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Game Information

Release Date: October 31, 1996
Developer: Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s): PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation Network
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Players: 1-2

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Synopsis

Race into destruction-packed madness with TWISTED METAL 2. In this sequel to the acclaimed TWISTED METAL, you are the speediest and meanest king of the road. Your task is to choose from more than 10 hi-tech, battle-hardened street machines like taxicabs, police cars, motorcycles, and ice cream trucks and compete in furious contests of brute force and GLADIATOR-style survival.

In the tradition of films like DEATH RACE 2000 and ROAD WARRIOR, you'll smash through fully interactive 3D worlds as you crash from house to house, hi-rise to low-rise, and street to street in a frenzied attempt to escape your hellish pursuers and emerge on top. In Single-Player mode or Head-to-Head battle, you'll blitz through eight expanded worlds, shooting and maneuvering against bizarre foes and fearsome criminals. Engage in lethal warfare with majestic weapons like machine guns, flamethrowers, napalm, and homing-missile launchers. You can also switch between four camera views including dashboard POV and third-person perspective. In the psycho, tire-screeching, insanity of TWISTED METAL 2 you'll need to dodge, dent and destroy your way to survival.

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Gameplay

In Twisted Metal 2, it's all about mayhem and anarchy. Vehicles have been greatly improved from the original to create a lot more destruction with vehicles and the environment. To start off, there are several different game modes to choose from: Tournament, Arcade, and Multiplayer which is just both of the first two modes but with another player. In Tournament mode the player is allowed to choose between twelve different characters or, create their own which is a new unique feature to the series. Each character in the game has it's own specialties and perks such as better armor than another, better agility and speed, and better defensive capabilities. Throughout the tournament, you will travel around the world to several different cities including Toyko, Moscow, London, Paris, and Berlin to name a few. Each city will have secret passages that unlock super weapons, upgrades, and super weapons that can seriously inflict major damage to every single enemy. At the end of several levels, you will face a boss. If you beat this boss, you unlock it and are now able to choose it in Arcade mode, or start a tournament with said vehicle. In the Arcade mode, you are allowed to choose between fifteen different maps and a preferred amount of enemies. Nothing is ever gained in this mode, it is mainly just to have some fun. As for multiplayer, you can either play in a tournament side-by-side, or play in the arcade mode in a free-for-all mode or team up and destroy enemies together.

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Graphics

Whilst the graphics aren't the best in this game, considering it's almost twenty years old, they will make you appreciate them nonetheless. Each vehicle is highly detailed and sharp, each city is instantly recognizable with a lot of detail as well, but the environment itself lacks the detail necessary to make it really appealing. The background and ground you drive on, for the most part, is just a bland, dull, mix of colors that look fairly ugly and are very blocky/pixelated. The action itself isn't that great looking either making it seem like you are watching a cheaply made cartoon.

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Controls

For players new to the series, the controls may be little complicated as most buttons are required to do a myriad of things. Something that is unique to the game is that X will control the gas, B will allow you to go reverse and emergency brake, triggers will shoot, analog controls the camera angle, and D-pad changes weapons around to your desire. Although they may be a little complex for new players, they will be fairly simple if you have played any of the Twisted Metal games before.

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Ratings

Gameplay: 8.5/10
Graphics: 7/10
Controls: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.8/10