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March 27, 2005 | 3:34 AM PST
by: Gordon Johnson
Twisted Metal is one of Sony’s hottest licenses and always a big seller for the console giant. While there were some rough spots in the series’ past (namely Twisted Metal 3 and 4), there have been plenty of great games bearing the name Twisted Metal. Many fans of the series consider Twisted Metal 2, which was released for the PS1, to be the pinnacle of the long running and multi-platform spanning series. I’m one of those fans, so with the announcement that the new Head-On game, exclusive to the PSP, would draw a lot of parallels to Twisted Metal 2, I couldn’t have been happier. Twisted Metal Black was a great game, but it was a bit too psychotic for my tastes and the control could have been a bit tighter.
While Twisted Metal: Head On is a completely new game, direct comparisons of Twisted Metal 2 and Head-On can be made. The themes and look of most Twisted Metal 2 levels has been carried over and made into familiar looking, but entirely new and different levels. Long time fans will get immediate nostalgia when they blow up the Eiffel Tower and expand the level to the rooftops of Paris. Many other levels such as Tokyo and the rooftops level have been completely re-made for Head-On.
Twisted Metal is the name of the competition that a mysterious man named Calypso has started, and offers the winner of the competition any one wish they want. Each of the over 15 selectable characters (some of which will need to be unlocked) has their own reasons for entering the competition, and it is up to you to take them to the top. The story of the game is just a means for the action, but also offers an interesting incentive to beat the game with every character to view their specific ending. Although most endings aren’t happy endings, they are entertaining none the less. After you beat the game with a character their ending is then always available in the options menu.
Gameplay
The action in Twisted Metal games has always consisted of blowing up all the other vehicles in the level before they do the same to you. Scattered around the levels are plenty of weapons and the occasional health power-ups that you’ll need to collect to amass an arsenal. The items will regenerate after a short amount of time, so learning where your favorite weapons are and especially where the health can be found around the levels is essential while keeping a close eye on the radar in the upper left part of the screen that shows nearby enemies.
The game has both multiplayer and single player options. In the single player mode, you’ll find the Story mode, Challenge mode, and Endurance mode. The Story mode is where the bulk of the game is found. You pick a character and run through a set of 11 levels with a boss about half way through and a boss at the end. Challenge mode lets you pick any unlocked level and lets you choose which characters to face and how many you want to fight. Endurance mode pits you against a never-ending number of enemies where the goal is to destroy as many as you can without dying. Multiplayer mode has many gameplay options in either local wi-fi play, or playing over the internet. Although it must be said – the online mode wasn’t working correctly the first couple days after the PSP release. The main multiplayer modes include a standard deathmatch mode (with customizable options) with up to 6 players and co-op mode where two players face computer opponents.
For the most part all the characters rely on the same weapons that are scattered around the levels, but each character also sports an exclusive special weapon that regenerates over time -- these range from special missiles, to a tornado, to electricity shocks. The power of the special weapon is different for each character, and is balanced depending on other strengths characters have in handling, speed, and armor. In addition to special attacks, all characters can use energy attacks that are performed using fighting game like commands. For instance, the most effective energy attack, the freeze attack (which freezes the vehicle you hit for about 5 seconds) is executed by pressing up, down, up. Other useful energy attacks include a landmine, 5-second invisibility, and a 5 second shield. These energy attacks are governed by an energy bar in the bottom left of the screen that regenerates over time. Every vehicle is also equipped with machine guns, which never run out, but do overheat if used a lot.
While weapon-wise all the vehicles are similar, the handling, speed, and armor really set each character apart. On one end you have the very fast vehicles with little armor and great handling. The strategy when playing with these characters must be evasion and dishing out hits here and there without sticking around for the retaliation. On the other end you have very slow, meager handling, but incredibly strong vehicles. With these vehicles the strategy needs to be swapped up to get vehicles to go head to head while still trying to take as few hits as possible. Then there is everything in-between and strategies appropriate to the vehicle stats and each gamers distinctive type of play.
The most important part of an action game like this is having great controls. From the first time I touched Head-On the steering felt slightly sluggish, but after about 30 minutes of practice the control gets a lot easier to use and only gets easier the longer you play. By the time I had two hours into the game I felt like a master of the controls, but the somewhat sluggish nature of the controls does take some getting used to.
I found all the other control options to work great with the default control setting, but just in case it doesn’t fit your style, there are 3 other control schemes to choose from. Steering can be handled with either the d-pad or analog. I like to use the d-pad because it makes the quick “left, left, down, down” energy attacks easier to pull off.
There is a good deal of unlocking to be done throughout the game. When you beat bosses you unlock them for use (even the final boss). Hidden in every level are bonus levels that are essentially mini-games and must be hunted down to play. As you complete these mini-games that last for 2-4 minutes you’ll unlock multiplayer levels and playable characters. These mini-games range from racing, to an obstacle course, and even a platformer and top-down shooter. You also earn bonuses for the current match you’re in like weapons and an extra life. These mini-games are fun and offer a nice change of pace every once and awhile.
Graphics
Head On is a very pretty game. While it may not look as impressive as some of the other PSP launch games, it certainly holds its own. The vehicle models are wonderfully detailed and have moving parts for their special weapons. The texture detail is a little muddy, but with all the explosions and weapons flying around, you’ll have a hard time noticing. There isn’t even a hint of pop up in the large levels and the most important part: the game keeps a high framerate most of the time. You’ll come across a little slowdown when there is a lot of vehicles and action going on at one place, but it is rare and doesn’t hurt gameplay. I did notice some texture clipping in the lower parts of the screen in some levels, but it is a minor problem that doesn’t affect gameplay.
Audio
The sound is much in the line of past Twisted Metal games, with nice sounding explosions, cool missile sound effects, engine sounds, and death screams when you blow up a vehicle. It all sounds great and fits the game perfectly. The CD-quality music mainly consists of heavy metal songs that really fit with the action in the game.
Closing Comments
Head On is a great addition to the Twisted Metal series offering some great single player gameplay and the most enticing reason to take the PSP online on launch day. Head-On brings back the classic style of Twisted Metal, and does so very successfully. Incog doesn’t take any chances with the proven formula, but rather just updates it for the modern handheld era and throws in some cool mini-games to boot. If you’ve liked any car combat games this will be right up your alley.
While Twisted Metal: Head On is a completely new game, direct comparisons of Twisted Metal 2 and Head-On can be made. The themes and look of most Twisted Metal 2 levels has been carried over and made into familiar looking, but entirely new and different levels. Long time fans will get immediate nostalgia when they blow up the Eiffel Tower and expand the level to the rooftops of Paris. Many other levels such as Tokyo and the rooftops level have been completely re-made for Head-On.
Twisted Metal is the name of the competition that a mysterious man named Calypso has started, and offers the winner of the competition any one wish they want. Each of the over 15 selectable characters (some of which will need to be unlocked) has their own reasons for entering the competition, and it is up to you to take them to the top. The story of the game is just a means for the action, but also offers an interesting incentive to beat the game with every character to view their specific ending. Although most endings aren’t happy endings, they are entertaining none the less. After you beat the game with a character their ending is then always available in the options menu.
Gameplay
The action in Twisted Metal games has always consisted of blowing up all the other vehicles in the level before they do the same to you. Scattered around the levels are plenty of weapons and the occasional health power-ups that you’ll need to collect to amass an arsenal. The items will regenerate after a short amount of time, so learning where your favorite weapons are and especially where the health can be found around the levels is essential while keeping a close eye on the radar in the upper left part of the screen that shows nearby enemies.
The game has both multiplayer and single player options. In the single player mode, you’ll find the Story mode, Challenge mode, and Endurance mode. The Story mode is where the bulk of the game is found. You pick a character and run through a set of 11 levels with a boss about half way through and a boss at the end. Challenge mode lets you pick any unlocked level and lets you choose which characters to face and how many you want to fight. Endurance mode pits you against a never-ending number of enemies where the goal is to destroy as many as you can without dying. Multiplayer mode has many gameplay options in either local wi-fi play, or playing over the internet. Although it must be said – the online mode wasn’t working correctly the first couple days after the PSP release. The main multiplayer modes include a standard deathmatch mode (with customizable options) with up to 6 players and co-op mode where two players face computer opponents.
For the most part all the characters rely on the same weapons that are scattered around the levels, but each character also sports an exclusive special weapon that regenerates over time -- these range from special missiles, to a tornado, to electricity shocks. The power of the special weapon is different for each character, and is balanced depending on other strengths characters have in handling, speed, and armor. In addition to special attacks, all characters can use energy attacks that are performed using fighting game like commands. For instance, the most effective energy attack, the freeze attack (which freezes the vehicle you hit for about 5 seconds) is executed by pressing up, down, up. Other useful energy attacks include a landmine, 5-second invisibility, and a 5 second shield. These energy attacks are governed by an energy bar in the bottom left of the screen that regenerates over time. Every vehicle is also equipped with machine guns, which never run out, but do overheat if used a lot.
While weapon-wise all the vehicles are similar, the handling, speed, and armor really set each character apart. On one end you have the very fast vehicles with little armor and great handling. The strategy when playing with these characters must be evasion and dishing out hits here and there without sticking around for the retaliation. On the other end you have very slow, meager handling, but incredibly strong vehicles. With these vehicles the strategy needs to be swapped up to get vehicles to go head to head while still trying to take as few hits as possible. Then there is everything in-between and strategies appropriate to the vehicle stats and each gamers distinctive type of play.
The most important part of an action game like this is having great controls. From the first time I touched Head-On the steering felt slightly sluggish, but after about 30 minutes of practice the control gets a lot easier to use and only gets easier the longer you play. By the time I had two hours into the game I felt like a master of the controls, but the somewhat sluggish nature of the controls does take some getting used to.
I found all the other control options to work great with the default control setting, but just in case it doesn’t fit your style, there are 3 other control schemes to choose from. Steering can be handled with either the d-pad or analog. I like to use the d-pad because it makes the quick “left, left, down, down” energy attacks easier to pull off.
There is a good deal of unlocking to be done throughout the game. When you beat bosses you unlock them for use (even the final boss). Hidden in every level are bonus levels that are essentially mini-games and must be hunted down to play. As you complete these mini-games that last for 2-4 minutes you’ll unlock multiplayer levels and playable characters. These mini-games range from racing, to an obstacle course, and even a platformer and top-down shooter. You also earn bonuses for the current match you’re in like weapons and an extra life. These mini-games are fun and offer a nice change of pace every once and awhile.
Graphics
Head On is a very pretty game. While it may not look as impressive as some of the other PSP launch games, it certainly holds its own. The vehicle models are wonderfully detailed and have moving parts for their special weapons. The texture detail is a little muddy, but with all the explosions and weapons flying around, you’ll have a hard time noticing. There isn’t even a hint of pop up in the large levels and the most important part: the game keeps a high framerate most of the time. You’ll come across a little slowdown when there is a lot of vehicles and action going on at one place, but it is rare and doesn’t hurt gameplay. I did notice some texture clipping in the lower parts of the screen in some levels, but it is a minor problem that doesn’t affect gameplay.
Audio
The sound is much in the line of past Twisted Metal games, with nice sounding explosions, cool missile sound effects, engine sounds, and death screams when you blow up a vehicle. It all sounds great and fits the game perfectly. The CD-quality music mainly consists of heavy metal songs that really fit with the action in the game.
Closing Comments
Head On is a great addition to the Twisted Metal series offering some great single player gameplay and the most enticing reason to take the PSP online on launch day. Head-On brings back the classic style of Twisted Metal, and does so very successfully. Incog doesn’t take any chances with the proven formula, but rather just updates it for the modern handheld era and throws in some cool mini-games to boot. If you’ve liked any car combat games this will be right up your alley.
November 20, 2009
