| Twisted Metal: Black | |
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| Developer(s) | Incog Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | David Jaffe, Scott Campbell |
| Released |  June 18, 2001 December 7, 2001 |
| Genre | Car combat |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Ratings | ESRB: Mature (M) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
Twisted Metal: Black (often referred to as TM:B) is the PlayStation 2 incarnation of the Twisted Metal series of car combat video games, created by Incog Inc. and distributed by Sony Computer Entertainment. An online enabled multiplayer-only variant, Twisted Metal: Black Online, was released later as a free send away for early adopters of the PS2's Network Adaptor accessory. Both TM:B and TM:BO were reissued as part of Sony Greatest Hits program.
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Overview
In concept, TM:B is a demolition derby which permits the usage of ballistic projectiles. Players choose a vehicle and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with opposing drivers. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage. The last driver alive is the winner.
As with all of the Twisted Metal games, the overarching storyline is the same - the characters, all having some deep wish that they want to be granted, are confronted by Calypso, a man who can grant their heart's desire, on one condition - they must battle each other to the death and win the Twisted Metal Tournament. In TM:B, the characters are portrayed as having nothing to lose, so they all eagerly take up Calypso's deal, and are soon outfitted with a vehicle suited to their personal tastes, and a command to fight to the death. It should be pointed out that Calypso is indeed malevolent, and seeks to encourage that trait. Characters who have malevolent wishes have them filled beyond what they had wished for, while those seeking more noble ends find that Calypso usually has the last laugh.
History
After the lackluster versions of Twisted Metal produced by Sony's 989 Studios division, Sony sought to return the franchise to its roots for the PS2 incarnation. To do so, they handed off the franchise to newly formed developer Incog Inc., which was founded by several previous employees of SingleTrac (the developer responsible for creating the Twisted Metal franchise), including several of the key developers behind the first two Twisted Metal games. In contrast to the relatively light-hearted nature of the original two incarnations, however, TM:B is a very dark game, with every one of the playable characters being clinically insane (and most confined to an asylum). The gameplay, on the other hand, is based on the original SingleTrac engine, and as such is easy to pick up and play, but can become very deep, especially when one takes into account the energy attacks available to all players. Due to some gruesome and graphic storyline of the characters, Twisted Metal: Black is the first game in the series to receive a Mature (M) rating by the ESRB
Characters
Twisted Metal: Black has a diverse cast made up from both new and returning characters, some of which have changed drastically from their previous appearances. Default characters:
- Billy Ray Stillwell, a redneck farmer driving a tow truck (Junkyard Dog).
- Preacher, a delusional evangelist rejected by the church, on a white El Camino (Brimstone).
- Agent Stone, a former sniper for the local SWAT team, driving a S.W.A.T. SUV (Outlaw).
- Mr. Grimm, a cannibalistic Vietnam War veteran on an armored motorcycle (Mr. Grimm).
- John Doe, a former member of a small-time gang on a green scrap-car (Roadkill).
- Frank "No-Face" McCutcheon, a former and disfigured underground boxer on a modified classic, VW Beetle-like car (Crazy 8)
- Bloody Mary, a lovesick bridesmaid on a blue Corvette (Spectre).
- Dollface, a former assistant for a maskmaker, driving a black semi truck with a police car chained to the grill (Darkside).
- Raven, a schoolgirl outcast on a lavender hearse (Shadow).
- Needles "Sweet Tooth" Kane, a mass murderer on an ice cream truck (Sweet Tooth).
Unlockable characters:
- Charlie Kane, Sweet Tooth's undead father, on command of a beat-up yellow taxi cab (Yellow Jacket) with his younger autist son (Sweet Tooth's younger brother).
- Axel, locked into a wheeled torture device (Axel).
- Cage, a killer driving a station wagon mounted to a flametank (Warthog).
- Black, a mysterious contestant on a dump truck (Manslaughter).
- Marcus Kane, the winner of last year's tournament on a tanker truck (Minion).
Reception
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Twisted Metal: Black garnered very positive reviews from various video game publications. It received a rating of 9.5 out of 10.0 from Gamespot[10] and a rating of 9.6 out of 10 from IGN.[11] In Gamespot's Best and Worst of 2001, the game was nominated for best shooting game,[12] and came in ninth in their Game of the Year category.[13]
Unreleased Unofficial Sequel
Twisted Metal Black was to have a sequel titled Twisted Metal Black Part II [14] though it was never officially announced. The project was later scrapped for undisclosed reasons, but levels from it will be included in the Playstation 2 port of Twisted Metal: Head-On.
Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The PAL version of this game suffered due to the removal of all the movies from the game. It was rumoured at the time that this was in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which made the game less favourable with critics in PAL locations.
- The song in the game intro and the final credits is "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones.
- Thumper was originally going to be in the game. However, he was cut early in production, so this is the first game not to feature Thumper.
- The game was subject to some controversy when it was revealed that it was possible to shoot down a 747 during play in one of the levels. This element was removed from the PAL release of the game and the plane was seen crashed at the start of the level
- The name of the driver who drove Outlaw is Agent Stone, who was originally the driver of Crimson Fury in previous Twisted Metal games.
References
- ^ Edge Online
- ^ Gaming Age's review of Twisted Metal: Black.
- ^ GameCritics.com's review of Perfect Dark. Retrieved April 9, 2006.
- ^ Game Revolution's review of Twisted Metal: Black.
- ^ GameSpot's review of Twisted Metal: Black. Retrieved April 8, 2006.
- ^ IGN's review of the game. Retrieved April 7, 2006.
- ^ Game Rankings page for Twisted Metal: Black.
- ^ Metacritic on Twisted Metal: Black. Retrieved April 9, 2006.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes page for Twisted Metal: Black. Retrieved April 7, 2006.
- ^ Gamespot's review Twisted Metal: Black for PlayStation 2
- ^ IGN: Twisted Metal: Black
- ^ Gamespot: The Best and Worst of 2001
- ^ Gamespot: Top Ten Video Games of 2001
- ^ Twisted Metal Black Part II. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
See also
External links
- Twisted Metal: Black at Twisted Metal Alliance
- Twisted Metal: Black Online at Twisted Metal Alliance
- Twisted Metal: Black at Game Rankings
- Several "webisodes" based on a few characters of the game, made by S4 Studios, a flash cartoon site, hired by Sony to promote Twisted Metal: Black.
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| Twisted Metal · 2 · III · 4 · Black · Small Brawl · Head-On |
