Twisted Metal: Black

Last updated

Twisted Metal: Black
Twisted Metal Black.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Incog Inc. Entertainment [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s) David Jaffe
Producer(s) Scott Campbell
Designer(s) David Jaffe
Programmer(s) Steve Poulson
Composer(s) Michael Reagan
Gregory Hainer
Kevin Riepl
Kevin Manthei
Series Twisted Metal
Engine Kinetica
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: June 19, 2001 [1]
  • EU: December 7, 2001
Genre(s) Vehicular combat
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Twisted Metal: Black is a vehicular combat video game developed by Incog Inc. Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 video game console. [2] It is the first game developed by Incognito Entertainment. It is a reboot of the Twisted Metal series and was released on June 19, 2001. An online enabled multiplayer-only variant, Twisted Metal: Black Online, was released later as a free send-away.

Contents

Both Twisted Metal: Black and Twisted Metal: Black Online were reissued as part of Sony Greatest Hits program. A standard downloadable version of Twisted Metal: Black is included in the first batch of copies of Twisted Metal for PlayStation 3, discernible by the "Limited Edition" tab near the top of the cover art. In December 2015, the game was made available for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network.

Overview

In concept, Twisted Metal: Black is a demolition derby that 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 objective of the game is to be the last one standing.

The basis of the plot follows the same structure as in all the previous games: Calypso runs a car-based contest called Twisted Metal (though in the game the contest is never called that), in which the various characters compete risking their lives to claim the tournament's prize - any single wish they desire, no matter the difficulty, rarity or even reality of such wish. Although Calypso is indeed malevolent, characters who have malevolent wishes (which make most of the cast) have their wishes granted without him tricking them on the wishes, while those seeking more noble ends (such as Outlaw's driver Agent Stone) find that Calypso usually has the last laugh.

In a somewhat different take from previous games, each character has their own story, which they narrate from their own point of view. Each of them starts with them being visited by Calypso, who knows what they desire and offers them in his contest. More of the characters' background is revealed in their midpoint cutscene, presented as a dream experienced when they briefly pass out after the sub-boss Minion is defeated. The characters' ending movie showing their wish being granted is presented after defeating the final boss Warhawk.

The game instead takes place within a single city known as "Midtown", with most competitors coming from the city's mental asylum, "Blackfield".

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. There are a total of fifteen selectable characters, in which ten of them are selectable from the very beginning and the other five must be found and unlocked.

Reception

Twisted Metal: Black received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [3] Daniel Erickson of NextGen said, "The best car combat game in history is also the most creative. Go get it." [15] Dan Elektro of GamePro said, "If you've lost your taste for Twisted Metal, this is the game that will bring back your appetite. Twisted Metal: Black is car combat action at its best." [20] [lower-alpha 3]

Many critics praised its dark and outstanding storylines for each character and its variety of weapons and unlockables, but its hover style controls for not changing much from the previous installments and its unbalanced difficulty were noted criticisms. Maxim gave the game all five stars and called it "a road rager's dream come true". [21] Playboy gave it 90% and called it "fun for the whole family!" [19] The Cincinnati Enquirer gave it four stars out of five and called it "a fight to the finish, so it's important to keep moving and to quickly learn how and when to use each of the weapons". [18]

The game was nominated at The Electric Playground 's 2001 Blister Awards for the "Best Multiplayer Console Game" and "Best Console Driving Game" awards, but lost to Halo: Combat Evolved and Grand Theft Auto III , respectively. [22] It was also nominated for the "Best Shooting Game" award at GameSpot 's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards, which also went to Halo. [23] The game also came in ninth in their list of the Top 10 Overall. [24] A year later, the Online version was nominated for the "Best Online Game on PlayStation 2" award at their Best and Worst of 2002 Awards, which went to SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs . [25] During the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the latter online version received a nomination for the "Online Gameplay of the Year" award, which went to Battlefield 1942 . [26]

By July 2006, the game had sold 950,000 units and earned $31 million in the U.S. NextGen ranked it as the 61st highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between October 2000 and July 2006 in that country. [27]

Twisted Metal: Harbor City

Screenshot of Twisted Metal: Harbor City. Twisted Metal Harbor City Development Screenshot.jpg
Screenshot of Twisted Metal: Harbor City.

A sequel project is Twisted Metal: Harbor City,[ citation needed ] though it was never officially announced and the project was later scrapped.

Details on the game were revealed in the PlayStation 2 port of Twisted Metal: Head-On , Extra Twisted Edition. It was originally planned the levels of Harbor City to be greatly expanded and inter-connected with one another, giving a greater feeling of a single, complete world rather than stand-alone levels.

The four completed levels were included in the game as a bonus feature entitled Twisted Metal: Lost.

Webisodes

Animation S4, a producer of 3D and Flash animations, created a series of six original Flash "Webisodes" to promote the release of Twisted Metal: Black, beginning with No-Face, and including Billy Ray Stillwell, Dollface, Bloody Mary and Mr. Grimm. [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Santa Monica Studio assisted on development.
  2. ↑ Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 8/10, 9/10, and 8.5/10.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 5/5 scores for graphics and sound, and two 4.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

Related Research Articles

<i>Twisted Metal 2</i> 1996 vehicular combat video game

Twisted Metal 2 is a vehicular combat video game developed by SingleTrac and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The second game in the Twisted Metal series, it was originally released in 1996 for PlayStation and Windows.

<i>SSX</i> (2000 video game) 2000 snowboarding video game by EA Canada

SSX is a snowboarding video game, the first in the SSX series. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label for the PlayStation 2 in October 2000. It was the first title released under the EA Sports Big publishing label, which specialized in extreme sports titles with an arcade feel.

<i>NBA Street</i> 2001 video game

NBA Street is a basketball video game developed by NuFX and EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on June 19, 2001, and on February 5, 2002, for the GameCube. The game combines the talent and big names of the NBA with the attitude and atmosphere of streetball.

<i>Driver 2</i> Action video game by Reflections

Driver 2 is a 2000 action driving video game and the second installment of the Driver series. It was developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Infogrames for PlayStation. A port to the Game Boy Advance, titled Driver 2 Advance, was released in 2002, developed by Sennari Interactive and released under Infogrames' Atari range of products.

<i>Midnight Club: Street Racing</i> 2000 video game

Midnight Club: Street Racing is a 2000 racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance platforms, the former being a launch title for the platform. It is the first game in Midnight Club franchise, followed by Midnight Club II.

<i>Madden NFL 2002</i> 2001 video game

Madden NFL 2002 is an American football video game. It features former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the cover. Pat Summerall and John Madden are the commentators. The Madden NFL 2002 commercial first aired during Super Bowl XXXVI, three days after Madden NFL 2002 started selling in Japan. Notably, it does not feature the Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who is included on later editions of the game as a roster update. It is also the first game to be developed by Budcat Creations.

<i>Summoner</i> (video game) 2000 video game

Summoner is an action role-playing game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 2 in 2000, and was subsequently ported to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS the following year. In the game, the player plays the role of Joseph and can assemble a team of compatriots and summon powerful monsters. The game has a world map, involved storyline, and unique hybrid combat system involving real-time and turn-based mechanisms.

<i>F355 Challenge</i> 1999 racing simulation video game

F355 Challenge is a racing simulation arcade video game based on the race car and Ferrari event. It was developed by the AM2 division of Sega for the Sega Naomi Multiboard arcade system board under the direction of Yu Suzuki, and was later ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 home video game consoles under the names F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa and Ferrari F355 Challenge respectively for both American and European releases. The only model of car featured in the game is the Ferrari F355 Challenge model. The game was considered the most accurate simulation of the F355 possible up until that time.

<i>Madden NFL 2001</i> 2000 American football video game

Madden NFL 2001 is an American football video game. It is the third in the Madden NFL series to include an NFL player, Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George, on its cover. In addition, it is the first game in the series to have a player, instead of John Madden featured prominently on the box art. Madden's picture is shown on a small logo, which would reappear for every following game until Madden NFL 06. It is also the first game in the Madden NFL series to appear on the PlayStation 2 game console. This is the first Madden game to feature NFL Europe teams.

<i>Grind Session</i> 2000 video game

Grind Session is a skateboarding video game developed by Shaba Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released on May 23, 2000 in North America and in August 2000 in Europe.

<i>Extreme-G 3</i> 2001 video game

XGIII: Extreme G Racing, also known as Extreme-G 3, is a racing video game developed by Acclaim Studios Cheltenham and published by Acclaim Entertainment for PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The game is followed by XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association.

<i>NHL 2002</i> 2001 video game

NHL 2002 is a video game released by EA Sports in 2001. It is the predecessor to NHL 2003. The game's cover man is Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and owner Mario Lemieux, who had just made a comeback after being retired for three and a half years. It was the first installment of the NHL series to be released on Xbox.

<i>Saiyuki: Journey West</i> 1999 video game

Saiyuki: Journey West is a tactical role-playing video game released for the Sony PlayStation by Koei. It is based loosely on the Chinese novel Journey to the West.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2002</i> 2001 video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports

NASCAR Thunder 2002 is a racing simulator video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports that came out for the Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The theme song for the game on the six-generation systems is "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the fifth game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games, and is the first of the series to have a new title. Notably, it is the first NASCAR game to feature alternate paint schemes on the cars. It featured the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon on its cover and 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte on the disc.

<i>MLB Slugfest 2003</i> 2002 video game

MLB Slugfest 2003 is a baseball video game published by Midway Sports in 2002. It is the first game in the MLB Slugfest series. Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers is the cover athlete.

<i>Victorious Boxers: Ippos Road to Glory</i> 2000 video game

Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory, known as simply Victorious Boxers, is a boxing video game developed by New Corporation for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is based on the Hajime no Ippo franchise. The game was released in Japan by Entertainment Software Publishing in December 2000 and in North America and Europe by Empire Interactive in 2001.

<i>Splashdown</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Splashdown is a water racing video game developed by Rainbow Studios and published by Infogrames originally for the PlayStation 2 and was later ported to the Xbox. It was released under the Atari brand name.

<i>Transworld Surf</i> 2001 video game

Transworld Surf is a sports video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Infogrames The game was released for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox between November 2001 and March 2003. The Xbox version of the game was the third game released under Infogrames' newly-revamped Atari label.

<i>Dark Cloud</i> 2000 video game

Dark Cloud is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. Originally intended as a launch title for the system in March 2000, the game was eventually released in Japan in December 2000, in North America in May 2001, and in Europe in September. A spiritual sequel, Dark Chronicle, was released in Japan in 2002 and worldwide the following year.

<i>Kiss Pinball</i> 2000 video game

KISS Pinball is a video game developed by Wildfire Studios and published by On Deck Interactive for Microsoft Windows in 2000. A port for PlayStation, developed by Tarantula Studios, was released by Take-Two Interactive in 2001.

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (June 19, 2001). "Twisted Metal Black Ships to Stores (Go Get It)". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Twisted Metal: Black Ships for the PS2". GameZone. June 19, 2001. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Twisted Metal: Black". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ J.C. Barnes. "Twisted Metal: Black - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ Edge staff (September 2001). "Twisted Metal Black" (PDF). Edge . No. 101. Bath: Future Publishing. p. 82. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Dan "Shoe" Hsu; Kraig Kujawa; Che Chou (August 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 146. Ziff Davis. p. 110. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Todd Mowatt (June 21, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". The Electric Playground . Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on January 9, 2003. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ Tom Bramwell (February 26, 2002). "Twisted Metal: Black Review". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 7, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Andy McNamara (July 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". Game Informer . No. 99. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ Shawn Sanders (June 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black Review". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  11. ↑ Ryan MacDonald (June 18, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black Review". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on June 25, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ Russell Garbutt (June 29, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". PlanetPS2 . GameSpy Industries. Archived from the original on August 4, 2001. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  13. ↑ The Badger (July 6, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (June 18, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Daniel Erickson (August 2001). "Twisted Metal Black". NextGen . No. 80. Imagine Media. pp. 80–81. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  16. ↑ Kennedy, Sam (August 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . No. 47. Ziff Davis. pp. 102–03. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  17. ↑ Emmett Schkloven (July 6, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black (PS2) Review". Extended Play . TechTV. Archived from the original on June 8, 2002. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  18. 1 2 Marc Saltzman (June 11, 2001). "Road rage rules in racing games". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Marc Saltzman (August 14, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". Playboy . Playboy Enterprises. Archived from the original on March 6, 2002. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  20. ↑ Dan Elektro (August 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black" (PDF). GamePro . No. 155. IDG. pp. 90–91. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  21. ↑ Ryan Boyce (June 6, 2006). "Twisted Metal: Black". Maxim. MaximNet, Inc. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  22. ↑ EP staff (2002). "Blister Awards 2001 (Console Games)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  23. ↑ GameSpot staff (2002). "The Best and Worst of 2001 (Best Shooting Game Nominees)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on February 4, 2003. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ GameSpot staff (2002). "The Best and Worst of 2001 (Top Ten Overall)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on April 5, 2003. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  25. ↑ GameSpot staff (2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 (Best Online Game on PlayStation 2)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on February 12, 2003. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  26. ↑ "6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  27. ↑ Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (July 29, 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". NextGen. Future US. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
  28. ↑ "TWISTED METAL: BLACK WEBISODES". S4 Studios. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.