Twisted Metal

About

Twisted Metal is a chaotic vehicle combat game that mixes shooting and racing on the PlayStation 3. Players wreck cars, blast enemies, and sabotage opponents in single-player or multiplayer matches. Split-screen supports up to four local players while online modes pack 16 drivers into mayhem. A standout mode called Nuke requires kidnapping rival leaders to fuel missile launches. Teams take turns hijacking targets, firing nuclear ordnance at floating statues, and repeating the process until one side’s monument explodes. Each faction has distinct aesthetics like Clowns and Holy Men, with lore tying back to older franchise characters. The game’s over-the-top violence and absurd objectives set it apart from typical racing titles. Despite a delayed 2012 release, it earned praise for its aggressive multiplayer and creative destruction mechanics. Split-screen battles remain a highlight, offering raw local competition without frills. While not a franchise revival, it carved out a niche for fans of frenetic combat. The blend of lovable villains and explosive set pieces keeps matches unpredictable, even if the single-player story feels secondary.

Storyline

The game focuses heavily on multiplayer combat, including various online game modes with up to 4 player split-screen and 16-players online. For example, the Nuke Mode is a new online game mode where you choose a faction to play against an opposing faction. In this mode, each faction has a giant metal statue that is being held in the air by a helicopter, which the opposing team must try to destroy. In order to destroy these statues, the player must abduct the enemy team's leader, then sacrifice the leader to a missile launcher that will, in turn, launch a nuclear missile. The person who sacrifices the leader and launches the missile has to control it to hit the opposing teams statue in the air. In order to win the opposing team has to repeat the process 3 times before the statue is destroyed for a team to win. There are four factions: the Clowns, the Dolls, the Skulls, and the Holy Men. The former having been announced as being inspired by Sweet Tooth and Dollface respectively. The latter are led by Mr. Grimm and the Preacher respectively.