Twisted Metal Black is messed up. Seriously, seriously messed up. It
also happens to be the best vehicular combat game to date, and brings
the series back to prominence after an extended period of irrelevance.
Gameplay is great in this game. First off, TMB is a hard game. The
computer opponents are good at dogging you and taking you out. Later
on, the bosses are absolutely brutal and punish you for making any
mistakes. What stands out most of all is that each character requires
you to play differently. The speed, armor, and power ratings for each
character aren't there for show. If you're using a speedy, lightly
armored car, you better use strafing runs or you'll get wiped out by
the more powerful enemies. If you're a heavy bruiser, you'll need to
stay on your smaller opponents or they'll slowly pick you apart.
Weapons are also widely varied. The basic formula is that weapons that
are harder to hit with will deal out more damage than weapons that are
easy to hit with. There's a good mix of both types, ranging from the
homing missiles that do practically no damage, to the reticule weapon
that is hard to use, but devastating if you connect. Each character
also has a special weapon that can do major damage if used properly,
but utterly squandered if you don't strategically line up your
opponent. Each stage has a massive amount of secret areas and
destructible bits that can cause chaos if your opponents don't see them
coming.
The graphics are amazing in this game, especially considering that TMB
was released early in the PS2's lifecycle. The framerate is high
throughout and animations are especially smooth. There are lots of
particle effects throughout, and each weapon has a nice visual punch to
it. The environments are large and well designed. Each has its own
feel, and there's usually a lot going on in the background. I thought
the nicest feature is when you change weapons. Each vehicle has little
compartments that pop out and in when you switch from the oil can to
the missiles to the special weapons. It looks like the cars have been
specially modified for combat, and are hiding a huge arsenal. That's a
really neat and interesting touch.
Everything about this game is dark, hence "Black" in the title. The
overall art theme of a gothic nightmare is carried flawlessly
throughout. The characters are all insane asylum inmates, fighting for
their particularly disturbing individual goals. It may be that one
character wants to kill the man that framed him, while another just
wants the key to the mask that's locked up her face. No matter what the
story, you just know that it will end badly, since each character is so
far gone. This carries into the game world. Each environment is dark
and depressing in its own way. Each car looks beat up and mean. The
music makes you feel like you'll never escape the hell that these
characters live in.
Twisted Metal Black is a superbly crafted mature game. The theme is
sick, twisted, and cringe inducing, but done so well that I would
recommend it to anyone looking to obliterate some enemies without a
shred of remorse. Oh yeah, this game is not for kids, btw.
