 Twisted Metal 3 for Sony Playstation
Back in the early days of Sony Playstation, when so few games available were worth a rental, let alone a re-rental, the original Twisted Metal quickly became
legendary among my circle of friends circa 1996. I'd estimate we rented it at least a
dozen times (or more) before I finally just bought it. The car combat
theme was incredibly addictive, and the amazement level with Playstation itself was still quite high.
A very good game, even now. The sequel, Twisted Metal 2, was even better. The graphics and
gameplay improved greatly, though the music, which was very atmospheric
and even enjoyable in the original, was not as much so. TM2 still makes
critic's and player's lists as one of the best games for the platform
ever, and is definitely the one which I've logged the most hours playing.
So, you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that the third
installment in the series was coming out. I had heard that the maker of the first two games, Singletrac
Entertainment, was not producing this installment, rather it was the
Sony-owned 989 Studios. This caused a bit of consternation, but I
figured that there was no way they could screw such a great game up.
WHOOPS!!!!
The first glaring difference to hit you is the change in the 3-D engine,
a change which, in my opinion, was not necessary. The previous two games
had suffered from some problems with camera angles, (i.e. if your
vehicle was backed up against a wall, you would see the opposite side of
the wall) but they were problems that were fleeting and easily ignored.
The engine here seems to eliminate that problem, but the game just does
not look anywhere near as good. TM2 was bright and lively, full of color
and detail. TM3 on the other hand, looks like video shot with a camera
that has a malfunctioning spotlight – it is just waaay too dark. The
rendering of the vehicles is not as crisp either; at a distance,
identifying the vehicles in TM3 is nearly impossible, whereas in TM2 it
was very easy. Also, the camera angles in TM3 are nearly
indistinguishable from one another, and there is no angle that allows
you to see as much of the battlefield as you really need to.
The next big change (and by far the most annoying) is the new "improved"
physics. This basically means one thing – now your vehicle can flip
over. In TM2, you could run over objects, jump ramps, drive up inclines
at an angle, whatever, and your vehicle always landed on its wheels. In
TM3, however, the "realism" is apparently being stressed, and anytime
you encounter a similar situation, your vehicle will be on its lid. A
LOT. This gets very annoying very quickly, as when you are upside down,
the computer vehicles will invariably join forces to blow your ass to
smithereens. I can't stress enough how much this sucks, since it happens
constantly, serving to completely eliminate any rhythm you had going.
Another change is the inclusion of the "vehicle regenerator." On certain
levels, these appear, meaning that until it is destroyed, any opposing
vehicle you destroy will be regenerated. I have yet to get past a
certain level of the game due to not being able to eliminate this stupid
thing. I have to wonder why they were even included, and the only
conclusion I can come to is that the programmers felt the game was too
easy, so they did this to make it harder. Harder? Yes. More infuriating?
Abso-freaking-lutely.
Another negative point is the size of the levels. In both the original
and TM2, the levels range from small (a small arena) to super-huge (an
enitre city) and everything in between. In TM3, however, there is one
size – small. In the first two, the large levels provided plenty of
strategic options, hiding places, and interesting quirks. They just
aren't there in TM3. Also eliminated from the first two is the
infinitely useful rear view mirror, which would appear in the upper
right corner of you screen, and did just what you think it does. In TM3
it's replaced by the "rear look" function, which, when the correct
button is pressed, temporarily changes your point of view from forward
to reverse-facing. Totally useless.
Generally, I will rent a game before I buy it, and often (for example,
NHL 97 for PSX, possibly the worst sports game I've ever played
on ANY platform) I have been saved. Oh, how I wish I had done the same
here. This is probably the most disappointed I've ever been with a
game, given all the hours of enjoyment its predecessors provided. The
spirit of the game is intact, but the new makers seemed to go out of
their way to sap all the enjoyment out of it. I can only hope that the
people over at Singletrac will try their hands at another car combat
game – their first effort, called Rogue Trip, just didn't work
for me. Suffice to say that if 989 ever does Twisted Metal 4, I'll be
renting it first.
Review by Mario Speedwagon |