Twisted Metal 2 (PS1, 1996)
SP mode:
Graphics-7 Sound-8 Control-7/6** Challenge-8/9*/6# Story-5.5
Level Design-7 Frustration-9/10*/6.5# Fun-6.5/7# Originality-6
Overall Score-7
*without combos
**Low gravity when going up a slope+when hitting walls in cramped spaces
#As Minion
+
2-player coop & vs. modes (split-screen, coop lets you go through the SP mode together)
Difficulty options (easy-hard)
15 vehicles to choose from including unlockables (some are pretty bizarre such as Axel)
Pretty good character designs (nice handdrawn artwork)
Some fun weapons (homing missiles, lightning - instantly hits, napalm volley shot - keeps burning vehicles that move into the flames, twister's tornado special, remote bomb/detonator - see Bomberman NES, Hammerhead's monster crush special (run over enemies), minion's special - also freezes the enemy)
Booster power up (start with a couple in each arena)
Can cycle forward or backward through your weapon inventory
Tighter turning button
Enemy radar
Very good draw distance and pretty good framerate
World tour theme (very good visual variety)
Partially destructible scenery (eiffel tower, glass walls, )
Some interesting level design (changing arena in the polar level due to the ice cracking, amazon - narrow paths surrounded by lava which gradually damages you+some hidden rooms, jumps via ramps)
Defensive abilities (triggered with combos and fueled by an automatically regenerating energy meter instead of having a limited inventory here; freeze burst (forward and backward), high jump, temporary shield, invisibility, sell your soul (trade weapons for HP), mine, etc.) - these are cool but should've been explained in-game since opponents can use them right away
Some extra 2-player levels unlocked with cheats
+/-
Weird how you can quickly turn in mid-air but not boost in mid-air
Starts out pretty tough
Lives system (3 per game!)
Password save
Thumper is OP in that he can use a freeze burst to stop an enemy for several seconds and then use the ultra flamethrower
Replaces the healing pads in TM1 with respawning power ups - not sure if this is better considering the lack of continues and how long it takes for health to respawn
No neutral pedestrian enemies here (there are unarmed pedestrians instead) - could've been kept as an option
No racing mode
Very accurate AI opponents in general
No springs (fountains in Paris, can use the jump ability for the same effect though it's not that high - lets you reach some hidden areas)
One maze-like level (new york)
So-so voice acting - the endings try to tackle serious subjects and are pretty creative at times but it ends up comical for the most part
Don't get to fight Calypso (who has a stupid name for a villain btw)
Some teleporters (Paris, Amazonia, New York) although they're generally not used for fast travel
-
No continues and no way to gain extra lives! (makes normal mode like very hard in other games unless you use the best characters, "sell your soul" is pretty much crucial to survive, death pits in the new york level) - also can't restart a level if you're doing poorly (quit resets the game)
The game ends prematurely halfway through if you play on Easy
Control/interface issues (average handling with a more regular vehicle (Marcus) is simultaneously a bit unresponsive (when starting to turn) and a bit too sensitive (after holding for a bit), annoying how simply turning while accelerating makes you slide and stop (w/ an average handling vehicle), a bit too much of a speed penalty for running into walls - gets annoying in cramped spaces, combos occasionally don't register - due to lag? pretty annoying when trying to make tight jumpsno full control config (can switch between four setups but most of them aren't good), walls don't always become transparent if you have your back against them - generally the camera is fairly good in more cramped environments though, some of the button combos are too long+them using the d-pad breaks flow a bit - can be hard to trigger what you want when things get hectic, the rear freeze and rear napalm combos are too long+you have to have an empty weapon slot, the sell your soul ability combo is also too long, vehicle stats are in a separate menu on the char/vehicle select screen, no analog stick support - came before the dual analog controller from early 1997 but could've supported the analog joystick from earlier in 1996, )
Overly low gravity when going up slopes in Amazonia
Some trial & error (button combos for defensive abilities, noticing where the ground ends when first trying out the new york and antarctica levels, learning how quickly the glacier parts fall down in the antarctica level)
Barely animated cutscenes
Have to use a hidden code to unlock Sweet Tooth as a playable character
Axel and Warthog are better than the others (maybe sweet tooth too)
Some difficulty spikes (not enough health in Paris, the AI controlled opponents tend to focus on you rather than each other in some levels (Holland - field), Minion is a bit of a difficulty spike mid-way through the game?, some overly tight jumps in new york and later levels - boosting does help though, dark tooth)
Sometimes annoying power-up placement near walls or pits (or on a tiny platform in antarctica)
Spongy bosses
Slowdown/framedrops when fighting Dark Tooth
Beating the game doesn't make it show you any codes - so how did players even learn about them besides through magazines?
MP mode:
WIP
Bugs:
-It's possible to get stuck in a wall inside the Eiffel tower
Graphics-7 Sound-8 Control-7/6** Challenge-8/9*/6# Story-5.5
Level Design-7 Frustration-9/10*/6.5# Fun-6.5/7# Originality-6
Overall Score-7
*without combos
**Low gravity when going up a slope+when hitting walls in cramped spaces
#As Minion
+
2-player coop & vs. modes (split-screen, coop lets you go through the SP mode together)
Difficulty options (easy-hard)
15 vehicles to choose from including unlockables (some are pretty bizarre such as Axel)
Pretty good character designs (nice handdrawn artwork)
Some fun weapons (homing missiles, lightning - instantly hits, napalm volley shot - keeps burning vehicles that move into the flames, twister's tornado special, remote bomb/detonator - see Bomberman NES, Hammerhead's monster crush special (run over enemies), minion's special - also freezes the enemy)
Booster power up (start with a couple in each arena)
Can cycle forward or backward through your weapon inventory
Tighter turning button
Enemy radar
Very good draw distance and pretty good framerate
World tour theme (very good visual variety)
Partially destructible scenery (eiffel tower, glass walls, )
Some interesting level design (changing arena in the polar level due to the ice cracking, amazon - narrow paths surrounded by lava which gradually damages you+some hidden rooms, jumps via ramps)
Defensive abilities (triggered with combos and fueled by an automatically regenerating energy meter instead of having a limited inventory here; freeze burst (forward and backward), high jump, temporary shield, invisibility, sell your soul (trade weapons for HP), mine, etc.) - these are cool but should've been explained in-game since opponents can use them right away
Some extra 2-player levels unlocked with cheats
+/-
Weird how you can quickly turn in mid-air but not boost in mid-air
Starts out pretty tough
Lives system (3 per game!)
Password save
Thumper is OP in that he can use a freeze burst to stop an enemy for several seconds and then use the ultra flamethrower
Replaces the healing pads in TM1 with respawning power ups - not sure if this is better considering the lack of continues and how long it takes for health to respawn
No neutral pedestrian enemies here (there are unarmed pedestrians instead) - could've been kept as an option
No racing mode
Very accurate AI opponents in general
No springs (fountains in Paris, can use the jump ability for the same effect though it's not that high - lets you reach some hidden areas)
One maze-like level (new york)
So-so voice acting - the endings try to tackle serious subjects and are pretty creative at times but it ends up comical for the most part
Don't get to fight Calypso (who has a stupid name for a villain btw)
Some teleporters (Paris, Amazonia, New York) although they're generally not used for fast travel
-
No continues and no way to gain extra lives! (makes normal mode like very hard in other games unless you use the best characters, "sell your soul" is pretty much crucial to survive, death pits in the new york level) - also can't restart a level if you're doing poorly (quit resets the game)
The game ends prematurely halfway through if you play on Easy
Control/interface issues (average handling with a more regular vehicle (Marcus) is simultaneously a bit unresponsive (when starting to turn) and a bit too sensitive (after holding for a bit), annoying how simply turning while accelerating makes you slide and stop (w/ an average handling vehicle), a bit too much of a speed penalty for running into walls - gets annoying in cramped spaces, combos occasionally don't register - due to lag? pretty annoying when trying to make tight jumpsno full control config (can switch between four setups but most of them aren't good), walls don't always become transparent if you have your back against them - generally the camera is fairly good in more cramped environments though, some of the button combos are too long+them using the d-pad breaks flow a bit - can be hard to trigger what you want when things get hectic, the rear freeze and rear napalm combos are too long+you have to have an empty weapon slot, the sell your soul ability combo is also too long, vehicle stats are in a separate menu on the char/vehicle select screen, no analog stick support - came before the dual analog controller from early 1997 but could've supported the analog joystick from earlier in 1996, )
Overly low gravity when going up slopes in Amazonia
Some trial & error (button combos for defensive abilities, noticing where the ground ends when first trying out the new york and antarctica levels, learning how quickly the glacier parts fall down in the antarctica level)
Barely animated cutscenes
Have to use a hidden code to unlock Sweet Tooth as a playable character
Axel and Warthog are better than the others (maybe sweet tooth too)
Some difficulty spikes (not enough health in Paris, the AI controlled opponents tend to focus on you rather than each other in some levels (Holland - field), Minion is a bit of a difficulty spike mid-way through the game?, some overly tight jumps in new york and later levels - boosting does help though, dark tooth)
Sometimes annoying power-up placement near walls or pits (or on a tiny platform in antarctica)
Spongy bosses
Slowdown/framedrops when fighting Dark Tooth
Beating the game doesn't make it show you any codes - so how did players even learn about them besides through magazines?
MP mode:
WIP
Bugs:
-It's possible to get stuck in a wall inside the Eiffel tower