Gameplay
Followers of the franchise and neophytes alike will find the gameplay remarkably simple. While I was a little confused by the steering controls at first, it didn’t take long to figure out that the game uses the dual-joystick configuration of a first-person shooter (employing both joysticks, one for controlling the direction of motion and one for controlling the direction of view) rather than the uni-joystick configuration of many racing/vehicle games. Otherwise, there are standard commands for firing, changing weapons, using turbo boosts, and every other action you would expect your harbinger of death to employ in order to incinerate opponents.
The camera takes an overhead view of the user’s vehicle, allowing for a rather expansive view of the landscape, and standard gameplay advances as expected, requiring users to destroy all opponents on a given level in order to advance to the next. Weapon upgrades and other power-ups are placed throughout the combat arenas, and there are also minigames that require users to complete additional objectives distributed throughout the various levels. These minigames are often time-related and emphasize skills that might be useful in the rest of the game.
As usual, players will have a familiar selection of characters from which to choose, including regulars like Outlaw, Mr. Grimm, and Sweet Tooth. Additional characters, some familiar and some new, can also be unlocked through standard gameplay and through various minigames.
Presentation
Both the graphics and the story of Head-On are extremely underdeveloped. At a time when action-oriented shooters are expected to have top-notch graphics, this game appears to have only moderately improved upon the graphics of the original PlayStation games. (To be fair, Head-On was originally released as a PSP game, which is likely the primary reason for the poor graphics.) And while the game apparently continues the story of Twisted Metal 2, I’m not sure there has ever been much plot incorporated into the games. What plot there is, though, follows the typical premise of Calypso hosting a vehicular demolition tournament and granting the winner one wish (usually with unintended consequences).
While the graphics and story are sub-par, the PS2 version of the game (dubbed the “Extra Twisted Edition”) includes many extras that make the package more attractive than it would be without them. (Even with these extras, though, the game still isn’t any more entertaining than most other games.) Features such as an RPG-style level wherein users operate on foot as Sweet Tooth to learn more about the series, a video documenting the history of the franchise, and several ending movies made for (but not used in) the original game will appeal particularly to avid fans of the series.
In addition, the package effectively contains two games, Head-On and Twisted Metal: Lost, which is essentially a separate game composed of content created for the sequel to Twisted Metal: Black. Tentatively titled Twisted Metal: Black: Harbor City, the game’s production stopped and the project was cancelled after six members of the development team died in a plane crash. Lost, however, allows users to experience the unfinished game, although this version is understandably not as cohesive as the final product would have been.
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