Why Twisted Metal PS3 Is Important

I remember first seeing the original Twisted Metal on my friend's PlayStation way back when, and I distinctly recall the words that spilled from my mouth: "holy crap, what is this?!" Then I fell in love all over again with Twisted Metal 2 - still one of my favorite games ever, and I still play it - and I knew right then I'd be a TM fan for life. ...or so I thought. 989 Studios took over for TM3 and TM4, both of which were colossal disappointments in my opinion, and I gave the franchise up for lost. Then, Jaffe and the boys returned for Twisted Metal: Black on the PS2, which instantly resurrected my faith.

Since then, we've only had Head-On for the PSP and PS2 and while it was a super entertaining game in its own right, we really need that PlayStation 3 installment. It began with small hints, like this picture here, and then Jaffe himself confirmed that one of our favorite series would make a triumphant return on the PS3. Jaffe's new studio, Eat Sleep Play, is cranking away on the game even as we speak, and for more evidence as to why we need such a title right now, Jaffe recently spoke about how he may have missed the mark with Calling All Cars. It was fun, but in his quest to relive the glory days of the SNES, he admits to the fact that such a game may not appeal to the new generation of gamers. In other words, things need to keep moving forward; we need edgy; we need "blockbuster;" we need more flash. One can't say this without feeling a slight pang of depressing nostalgia, because we know we'll never be able to reclaim the simple purity of the good ol' days again. But because Jaffe mentioned this, it makes us think...TM PS3 is just the ticket.

Look, we've already had some amazing titles on the PS3. In 2007, we got Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune; in 2008, we got Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Resistance 2, Wipeout HD, and LittleBigPlanet, and in 2009, we'll get Killzone 2, Gran Turismo 5 (maybe), Heavy Rain, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. But do any of these even remotely resemble something like Twisted Metal? Are any third-party multiplatform games similar? One element of GTAIV might be close, but you get my meaning. Here's the unique principle of TM that not enough people have recognized: it's a concept that appeals to the widest possible demographic; both the casuals and the hardcore can have a blast with it, and provided it's done correctly (and we have immense faith in Jaffe and Co.), it'll be a widely accepted title. A phenomenon, even. Honestly, when I sit down to think about it, I realize that Twisted Metal is one of the most well-respected franchises in history (well, minus TM3 and TM4).

When you say the name to a veteran gamer, a smile will stretch across their face. I promise you that. Nobody will be suspicious or skeptical of a TM for the PS3. Nobody will wonder if it can stand up to the big boys. Nobody will question if it'll be fun. TM has this quality about it, and its original gameplay is exactly what we need right now. Analysts have recently said this recession could impact innovation and fresh ideas, as publishers will be less likely to forward capital to small development houses. Hence, we may be seeing a lot of the same ol' same ol' in the very near future, which is why something original like Twisted Metal needs to step forward and break up the monotony. The situation is perfect: bring us that TM PS3 and I promise the response will be 99.9% positive. Eeeeeeveryone will be happy.

12/11/2008 Ben Dutka

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Comments (Beta)

shaydey77
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 1:01:54 PM
Reply

Even the name of this game rocks!!

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JToTha2
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 1:11:37 PM
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I cant wait for this one. I still have my original TM2 disc, still i perfect condition. I just haven't had the time to break it out and pop it in the PS3 with all the awesome games currently being released.

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Nynja
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 1:33:51 PM
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Status? ETA? Anything?

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 8:49:18 PM

Maybe I'll find out during the interview next week...

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LCF
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 1:55:00 PM
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Sony has alot more game icons that started on the Playstation then any other company out there and Twisted Metal is one of them.With Laura Croft I still think of Playstation,Dante, again still think of Playstation.Soild Snake,well I could go on.

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keaton
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 1:58:43 PM
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TM I and II were by far one of the best games on playstation, I remember my aunt got me II for christmas and left like a 14.99 price tag on it... i was like there's another shitty game, but i decided to play it and i'm pretty sure i played it for a year straight. I'm gonna buy this game as soon as it comes out no matter what other games are out at the time lol

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TGG
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:03:21 PM
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i LOVED Twisted Metal: Black. I can only hope Twisted Metal will be good on the PS3.

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timster118
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 3:19:57 PM

The only thing I didn't like is the sit and spin the car on a pivot....seems un-Natural.

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robinhood2010
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:12:23 PM
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i never played them. what is the premise?

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:49:35 PM

Crazy vehicles equipped with crazy weapons in crazy arenas blasting at each other. Crazy like. ;)

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Jed
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:28:08 PM

Did you ever play Full Auto 2? That was a crappy clone of twisted Metal

1 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 12:22:18 AM

Yeah, I played it. Waste of my time.

1 up, 0 down

robinhood2010
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 7:28:33 AM

so like the destruction derby of old, but with crazy weapons? this has instantly appeared on my radar. all that metal ;-)

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timster118
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:31:16 PM
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The PS3 had a launch title that was exactly like Twisted Metal. Full Auto 2 was a great racer and battle car game.

It also had the arena battles plus other modes that weren't on the TM games. Alot of people over-looked this great game.

The pause menu WOWED alot of my friends as I circled the camera around my Hi-Def car with the guns blazing....very cool.

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Zorigo
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:37:18 PM

i know that game, is that wat TM is about, then i have lifted spirits already.

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timster118
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 3:18:31 PM

That's what Twisted Metal is about. If you don't want to wait for some car blasting good fun get Full Auto 2 and go nuts. It's probably cheap used right now.

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Fane1024
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 4:09:20 PM

I've only played the demo, so ... grain of salt, but I enjoyed the racing aspect of Full Auto 2, but found it to be nearly impossible to maneuver in the arena area and couldn't hit anything.

I may just suck, but for me it wasn't fun, so I didn't buy the game.

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NiteKrawler
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 7:23:18 PM

I had a little trouble with the controls for it as well but if anyone can remember the controls for the old TM's...yea. They were pretty horrible. But that didn't stop them from being some of the best games ever made(minus 1 and 2 like Ben said.) In fact, TM 2 is the only game I've bought off of the PSN. I remember when I first heard that old PS1 games were going to be available through the PSN, the first thing I thought was omg...Twisted Metal 2...They had BETTER put on Twisted Metal 2!!! One of the all time best franchises ever. It's up there with McDonald's.

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NiteKrawler
Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 3:48:14 PM

Woops sorry, meant to say "minus 3 and 4" there not "minus 1 and 2". 1 and 2 rocked.

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Zorigo
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:36:41 PM
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never heard of it. lets see how this pans out.

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CH1N00K
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 2:45:43 PM
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This was always a great game I think I played/owned all of them. It will be interesting to see the next gen version of this game, especially with Jaffe at the wheel again.

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LightShow
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 3:38:40 PM
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Careful ben, you wouldn't want to jinx it =D

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tlpn99
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 3:43:24 PM
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I have never played them either, least im not the only one lol, shall look into this when it gets near the time.

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bustin98
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 4:25:52 PM
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You might want to say veteran Playstation gamers. Many gamers went through that era without playing on a Playstation.

And while I did play Twisted Metal, I didn't find any joy in it. In most cases I prefered the N64 blur-o-vision to the PS Giant Pixels of Death.

When will the articles of 'Why so-n-so game is so important to Sony/PS3/fans/whatever' stop? How many times has this argument about a particular game come up? Too many times. You know, I lurk in all sorts of forums, participate in a few too. And this kind of talk is exactly the kind of talk that Nintendo fans did with the Gamecube. Ever hear of 'megaton'? Like Capcom's famously 'exclusive four'. That turned into 1 that died, 1 that didn't get well received, and 2 that didn't stay exclusive. Motorstorm is going to be awesome. Haze is going to be awesome. Metal Gear Solid 4 is going to sell like crazy. Little Big Planet is going to sell like crazy.

And another thing...

Let's get this straight. TM is a respected series, but only if you remove two (you liked Small Brawl?) of the games in the series. And you want some original ideas on the PS3 to break up the monotony, so you call on a sequel to do the job. A sequel to a series that already has 7 games before it.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 4:43:53 PM

It's called generating excitement for a promising title. This is how gaming journalism - and any other sort of entertainment journalism, really - WORKS. It's called looking ahead.

And the point is not that Twisted Metal itself is completely original, but that the gameplay is different from most anything else out there. I could've sworn I made that clear.

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Aftab
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 6:23:04 PM

I beg to differ, B. By the time of FF7, not very many gamers had not played the PS.

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NiteKrawler
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 7:33:06 PM

I loved the huge pixels!!! lol did you play TM 2? If you played 2 and didn't like it I'm shocked. But, different gamers different opinions.
Motorstorm is going to be awesome. Haze is going to be awesome. Metal Gear Solid 4 is going to sell like crazy. Little Big Planet is going to sell like crazy.
1. Happened 2. I knew Haze was gonna be bad
3. Happened 4. LBP may not be selling like hotcakes but it's still uber awesome.
And I don't think Ben said he was wanting something original in this new TM game, just that a new TM game in this generation will be something pretty original. Yes, it would break up the monotany of certain games. *COUGH*FPSGENRE*COUGH*

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bustin98
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:36:29 PM

FFVII sold maybe 10 million world wide. Versus what, 100 million PS world wide. FFVII was a good game, I bought it when it released. But don't overstate the facts with your personal bias.

Its great to have an opinion and write an article on that opinion. It happens all the time.

And I'm not attacking Ben. I have enjoyed reading what has been written on this site. For the most part. I just get sick of these type of pieces and I feel that it could be better. Thats it.

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Advent Child
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 4:34:57 PM
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I have never played the originals, I was kinda young back then, but I will buy this one.

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CaptRon
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 4:43:33 PM
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Don't Hate Bustin. To this days there is no game that has the feel of twisted metal. NOBODY gives a damn about small brawl. Twisted metal is about sinister story lines and one of a kind multiple endings. Lets not forget about the metal music, which TM Black didn't have enough of. But all in all Twisted Metal forever!

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bustin98
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:27:19 PM

I'm not aiming for hate. I'd like to see the bar for journalism raised a bit. This article is really more op/ed than reporting, but still.

Fans of the series are going to be excited no matter what you tell them. People who are new need to know more than what the past provided. I suppose some could go to Ebay or maybe Gamestop and get used copies of the game to find out, but I don't believe in this generation that many people would be impressed.

Give more concrete evidence of why we need to care about this game now instead of 6 months from now when E3 rolls around with demo kiosks.

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NiteKrawler
Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 3:52:39 PM

Bustin since some of us can't see into the future, the only thing we can provide on the TM franchise is based on the past.

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N a S a H
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 6:08:01 PM
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I was only 9 when i got my PS1 back in the day but i had a Demo disc from PS magazine and it had the TM demo on it. I used to love playing that!

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vatossan
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 6:13:33 PM
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i got the first one that came out for PS1.
and i was like 9 or 10.used to play it for hours with my friends.

Last edited by vatossan on 12/11/2008 6:21:21 PM

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Mista
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 6:48:18 PM
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Twisted Metal 2 was awesome, period. And I remember playing Black online with my 56k adapter, it was right around the same time THPS3 was out. It was the only way to get online before the network adapter released. If my memory is right they were the first two online titles on PS2

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John Shoemaker
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 7:07:28 PM
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I don't think you will find a bigger TM fan then myself. I've played them all, except Small brawl and Hands-on for reason, even 3 and 4 which so many people said were bad. I played 3 more then any game when it came out and didn't stop playing Black for months on end. I have beaten every game with every character countless times.
Never played Small Brawl because it wasn't what TM is and didn't play Hands-on because it is just 2.
I've been waiting for the PS3 TM since the PS3 came out and since they never released Black 2 like they should have years ago.

I can't wait for this game. This and ZOE3 are the top games on my list for the next two years. Nothing will compare to TM since nothing is out like it.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 7:15:43 PM

Head-On is worth it for a TM fan. You can pick it up for the PS2 real cheap, too. :)

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Wage SLAVES
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 8:51:20 PM
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Has anyone else played Vigilante 8?! That game was keewwl! I think they've gotta resurrect that title as well. Either way i still remember MR. GRIM rockin the motorcycle. F-yeah.

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MetalHead09
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:18:36 PM

i have twisted metal 4, it was ok but not real good, vigilante 8 snd offense i spent hours and hours playing and i also have rogue trip which is pretty deasant but is a bi*** to play. i thought it was uber hard. i dont have much experience with twisted metal 1 9or 2 but i remember staying up for oh god idk how many hours straight playing twisted metal 3 with my friend, we would sit there playing for so long our hands would be stuck in the shape of the controller, just MADNESS and great fun. good ol days baby.

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Jed
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:35:05 PM

I played the sh** out of vigilante8 on the N64. that game was a blast. My favorite level was the airplane graveyard.

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Scarecrow
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 8:56:13 PM
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The stages have to be big
Have you guys played a game called Smuggler's Run?

The first time I played that game the first thing I thought 'bout was Twisted Metal....and how awesome it would be to fight it out in huge stages like that.

Launch missiles MILES away. Dig through the underground and follow your enemy, then pop out from below and crush him in a CINEMATIC crush as you ram him from the bottom.

Fly off the highest ramp and launch an aerial assault from the sky.

etc.

Make the game more cinematic and like "woooooooooooooooow that was an amazing kill! holy sh*t"

You see the picture Ben uploaded for this article. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah like that, make things feel like "aaaaaaaamazing!"

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:18:35 PM

I loved Smugglers Run. I wouldn't really compare it to Twisted Metal, though; SR was very unique (just as TM is in its own right).

I remember having a great deal of fun with SR back in the early days of the PS2, and I still have the game. :)

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Jed
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:37:09 PM

Smugglers run was the first game I played on PS2. I remember going to my friends house to play it. We would play for hours just speeding around the maps, trying to climb the mountains. It was a shame that the sequel was such crap.

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NiteKrawler
Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 3:56:42 PM

Smugglers Run was awesome. Loved the huge levels, especially Vietnam. Was it Vietnam? Can't really remember. I loved playing tag with my friends in that game. Also the huge jumps you could do.

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Quincho
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:07:46 PM
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I only played the TM3, I didnt like it...

I dont know about this one, sounds exiting

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:17:43 PM

"I only played the TM3"

Maybe the crappiest one. Play TM2 or TM: Black.

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Jed
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:40:25 PM
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I'm glad I read this article. I remember twisted metal 1 and 2, vigilante 8, and smugglers run. Those were some great times.

I would really enjoy a TM game for the ps3. I'm excited now.

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somethingrandom
Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 10:42:11 PM
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I got the PSP version, but I quit when I couldn't find a way to beat Tower Tooth.

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isaya85
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 12:08:01 AM
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TM black was my first havent played the earlier ones yet

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Gabriel013
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 7:11:07 AM
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TM Black was so heavily censored in the UK it was appalling. If we get the decent version then I'll be interested but I won't be holding my breath.

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PS3_Wizard
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 8:57:20 AM
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I liked Vigilante 8 and Vigilante 8: 2nd offense.

Loved TM2 and TM Black. If they did remake the Vigilante series, I hope they bring back Slick Clyde and that awesome Lightning strike special he had.

@Gabriel

Lol i hear that UK is real back for sensors...glad i live in the good ole US of A!
I remember Sweet tooths storyline...and hearing him drop the F Bomb multiple times with my surround sound blasting. My mom raised an eyebrow a few times back then lol.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 1:42:01 PM
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With the online component this has the capacity to be a HUGE title.

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NiteKrawler
Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 4:00:21 PM

Exactly. I feel that was the only thing missing with TM 2.

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bearbobby
Friday, December 12, 2008 @ 4:39:59 PM
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Twisted Metal friggin' rocks! I had 1, 2, and Black. With a good group of friends you could play those till your fingers went numb and your eyeballs melted from all the awesome!

I would definitely be interested in a new version to carry on the T-Metal name!

I scream, you scream, we all scream when Sweet Tooth sprays us with napalm! lol

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Nerull
Sunday, December 14, 2008 @ 11:36:44 PM
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I loved the concept of these games, especially the dark storylines which I think they should delve much deeper into for said sequel. For a game that revolves around blowing S*** up to me the characters were what really held it together and made it equal so much more.

I could never get that far tho, #2 I could only beat with the co-op help of a good player, and black I could never hope to get past Minion without the invul. cheat, seriously he was ridiculously powerful. So I think they REALLY need to add easier difficulty levels if they really want to make it playable for the widest possible audience.

I would assume they'll include custom soundtracks since racing games are the only ones that seem to but then this is a hybrid so maybe they'll be stupid enough not too.
In which case, PAY ATTENTION JAFFE, want to give a nod to all those veteran twisted metallers?
Make the menu music CREATURE OF THE WHEEL by white zombie. It's better than superbeast in everyway but still applies to the game,cough axel cough, and has both heavier and creepier sounding parts.

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Nerull
Sunday, December 14, 2008 @ 11:53:44 PM
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PS Music is a hugely important part of a game to me. It warmed my heart when I started the Motorstorm 2 demo and heard Jesus Built My Hotrod. Ministry is one of my other fav bands and the song is fairly appropriate.
From the opening backwards echo thing I was like, "What don't toy with me now", and by the opening drums I had resolved it was a must buy. Plus it will be the whole 2nd game for me to include custom soundtracks, I know I'm a broken record but my stereo was about the same price as the ps3 so I have a right to get pissed when I can only use it for half of what I'm listening to just because developers are too damn lazy. Anyway I finally won it off ebay, for $30 US, so it's in the mail now.

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