Good afternoon to everyone who is reading this article! Today I want to remember one of my favorite childhood games, and at the same time voice a rather unpopular opinion. And it sounds like this – “Twisted Metal 3 is a good game». Yes, I understand perfectly well that most gamers compare it to a masterpiece Twisted Metal 2, and in many respects the deuce looks more advantageous than its follower. But does this mean that TM3 bad at the same time? Let’s try to figure this out.
And it seems to me that it’s worth starting a discussion about the third part with some fundamental facts about its predecessor – the great and terrible Twisted Metal 2. Both the first and second parts were developed by the company SingleTrac under the leadership David Yaffe, which, in fact, belongs to the main idea of the game. For unknown reasons, after the release of the second part in tandem Sony And SingleTrac a split occurs, and the latter goes free, taking with her one important thing for the series – a game engine, without which the production of sequels was somewhat problematic. Despite this, within the walls Sony a decision was made to continue the hit series (the brand wouldn’t stand idle after all). An internal studio was involved in the development of the threequel 989 studios (previously known as Sony Interactive Studios America). The decision seemed quite logical – the guys were experienced, and also had some involvement in the development of the first two parts of the franchise. Our own engine was used as the basis for the game 989 Studios, created specifically for the third part – TruPhysics (the name of which is, to put it mildly, deceptive, but more on that later). Among the undoubted advantages of the new engine is a more pleasant and technologically advanced picture, as well as the transition to full 3D (in previous games there were many sprite objects on the map – pedestrians, weapons, bonuses). But along with the advantages, a solid pinch of something forbidden apparently penetrated into the engine code, as a result of which the laws of physics almost completely left the chat. The behavior of the cars was so different from its predecessors that many old fans were hostile to the innovations. And in a sense, they can be understood – the game has lost one of its key features. But my point of view is based precisely on what this inadequate physics does Twisted Metal III a good game – adrenaline, bad, but at the same time very fun, especially when playing with real people. Physics has allowed you to greatly improve your dynamics, and after getting used to it a little and studying some of its features, you understand that disadvantages can easily be converted into advantages. Yes, in the first parts the player’s car did not turn over every 2 minutes, but at the same time, the physics of its predecessors did not allow the most unimaginable way to climb to places where, it would seem, even the developers did not provide access. Having studied these features, you begin to look at the threequel from a completely different perspective. And if the player accepts this moment as positive, then further advantages of the third part will only strengthen in his mind the thesis that I voiced at the beginning of the article. Let me remind you that it sounds like this: “Twisted Metal 3 is a good game». And in order to strengthen this statement, I’ll move on to the other advantages. So, let’s go.
/// Characters
IN Twisted Metal III We are greeted from the door by 12 playable characters – 8 “oldies” and 4 “newbies”. The old guard is represented Axel, Mr. Grimm, Hammerhead, Outlaw, Roadkill, Specter, Thumper and Warthog. Beginners – Auger, Club Kid, Firestarter and Flower Power. To be honest, the newcomers turned out to be rather nondescript. The cars themselves are not original, and the same can be said about their special attacks. The only thing that turned out to be interesting was Auger, although it is perceived as a kind of variation Mister Slam from the last part. Old people, on the contrary, do not burn like children. Some of them have been redesigned (Hammerhead, Specter), the rest moved to the new part practically unchanged. And playing for them is still as fun as before. Personally, I can say that Specter and Thumper as they were my favorites (since the second part), they remain so.
In general, the vehicle fleet maintains a good balance in terms of vehicle characteristics; it is difficult to name obvious outsiders in terms of gameplay.
In addition to the initial roster, the game also contains two cars, which can be played by entering passwords. And if Sweet Tooth is, in fact, an ordinary enemy, then Minion is a full-fledged boss, which is much easier to play than any other character. Both heroes have full biographies, as well as final videos.
Two more characters are worth mentioning – Darkside And Primeval. You won’t be able to officially play as these bosses, but if you do a little magic with the codebreaker (or do it even simpler – download a modified game rom that works even on real hardware), then you will still be able to take them under your control. They do not have final videos, so they are of interest only when playing in Deathmatch mode.
/// Locations
In this aspect, the third part is not inferior to its predecessor. The arenas are diverse, both in appearance and geometry. There are flat and multi-level, simple and intricate. The only thing missing is collapsing arenas like Antarctica from the second part. Most of them contain numerous secrets, almost all have Lighting-type weapons (or its analogues, such as Eye in Egypt and Satellite in Tokyo). Springboards and bumps, however, make a significant contribution to the process of turning over from the wheels to the roof, but you get used to it pretty quickly. But when an understanding of the local laws of physics comes, maximum fun will begin with jumping across the entire arena, acrobatic somersaults, and, sometimes, ridiculous and offensive deaths.
There are a total of 8 main arenas in the game (Hollywood, Washington D.C., Hangar 18, North Pole, London, Tokyo, Egypt and Blimp) and 3 secret ones, opened using passwords (Club Kid’s House Level, Warehouse Level and Demo Level).
location https://talksportbetcasino.uk/bonus/ Hangar 18
North Pole location
/// Murder weapons
Another important element for Twisted Metal (more precisely, for any game of the Car Combat genre) – these are guns. With an arsenal in Twisted Metal 3 complete order, the game has a lot of both familiar and completely new types of weapons. Perhaps the only thing that can be called ineffective is the Speed rockets, the benefit of which is negated by the need to launch each rocket with a separate click (looking ahead a little, I’ll note that this change was made in the fourth part). The rest of the set of means of quickly killing opponents will be used with enviable regularity – both straightforwardly and with some degree of creativity.
/// Symphony of destruction
Music is the aspect of the game that Twisted Metal III you can give a standing ovation. If in the case of Twisted Metal 1-2 the soundtrack was written specifically for them, then for the third part 989 Studios decided to use tracks from recognized masters of Industrial Metal – Rob Zombie And Pitchshifter. The style of these comrades is very suitable for explosive gameplay, in fact, from the introductory video (which still warms my retrogamer soul) until the very last level, the music will maximize the impression of the game. I’ll say even more, I still listen to several tracks from the game during training – isn’t this a recognition of the quality of the music?? .
Just listen to the intro track. It’s hard to find the best sound for a car engine
Fun fact – after the tracks Rob Zombie and Pitchshifter successfully showed themselves in Twisted Metal III, musicians began to be invited to participate in other game projects:
Rob Zombie contributed to the following soundtracks:
Sled Storm
Gran Turismo 2
Twisted Metal 4
Jet Set Radio
Nightmare Creatures 2
Need for Speed: Underground
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Brutal Legend
Flat Out 2
Scarface: The World Is Yours
and Pitchshifter – in these:
Test Drive 5
Twisted Metal 3
Twisted Metal 4
SX Superstar
Rallysport Challenge 2
Quake 4
/// Verdict on the game
Of course, everyone will form the final verdict on the game for themselves. But my opinion is that you shouldn’t follow stereotypes and give up on games that have a dubious reputation in the gamer community. Sometimes such an opinion has a right to life, but it wouldn’t hurt to try the game yourself. Perhaps the same thing will happen to me Twisted Metal III, which, despite the low ratings, is still one of my favorite games from the first era Playstation.
/// Just some facts
– The change of developer was the reason for the change of the game engine, t.To. engine Twisted Metal 2 was property SingleTrac. As a result, the TruPhysics engine authored by 989 Studios was used.
– There are 3 bosses in the game, of which only one (Minion) can be legally (by entering a password) used as a game character. Two other bosses (Darkside and Primeval) are officially unavailable, but using a codebreaker, modified image or emulator, they can still be played.
– Another character that can be unlocked with a password is Sweet Tooth. It remains a mystery why he is not immediately available, since he is not a boss and appears as an ordinary enemy.
– Sweet Tooth and Minion, despite not being on the original roster, they have biographies and individual endings.
– Twisted Metal 3 the first in the series, it allowed using Multi Tap to organize large-scale battles for four players.
– The game has 3 hidden locations that can be opened using passwords – Club Kid’s House Level, Warehouse Level and Demo Level (the latter is a level that plays against the background of the main menu, there are no first aid kits or weapons on it – only Special and a machine gun, only hardcore!).
– David Yaffe (creator Twisted Metal 1&2) in a conversation about parts 3 and 4 of the series once said ". they’re good games, they’re just not good Twisted Metal games" (The games themselves are good, but not very good as Twisted Metal games).
– Judging by very early videos for the Playstation Museum edition, the game was supposed to have 2 more cars – a postal trailer and a sports coupe similar to the BMW e36. Also in this video is an early version of the appearance of Mr.Grimm.
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