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| Twisted Metal | |
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| Genre | Vehicular combat |
| Developers |
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| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
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| First release | Twisted Metal November 5, 1995 |
| Latest release | Twisted Metal February 14, 2012 |
Twisted Metal is a series ofvehicular combatvideo games originally developed bySingleTrac and published bySony Interactive Entertainment. The series has appeared on thePlayStation,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable andPlayStation 3. As of October 31, 2000, the series had sold 5 million copies.[1] Several of the games in the series were re-released as part of theSony Greatest Hits program. The original game and its first sequel were also released for thePC.
Each game in the series revolves arounddemolition derbies where competitors use weapons includingballistic projectiles, machine guns, and explosives. Players choose a vehicle (each with a corresponding character) and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with opposing drivers. The last driver alive is the winner.
The series's plot revolves around the eponymous Twisted Metal tournament, a yearly contest made up of a series of derbies. In almost all of the games, the host is a man called "Calypso"; in the series' fourth installment, perennial contestant Sweet Tooth briefly takes over. The winner of the contest is granted one wish. Typically, this wish has unexpected consequences for the winner, similar totraditional stories where characters are punished for greedy wishes.
| 1995 | Twisted Metal (1995) |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Twisted Metal 2 |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Twisted Metal III |
| 1999 | Twisted Metal 4 |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | Twisted Metal: Black |
| Twisted Metal: Small Brawl | |
| 2002 | |
| 2003 | Twisted Metal: Black Online |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Twisted Metal: Head-On |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | Twisted Metal (2012) |
The first twoTwisted Metal games were developed bySingleTrac.
Windows versions ofTwisted Metal andTwisted Metal 2 exist.Twisted Metal 2 on PC is built on an earlier version of the game (minor details of some levels disappeared) but it doesn't require a3D accelerator video card and played well on computers with lower processing capabilities. It also featuresmultiplayer over a modem line or Internet.
Both games were developed and published by989 Studios due to SingleTrac's dispute with Sony and sale toGT Interactive rendered them unable to develop more Twisted Metal games.David Jaffe, in speaking about these two entries in the series, was reported to have said, "....[in and of themselves] they're good games, they're just not goodTwisted Metal games".
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 studioIncog Inc. Entertainment, and signed with Sony to develop another installment of the series on thePlayStation 2,Twisted Metal: Black. It serves as a reboot for the series, with returning characters having drastically changed appearances alongside newcomers.
Despite what was essentially a complete relaunch and rebranding of the franchise withTwisted Metal: Black, Incognito decided to return to the series' roots and create a game that felt more like a true follow-up to the originalTwisted Metal series, bringing back the bright colors and cartoony characters ofTwisted Metal 1 and 2. Available on the PSP in time for its North American launch and utilizing the PSP's built-in online capabilities, it also marked the first time aTwisted Metal game had full online play available from the start.
In February 2008,Eat Sleep Play, a new development studio formed by David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, releasedTwisted Metal: Head-On for the PlayStation 2. While primarily a direct port of the PSP game "Twisted Metal: Head-On", it does feature a number of extra features, most notably four complete and playable levels from the unreleased/incompleteTwisted Metal: Black sequel, calledTwisted Metal: Harbor City. Other bonus content includes: a code to download the soundtrack (a timed offer which has since expired); a half-hour documentary on the series with some of the original developers called "Dark Past"; a rough playable portion of an unfinished and unreleased third person action game starring Sweet Tooth (controllable for the first time ever on-foot and outside of a vehicle); and the never before seen original live-action ending videos of all the characters from the firstTwisted Metal, directed by Jaffe.
Twisted Metal (2012) is the most recent game in theTwisted Metal series. It features multiple drivers and tracks. It also features multiplayer gameplay and other game modes. The game consists of three story arcs that focus on Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm and Dollface.
The game was originally set to release in October 2011, but was delayed to early 2012, the reason being for the developers to polish and have more time to work on the game, according to Jaffe.
Instead of delivering a PlayStation 2 follow-up toTwisted Metal: Black, Incognito took an unexpected turn and developedTwisted Metal: Small Brawl for the original PlayStation, aTwisted Metal aimed at a younger audience that featured radio-controlled toy cars instead of full-size vehicles.
Platform:PlayStation 2
A game featuring only the multiplayer portion ofTwisted Metal: Black, but playable online. A free copy could originally be obtained by mailing in a card that came packaged with the PlayStation 2 online network adapter. After Sony stopped offering the disc, it was later included as a bonus disc in subsequent reissues of the Greatest Hits version ofTwisted Metal: Black. The official servers to the game have since been shut down.[citation needed]
A sequel to the PlayStation 2 gameTwisted Metal: Black, titledTwisted Metal: Harbor City,[2] was in development but was cancelled before it was announced when the series co-creators left the development team.[3] At the time of cancellation four levels had been completed; these levels were included inTwisted Metal Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition as part ofTwisted Metal: Lost.
ATwisted Metal game set in a post-apocalyptic environment, which was originally in development in 2008 but was scrapped.[4] Artwork of the cancelled game was released byDavid Jaffe atSan Diego Comic-Con; it showcased concept arts of locations such as a destroyedMount Rushmore as well as a giant crater.Eat Sleep Play team was originally rather keen on the idea, though it was hinted by Jaffe that the idea was rejected bySony Computer Entertainment, speculated to be because of the release ofMotorStorm: Apocalypse, a racing game which also featured a post-apocalyptic environment.[5]
Apart fromTwisted Metal: Apocalypse, anotherTwisted Metal game was in development for the PlayStation 3 which utilized street culture and hip-hop influence. The game was titledTwisted Metal: Revolution, but it was cancelled; it would have featured characters with a more realistic look such as a Sweet Tooth that looked more of a smooth criminal rather than a psychopathic clown. Other characters included Yakuza, FBI agents and street gang members. David Jaffe compared the game toRockstar'sMidnight Club series when describing the look and feel of the game. In addition, Jaffe said that it was extremely difficult to portray the environments that they had created in their concept art within the game as it resulted in an extremely bland environment.[5]
Unnamed live-serviceTwisted Metal game cancelled early on in its development. It was originally supposed to be made by the UK-based studioLucid Games, but was later handed to Firesprite. Not much is known about it and the game was never greenlit, but it was to be released on the PS5. The reason for the cancellation was the layoff of 900 employees worldwide.
A one-shotTwisted Metal 2 comic book was published byDC Comics in 1996, written byJamie Delano,[6] pencilled byPhil Hester and inked byPeter Gross. The comic was given out as a prize in a promotional contest held in theTips & Tricks magazine.
In February 2012,Sony Pictures Entertainment was bringingTwisted Metal to theaters by hiringBrian Taylor to write and direct the film.[7] Five years later in September, Brian Taylor confirmed that Sony had passed on theTwisted Metal film, feeling the series fanbase did not warrant the higher budget it would have cost to realize it.[8]
Twisted Metal was the inspiration forSlaughter Race, a fictional video game featured in theDisney animated filmRalph Breaks the Internet (2018).[9][10]
In May 2019, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEOTony Vinciquerra spoke about developing a television adaptation of theTwisted Metal franchise, saying his division would be working closely with theSony PlayStation division through a new production team created to help Sony produce television projects based on their gaming IPs.[11] In February 2021, aTwisted Metal TV series was moving forward, withRhett Reese andPaul Wernick helping to develop the series, with Michael Jonathan Smith writing the series and executive producing the series alongsideWill Arnett, Reese, Wernick, Marc Forman, Peter Principato, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Herman Hulst.[12] Later in September,Anthony Mackie was announced in the role of John Doe,[13] and later officially confirmed to be starring and executive producing the series, which had been given a series order atPeacock.[14] In May 2022,Stephanie Beatriz,Thomas Haden Church andNeve Campbell joined the cast.[15][16][17]Will Arnett was hired to voiceSweet Tooth in June, withSamoa Joe physically performing the role.[18][19]Mike Mitchell plays Stu, the best friend of Mike, who is played by Tahj Vaughans. Lou Beatty Jr. plays a character named Tommy.[19] The 10-episode first season was released on Peacock on July 27, 2023.
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