: Black motorcycle driven by the Grim Reaper himself, out for Calypso's soul. Most devastating special in the game, but would take a long time to recharge and Mr. Grimm's armor was nonexistent. His special is a skull with no homing capabilities. Still, if the player darted in and out of combat he was a very successful fighter.

• Outlaw: Police car driven by an officer who wished an end to this tournament. His special was an electric tazer that would automatically hit anything nearby. Often regarded as one of the best cars, it is suggested that he was the winner of the contest and shot into space in Twisted Metal 2.

• Pit Viper: Dune buggy driven by Angela Fortin, a woman with a mysterious past who is competing to win a quarter of a million dollars in cash. Her weapon is a green acid blob which does a good amount of damage.

• Roadkill: Armored, scraped-together, 4-wheeled vehicle driven by Captain Spears, a South American War veteran who enters the contest in hope to go back and save the friends he lost in combat. His special is a rusted spear that shoots straight out for decent damage.

• Sweet Tooth: Ice cream truck driven by homicidal clown Needles Kane, who is on a quest to find his lost friend. His weapon is Flaming Ice cream Molotov, one of the strongest special weapons in the game.

• Thumper: Pink low-rider driven by Bruce Cochrane, who seeks to stop the violence in his neighborhood. His special weapon is a flame thrower.

• Warthog: Military vehicle driven by an army commander determined to capture something for the government. His weapon is a triplet of homing missiles known as the Patriot Missiles.

• Yellow Jacket: Taxi driven by Charlie Kane, an old man looking for his son whom he lost 20 years ago. The game's staple-average car. His weapon is similar to Sweet Tooth's, being flaming Molotov cocktails. It is later revealed that if he wins he finds out that his son was Sweet Tooth, and having won the tournament he has killed his own son in the process.

• Spectre: White Corvette-like sports car, his weapon is a ghost missile, which will go through walls and other things to reach its target for decent damage. He's competing to become 'whole' again.

Twisted Metal levels

• Arena: Seedy underground demolition derby-like environment, complete with spectators. One opponent.
• Warehouse District Warfare: A battle on the street around some buildings. Three opponents.
• Freeway Free For All: A long, straight Freeway... multiplayer consists of a small section littered with burnt out vehicles Five opponents.
• River Park Rumble: Town in the Christmas spirit, complete with ice skaters. Six opponents, multiplayer consists of just the park area.
• Assault on Cyburbia: The largest level in the game, contained suburban neighborhoods, freeways and canals. Eight opponents, multiplayer consists of just one of the canals.
• Rooftop Battle: Being a skyscraper, vehicles can easily fall off and plunge to their deaths. Survive and do battle with Minion. Three opponents not including Minion.
• Fight For Your Life: Arena with five opponents.

Twisted Metal 2 characters

• Axel: Strange two-wheeled contraption which has imprisoned the driver for many years. His special is a shockwave that does decent damage and knocks the opponent back.

• Dark Tooth: Boss of Twisted Metal 2. Gigantic black ice cream truck driven by a mysterious force. It rises out of the sewers of Hong Kong for brutal revenge for the surviving car's actions and challenges the survivor to one last battle. Due to fan demand, Dark Tooth was unlockable in Twisted Metal: Head On. In TM2 he had several specials and two forms. His first form is the huge black and pink ice-cream truck which has 3 different specials. The first of which is Dual Homing Napalm Cone Missiles that are similar to sweet tooth's but follow a different tracking program. His second special is his Clown Ricochet Bombs, which are the same as regular rico bombs but bigger and do more damage plus they have a clown face on them. His final Special is the Flaming Headbutt in which the head on top of the car lobs off and homes in on the opponent for good damage plus fire damage. His final form is nothing but the flaming head of the car without the body leaving it with a lot less armor and fewer moves. He can only be unlocked using a GameShark cheat system.

• Grasshopper: Dune buggy driven by Krista Sparks, a teenager looking to find her father, who turns out to be Calypso. Her special is the Bodyslam, she jumps up and crashes into opponents from above.

• Hammerhead: Monster truck driven by Mike and Stu, two punks looking for the power to fly. Similar in characteristics to Hammerhead in Twisted Metal 1, the special deals damage to any car that the monster truck drives over.

• Minion: Armored tank driven by a dark demon on a mission for revenge. Boss of the Amazonia stage. The second most powerful car in the game after Dark Tooth. Special features three missiles and a freeze blast. The three missiles look similar to Warthog's special missiles.

• Mr. Grimm: Red motorcycle with sidecar driven by the Grim Reaper again, this time with a great hunger to feast upon human souls.

• Mr. Slamm: Payloader with a grapple fork driven by Simon Whittlebone, a former engineer who dreams of building the tallest tower of them all.

• Outlaw 2: Police car driven by a female officer searching for her brother, the original Outlaw, who disappeared in last year's contest.

• Roadkill: Orange scrapped-together car driven by Marcus Kane, a homeless man convinced this whole world is one big nightmare. Special featured a boomerang that attacked enemies for average damage. Unique in that if there are no enemies near when the boomerang fired the boomerang would return to Roadkill and the special would return to the previous amount.

• Shadow: Hearse driven by Mortimer, a mysterious man out to seek revenge for his even more mysterious clients.

• Spectre: White sports car (1960s Corvette) driven by a single man with dreams of fame and fortune. Again, Spectre features a ghost missile.

• Sweet Tooth: The ice cream truck driven by the ever-psychotic Needles Kane is back for more and even more dangerous!
• Thumper: Pink low-rider with white hood driven again by Bruce Cochrane, who is now fighting for himself. Special featured flamethrower that did considerable damage but very short range.
• Twister: Formula 1 Car driven by Amanda Watts, who has a great desire for superspeed. Fastest car in the game.
• Warthog: Military Humvee driven by a 105-year old army general who wishes for youth. Special featured again three missiles called patriot missles.

Twisted Metal 2 Levels

• Los Angeles: Quake Zone Rumble: The remains of Los Angeles, devastated from the effects of last year's tournament. Holds six opponents.
• Moscow: Suicide Slide: A secret base in Moscow resembling a missile silo. Holds five opponents.
• Paris: Monumental Disaster: Battle in the streets of Paris, France, including the Eiffel Tower, which can be destroyed with a well-placed remote bomb. Holds six opponents.
• Amazonia: Fire Walk: Ancient temple in Amazonia surrounded by lava. After six opponents are destroyed, Minion will rise from the lava to begin his revenge.
• New York: The Big Leap: Rooftop battle in New York City with ledges that can cause instant death. Holds six opponents.
• Antarctica: The Drop Zone: Unstable iceberg in Antarctica, slowly breaking apart piece by piece. Holds seven opponents.
• Holland: Field of Screams: Large environment in the Netherlands, featuring two windmills and tall grass for smaller vehicles to hide in. Holds over nine opponents.
• Hong Kong: Hong Kong Krunch: The final tournament level, in the streets and subways of Hong Kong. Survive and then prepare to meet the challenge of the senile Dark Tooth. Eight opponents not including Dark Tooth
• Suicide Swamp: Bonus two-player level based on a racetrack from Jet Moto.
• Assault on Cyburbia: Bonus two-player level allowing both players to use the entire area of the original Twisted Metal level.
• Rooftop Battle: Bonus two-player level of the final battle from the original, this time with players able to play the role of Minion.

Twisted Metal 2 character endings

• Axel: Axel wishes that he would be able to face his wicked father, who put him in the contraption that he is in. Axel disowns his father, and frees himself from the wheels, tearing his limbs off in the process.

• Grasshopper: Revealing that Krista Sparks is none other than the daughter of Calypso, it turns out that she has died years ago, and playing in her spot is an android made by the government to stop the Twisted Metal tournament. This is done by killing Calypso with a self destruction.

• Hammerhead: Mike and Stu, the drivers of Hammerhead wish to have the ability to fly. Calypso grants their wish, as they run off the building attemtping to fly, and fall to the ground, dying on impact. After they die, Calypso is holding two plane tickets that were supposed to be given to them.

• Minion: Calypso is surprised and scared to see Minion come face to face with himself. Minion kills Calypso by sending him to Hell.

• Mr. Grimm: The Grim Reaper asks Calypso to make the human race die quicker so he can eat their souls. Calypso causes a war among humans, as Mr. Grim enjoys his feast, but the war eventually ends when everyone dies, and Mr. Grimm becomes hungry again, without any souls to feed on.

• Mr. Slam: Simon Whittlebone wishes to build the highest building, but when he does, he falls off of the roof.

• Outlaw 2: Capt. Jamie Roberts's brother from the first game was sent into space by Calypso, after the madman twisted his words around after asking for a wish. To get revenge, Capt. Roberts wishes "I would like to see my brother again" as Calypso happily grants her wish, by twisting her words around as well, and sending her into space. What Calypso didn't know was, that Roberts set him up, to retrieve her brother, and fly back from space from her secretly modified police car, to get revenge at the next tournament.

• Roadkill: Claiming he is not insane, Marcus Kane begs Calypso to make the Twisted Metal tournament a bad dream. Calypso does, as Roadkill wakes up in a hospital bed with his family gratious on his awakening, as he looks to the beds next to him and sees all of the other characters. He finds out that he was there due to a car wreck, and that Twisted Metal was all a dream while he was in a coma.

• Shadow: Mortimor reveals that he was hired by the souls who died in the first competition, so that he could lead them to revenge. They all carry him, but Calypso grabs onto a wing of a flying plane and escapes.

• Spectre: As an actor, Ken wishes that everyone would know who he is, and that the whole world would see his face. Calypso grants his wish by stretching his face around the entire world.

• Sweet Tooth: After winning, Sweet Tooth wishes to be an insect on a farm. Calypso grants his wish, and Sweet Tooth becomes an insect, killing the other insects near him.

• Thumper: After winning, Bruce Cochrane wishes to be king of the world. Calypso grants his wish, as Cochrane realizes that he is the only man alive after the competition, and has nothing left to rule. He sits on a throne atop a mountain of corpses.

• Twister: Amanda Watts wishes that she would be the fastest racer on the planet. Her racecar becomes so fast that she could travel faster than the speed of light. After her wish is granted, Watts drives so fast that she goes through different time periods, running out of gas in prehistoric times, and gets killed by a dinosaur. Her damaged helmet is all that is left of her, and it ends up in a museum.

• Warthog: At over 100 years old, Capt. Rogers wishes to have to body of a 20 year old. Calypso grants his wish by giving him exactly what he wished for - a body of a 20 year old, but not a head that matches.

[edit] Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4 (1998/1999)

Format: PlayStation

After a contractual dispute with SingleTrac, Twisted Metal development duties were handed over to Sony's in-house development team, 989 Studios. The Twisted Metal titles developed by 989 Studios were fundamentally different as the code base was completely rewritten. Sony introduced advanced physics simulation and AI techniques to the series. Many fans of Twisted Metal 1 and 2 were upset at the resulting change of game play, however new players received these titles well and they went on to become best sellers. Twisted Metal 4 improved upon the shortcomings of Twisted Metal III as was reflected in trade reviews.

Twisted Metal III and 4 are no longer considered part of the official Twisted Metal canon and their storylines are disregarded in newer games in the series.

Twisted Metal III Characters

• Auger: Yellow construction vehicle with a large drill, driven by Buster Cobb who is fed up with the Twisted Metal contestants ruining his buildings. His special is a drill that drills and throws any opponents he touch in front of him.

• Axel: Strange two-wheeled contraption whos driver wishes to become one with his machine forever. His special is the Super Nova Shockwave, which shocks and sends anyone into the air near him.

• Club Kid: Smiley-face covered Mini Cooper whos driver loves to party all the time. His special is the Vortex, which sucks in opponents and deals damage when it explodes.

• Darkside: Black semi truck driven by Mr. Ash. Special is a freeze-flame thrower combo. Non-playable character, boss of the Washington D.C. stage.

• Firestarter: Hot-rod complete with a flame paintjob, driven by the pyromaniac Damien Coles. His weapon is, of course, a flame-thrower.

• Flower Power: Hippy car driven by environmentalist Amber Rose who is tired of the Twisted Metal contest endangering the environment. Her special is the Flower of Power, which seeks out her opponents and delivers a blast.

• Mr. Grimm: Red motorcycle with sidecar driven once again by the Grim Reaper, whose special is a head launched out in front of his car.

• Hammerhead: Red monster truck Jeep CJ driven by Granny Dread, whos neighborhood was destroyed from the last Twisted Metal competition. Her special is called the Ram, which when activated, lurches the car forward and any opponents in her way will be dealt damage.

• Minion: Green armored tank driven by a large demon who wants to spend the rest of eternity in hell. His special is three missiles accompanied with a freeze. He is the boss of the London level.

• Outlaw: Police car driven by both of the 2 previous officers, who plan to put an end to Calypso. The car's special is the Omni Taser, which zaps and sends anyone within range into the air.

• Primeval: Large off-road vehicle driven by a mysterious driver seemingly in a mummy costume covered in mud, his special involves Mr. Grimm's and (x2) Roadkill's special.

• Roadkill: Scraped-together car driven again by Marcus Kane. He competes to crawl into the forest and frolic with the wildebeests. His special is the Spike Bomb, which arcs out from the front. It has no homing capabilities.

• Spectre: Blue Dodge Viper driven by self-proclaimed ladie's man Lance Wylder. His Special is the Ghost Missile, which goes through anything.

• Sweet Tooth: Ice cream truck driven by the psychotic clown Needles Kane, who competes to have all the candy and ice cream. His special is a head that shoots out in front of his car and can be detonated. He is playable.

• Thumper: Purple low-rider driven by Bruce Cochrane who competes to hang with his homies. His weapon is a Sonic blast that blares hip-hop and sends his enemies skidding away from him.

• Warthog: Military Humvee driven by the 107 year old Captain Rogers who wishes for the head of a 20 year old. His special is the Patriot Missles, which features red, white, and blue homing missiles.

Music in Twisted Metal

Starting with Twisted Metal 3, various music artists and bands were brought in for each game's soundtrack. One such person was singer Rob Zombie, who contributed songs to both Twisted Metal 3 & 4, and is even a playable character in the latter. Music from the game disk can also be played on a CD player or in a computer.

Twisted Metal 4 Characters

• Orbital: Sports car, driven by a man seeking to have the grotesque half of his face restored. Orbital's special is the Teleorb. It electrifies enemies then freezes them.

• Pizza Boy: Street racer who wishes to have the fastest car (Similar to the wish Twister made in TM2). Sends out two giant pizza saw blades (Pizza Cutters).

• Capt. Grimm: Pirate Ship Car driven by a skeletal figure who wants the soul of Sweet Tooth. Although it is not clearly stated, this driver may possibly be the Grim Reaper (aka Mr. Grimm).

• Calypso: The guy from the past 3 TMs is finally playable. He aims to reclaim his tournament from Sweet Tooth. Calypso employs powerful nuclear missiles which must be detonated near his opponents.

• Quatro: Robotic bounty hunter looking to claim his targets (Capt. Grimm, Mr. Zombie, Calypso and Sweet Tooth). Quatro sends out a pulse of microwave radiation around his hoverbike that severely damages opponents.

• Goggle Eyes: An exterminator who hopes to find a means to contain all bugs, in order to kill them. Sprays green toxic acid that causes, on contact, massive damage.

• Meter Maid: Plans to give Sweet Tooth a "surprise". Although somewhat weak, she makes up for it with her Energy Ray, which releases an energy circumference that syphons an opponent's health unto her own.

• Gen. Warthog: Aims to command the perfect undefeatable army. Warthog plants a marker, which initializes an ion satellite and later activates a powerful ion blast.

• Microblast: Wind-up car driven by an angry leprechaun, who doesn't want to be looked down on anymore (literally). Microblast engages a series of rapidfire speed missiles, called the Gatlinger.

• Trashman: Wants a world filled with garbage. Using large hydraulic arms, Trashman picks up and slams his opponents repeatedly onto spikes mounted on his roof.

• The Joneses: This dysfunctional family launches three Hornet Missiles, which seek out targets.

• Drag Queen: Driven by psychotic crossdresser, Dennis "Petunia" Flanders, who wishes to reach "her" dream. Flamethrower projects forward from the car's grille and sets opponent on fire.

• Mr. Zombie: The strange and mysterious Rob Zombie (who also wrote some of the music for TM4), fires a spinning skull (the Zombie), which draws enemies in as it electrifies, then explodes at its final stage.

• Crusher: Boss of the Construction Yard. Driven by an unknown driver, Crusher is a very fair vehicle with balanced speed and handling with a crushing apparatus on the front

• Moon Buggy: Boss of Neon City. This mysterious driver possesses one of the most unfair specials in the game. It's the Quasars, three taser-like energy blasts that swirl you around. They home in on enemies and go through walls.

• RC Car: Boss of The Bedroom. Another unknown driver, who despite it's somewhat small size, can go head to head with Minion and other heavily armored vehicles. Uses the special Ray Gun.

• Super Thumper: Boss of Road Rage. This suped up Thumper (along with the other returning characters-turned SUPER bosses) retains his TM2 weapon, but now he's got a dual-flamethrower.

• Super Axel: Boss of Amazonia 3000 B.C. Axel's usual Supernova special, now, also sets his enemies on fire.

• Super Auger: Boss of The Oil Rig (1 of 2). Returning from TM3, Auger possesses a much more damaging drill special.

• Super Slamm: Boss of The Oil Rig (2 of 2). Returning from TM2, Mr. Slamm also possesses a more powerful version of his Loader special.

• Minion: The demon is back as the boss of Minion's Maze.

• Sweet Tooth: Boss of The Carnival and new master of the Twisted Metal Tournament. Sweet Tooth's special (Henchmen), keeps homing in even if you teleport, etc.

Track listing of Twisted Metal 4 by level:

• Construction Site: Rob Zombie - Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Mix)
• Neon City: Cirrus - Time's Running Out
• Road Rage: Cypress Hill - Lightning Strikes
• Sweet Tooth’s Bedroom: Ghoulspoon - Alien Magnet
• Amazonia 3000 B.C.: Skold - Chaos
• The Oil Rig: One Minute Silence - And Some Ya Lose
• Minion’s Maze: Rob Zombie - Superbeast Remix
• The Carnival: White Zombie - Grease Paint and Monkey Brains

[edit] Twisted Metal: Black (2001)

Main article: Twisted Metal: Black

Format: PlayStation 2

After developing several non-Twisted Metal vehicular combat games for GT Interactive, a large number of SingleTrac employees left the company to form the gaming studio Incognito Entertainment and signed with Sony. Naturally, Sony offered them the opportunity to develop a new Twisted Metal title and their first game was Twisted Metal: Black for PS2.

The game is much darker in atmosphere and style than previous games, and is the first (and to date, only) game in the series to receive a Mature rating due to its content. The designers have stated that the two main sources of inspiration for the atmosphere and storylines were Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs. Although Black takes place in an alternate universe and therefore is not a true sequel to Twisted Metal 2, it nevertheless won over critics and fans alike.

Characters:

• Yellow Jacket: A beat up taxi whose special is homing spikes that fire from all sides. Driven by Charlie Kane and his son; both were in a taxi one night when the passenger had a gun and shot Charlie. His son watched as his dad died, but then he got an idea. He created a remote that let his dad "live" again as a puppet-zombie. Calypso says when they win this contest, he will make things "ALL BETTER."

• Axel: A man blinded by pain and suffering over the murder of his wife. One day, at the park, Axel's wife went missing, and then days later her body was mailed to him, in pieces. Now he seeks revenge. Axel's car has been standardized with an electrified ring that damages anything close. But by tapping up repeatedly, Axel becomes a like a monstertruck wheel and rams a car with extreme damage.

• Junkyard Dog: A simple farmer whose life was changed one day. Examining the corn on his farm, a plane let loose a toxic cloud killing all the crop, and nearly him. He woke up hours later to find out he was disformed. In panic, he rushed to his wife, whom he thought would help. But she had other plans. When the farmer saw his wife with the pilot that tried to kill him, he went mad, grabbed the closest thing he could. He took his rage out on his wife, and beat her to death. The pilot ran, and when Junkyard Dog wins this contest, the pilot won't be able to run from him anymore... Junkyard Dog takes a spiked ball on the back of his tow-truck and launches it. Doing a lot of damnage if a direct hit.

• Brimstone: A once holy messenger who was an evangelist. One night, he was asked to perform an exorcism. But the demon inside the baby was powerful and infected the preacher. The demon killed everyone in the church that night. As soon as the cops came, the demon hid itself, leaving the preacher to take the blame for those killings. He enters the contest, knowing Calypso will reveal the truth about that awful night... Brimstone's special is one of his maniacal followers chained with explosives. Launch one near a car to have him make the ultimate sacrifice.

• Road Kill: A man whose life is a total blank. All he has to remember are his tattoos and the visions he has. But from the bits and pieces he has seen, it makes him look like he doesn't want to be who he was. Road kill has an attack weapon that must be charged. The longer held, the more missiles launched. Holding too long causes a backfire and a waste of a special.

• Crazy 8: A driver whose name suits him, No-Face. He was a small-time boxer who, one night, went against a beast. Before he could even block, he was taken down. Because of his low income and cash on hand, he went to a doctor who was a fan of his fights. But the doctor was angry because he bet on him to win. No-face went under and only could remember the Opera music the doc played while he worked. While he was under, the doctor cut off his ears and sewed his eyes, mouth and nostrils shut. Now he wants revenge on the doc, to make him pay a lot more than just the money he lost. Crazy 8 has an electrical attack, which shocks anyone near. And tapping one directional button (up/down/left/right) 3 times will give the special a bit more juice (but only on enemies in that direction).

• Spectre: Always the bride's maid, never the bride. Every time one of her friends would get married, she would go nuts. At one wedding, she went so crazy that she stabbed the bride and took her body into one of the dressing rooms. She thinks she is the most beautiful bride she ever laid eyes on, and she will find a man who agrees, even if she has to go through every last one. Spectre's special is a ghost missile that can fly through anything. If you see a red target on your car, run, because hiding won't help...

• Darkside: The mask hides dollface's true emotions. She made a mistake and her boss locked her face in that mask, and made a weird key to open it. It couldn't be duplicated and her boss would never give her the key. However Calypso has it, and she wants it. Even if means going through other crazy people. Darksides special suits her personality. It can go at breakneck speeds in an instant, ramming through anything it wants. Don't let her get near you, unless you think you can drive half a car.

• Shadow: A goth girl who lost her best friend. Her friend, Kelly, was killed by two delinquents who wanted to see "if a witch can swim." She couldn't, and Raven couldn't swim either. Kelly's last words were "You get those bastards, you make them pay." When Raven wins, those 2 boys are going to feel the pain she has felt since her friends death. Shadows special is the soul shadow, which explodes on command or on contact. Either way, its powerful, and due to splash damage should not be used in close-quarters combat... Shadow's second special is she pops out of the roof of the hearse with a machine gun.

• Outlaw: A police SUV driven by an ex police officer. His special attack is similar to Shadow's second special.

• Mr. Grimm: A motorcycle driven by a madman that went nuts in the war and also developed a cannibalistic hunger "(after eating his friend)"¹. The skull he wears in his head as a helmet is the skull of his best friend "(who he ate)"¹. "His special attack is scythe that he throws at his opponets from his right hand"¹. "This attack inflicts serious damage on any opponent it hits"¹. "However, it doesn't have any homing capablities (similar to a power missile)"¹.

• Sweet Tooth: The story of sweet tooth is long and bloody. A serial killer who loves to open someone's body. Sweet Tooth was known and feared as the "Ice Cream killer" because of his trademark Ice Cream truck. By at least his 27th Victim, sweet tooth was caught. On the night he was suppose to fry, Brimstone was there. He wasn't there to try to save his soul, but instead, wanted to have God curse him. The instant he started frying, his head burst into flames. And ever since then, the pain gets worse and worse. If he wins this contest: Calypso will let him get the revenge he wants and a cure for the curse. At least Sweet Tooth has experience with killing. Sweet Tooth's special has reached new heights. He becomes a robot and fires a series of 20 zooming missiles. He also has a very secret secondary special where he uses an attack similar to his special in Twisted Metal 1 and 2, except he shoots three large homing candy bombs all at once, instead of one small candy bomb.

• Minion: A massive tanker truck (the largest car in the game, in fact) driven by Marcus Kane, who believes he is living in the mind of Sweet Tooth. He also reveals the entire game is actually in Sweet Tooth's mind, and it's how Sweet Tooth sees his life (in other words, it's not real). His special is the most powerful in the game, shooting several fireballs that are homing and do massive damage. He also has a secret secondary special attack.

• Tanker: Like a miniature Minion. The driver is unknown.

• Warhawk: A huge helicopter in the final showdown, flown by a mysterious man; seems to be a member of the police agency trying to put a stop to the massacre.

[edit] Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)

Format: PlayStation

Instead of delivering a PS2 follow-up to Twisted Metal: Black, Incognito took an unexpected turn and developed Twisted Metal: Small Brawl for the original PlayStation, a Twisted Metal aimed at a younger audience that featured radio-controlled toy cars instead of actual vehicles.

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Characters

• Sweet Tooth-The most mischievous kid enters the tournament for a little ice cream. Special involves Ricochet Chatter Teeth.

• Twister-The only girl in the tournament, enters for a breathtaking rush of speed. Special involves a tornado. Which collects cars as you drive, throwing them against a wall causing major damage.

• Darkside-A mysterious kid named Jimmy Ash. Unlocked in Easy Death Oven. Special involves ramming into other cars while building momentum.

• Thumper-Two hip kids wish for a new stereo system. Special involves 3 base shockwaves that bounce against anything.

• Warthog-A child who wants to have war with Calypso. Special involves 3 missiles that lock on the closest person.

• Axel-Unknown. Unlocked in Playground Peril. Special is not a shockwave like in other twisted metal games, but instead shoots a non-homing missile. If the missile hits an enemy, Axel spins out of control and launches more of the same missile, except these are homing.

• Spectre-A kid who wishes to find his long-lost father. Special involves 3 ghost missiles that can go through walls and other objects. He is going to find out a link between this and previous contests.

• Mr. Grimm-A boy who wants to live in a world where everyday is Halloween. Special involves 2 molotov pumpkins. Extremely powerful.

• Crimson Fury-Young Agent Stone wishes to become a secret agent for England. Special involves 3 burning paper airplanes.

• Shadow-Mortimer is a nerd who wishes for his frog. Special involves explosive Grim Reaper.

• Slam-Young construction kid who wishes to get revenge on Calypso. Special uses claw to smash opponents. If claw doesn't get hit an enemy, it emits a small shockwave.

• Mime-Character unlocked in Holiday Havoc. Special copies ANY car currently in the level. At top of screen, it will say "_____ special acquired." Can change special by switching between weapons.

• Outlaw- A want-to-be police officer who wants stop Caylpso and his bullying ways. Special is a tazer.

• HammerHead- A kid whose biggest dream is to become a rockstar. When activated, HammerHead's special causes his tires to gain spikes and more speed. Hitting an opponent will cause great damage.

• PieceMeal- Boss of Now Slaying. Special involves every one in Twisted Metal's attack.

• Trapper-Boss of Minigolf Mayhem. Special involves using Barrel of Monkeys monkeys to attack enemies. As the monkeys hit other objects, the multiply.

~LEVELS~

• Playground Peril: A medium sized map. Some secrets in this map are shooting the swing set will give you some weapons (or Axel if you haven't already unlocked him), Shooting the kid on the Merry-Go-Round (shooting him to much will cause him to fly off, and the weapons to stop coming), and the Duck, shooting it will release health (shooting it to much turns it into a fried duck). Take advantage of the army men with exposives on this map, then do good damage.

• Carn o' Maul: A map filled with many boobytraps. Getting hit by the Ax or the Saw will cause damage, so be careful when going through these areas. A skull will come by the map every so often, shooting it with a missile will make the skull drop a health. Take advantage of it.

• Easy Death Oven: A kitchen with traps and ways to die if your careless. Shoot the plumber's buttox with a Roman candle and he will blow open a secert area to get darkside. Beware the Microwave and the can opener. The Can opener will only hurt you if its on and shooting the microwave will activate it. Environmental remote causes the Fridge to shoot Ice missiles.

• MiniGolf Mayhem: Feel like a game of mini golf? Get a golf ball into a hole and get a weapon power up. Beware the Freaky Tikis and the Crusher. Environment remote make the volcano shoot flaming balls around it, cause good damage if hit directly. Boss is Trapper. Once all enemies are dead, The crusher will deactivate, sealing off one area, and some statues will seal off the boat yard and the other area.

• Meat your Maker: Stay off the belt. With 5 saws in the center, and a meat crusher in the center that will instantly kill any enemy foolish enough to get caught in it. A crusher on the side can hurt someone if they get stuck there. ON/OFF switch on the level to deactivate the traps, but will reactivate after a short time. Environmental remote speads everything up. Good way to trap some of them.

• Gridiron Gore: An empty field where the only trap is the lawn mower that goes around the field aimlessly. Good for a lot of cars to roam around. Environmental remote will cause the mower to charge to the nearest car. Does more damage rather than letting it go over them by itself.

• TreeTop Rumble: A Fun little level. Basically a square where in the center you will fall and bounce back up to the other side. Shoot the lawn mower to cause it to around the map, running over any car in its path. Beware the trap door in the side room. Hitting the lever while on it or falling outside the level will cause you to die instantly. Environmental remote make the fireworks shoot at the bridge the health is at.

• Now Slaying: Final level. An empty movie theater with chairs and a huge screen that basically shows what you see. Hit the popcorn cart to cause it to roll toward the screan, when it hits, a power missile, health and turbo will be available. Be sure to take the health before piecemeal spawns, or he will most likely get it. Every time you kill an enemy here, Piecemeal will spawn. His special consists of the cars that are used to make him up (including yours and the car you defeated). After lowering his health by ¼, he will disappear with the other cars respawn.

[edit] Twisted Metal: Black Online (2002)

Format: PlayStation 2

Simply an online version of Twisted Metal: Black, a free copy could be obtained by mailing in a card that came packaged with the PS2 online Network Adapter. After Sony stopped offering the disc, it was later included in subsequent reissues of Twisted Metal: Black on Greatest Hits, in a 2-disc set.

[edit] Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005)

Main article: Twisted Metal: Head-On

Format: PlayStation Portable

Despite the return of SingleTrac/Incognito with 2001's Twisted Metal: Black, they still had yet to deliver a true sequel to Twisted Metal 2. With the PSP, Incognito created a game that picks up where Twisted Metal 2 left off. Twisted Metal: Head-On is, for all intents and purposes, the "real" Twisted Metal 3. Utilizing the Twisted Metal: Black game engine but taking place in Twisted Metal 2's universe, Head-On combines aspects of the two most highly-regarded games in the series. It's the first game in the series to ship fully online-enabled.

[edit] In Movies

"Twisted Metal III" can be seen in the (1999) movie Big Daddy as Julian is playing. Julian is playing as Sweet Tooth in the Washington Level before Sonny makes him turn it off. The same game can also be seen in the (2000) movie Bring It On. Torrance's brother, Justin, is playing while Torrance is trying to get ahold of her boyfriend. As Justin makes his snippy comments, Torrance takes out her frustration on Justin's PS1, ruining his game. "Twisted Metal 2" is also seen in an episodes of Friends, with Joey and Ross battling it out on the Paris level.

[edit] News

In Novemeber 2006, reports in the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly say that a new Twisted Metal has been in development for Playstation 3 and PS2 which will feature huge online worlds and other features including Krista Sparks as a boss.

[edit] Competition

Twisted Metal is often compared to other Vehicular combat games, such as Vigilante 8, Rogue Trip, Full Auto and 187 Ride or Die.

[edit] See also