E3 10: Twisted Metal hands-on

June 20, 2010

David Jaffe’s long-anticipated Twisted Metal followup is almost here. We got a taste of it at Sony’s booth, and there’s one word to describe it: familiar.

The new game, called simply Twisted Metal, pits the Clowns against the Dolls in a fight to the death. You can drive motorcycles, helicopters, or the craziest vehicles you can imagine, and you try to take out the other team with various powerups.

For those who are fans of the old games, everything will be instantly recognizable. The interface is much like the later ones, with information above cars indicating names, teams and health. Teammates are green, and enemies are red. It’s all fairly straightforward.

It’s still fun though, so maybe that’s for the best. While we encourage evolution and pushing the envelope when making sequels, this year’s E3 was about reviving the gameplay we loved as faithfully as possible. And in a field that included GoldenEye, NBA Jam and Donkey Kong Country, Twisted Metal fit right in.

16-player online play looks to be a blast, and the team promises more crazy vehicles to drive and areas to traverse. We’ll see if they deliver on that promise.