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The game itself, the one that’s got its title on the cover, is probably the least interesting part of this Extra Twisted Edition. Twisted Metal: Head On has been and gone for a good long while on the PSP.  While it’s certainly not a bad game in its own right, the world was not necessarily crying out for a version to bring home and play in front of the television.

What’s interesting is all the other stuff that makes this package “extra twisted.” Besides being a console version of Head On, it’s a repository for the complete history of the Twisted Metal series. There are unused levels from sequels that never happened, a goofy little 3D action mini-game starring Sweet Tooth, concept art and factoids galore, plus a lengthy making-of movie where David Jaffe is allowed to use the F-word as much as he pleases.

In short, if you loved Twisted Metal in its heyday, this isn’t a bad way to spend 20 dollars. You might have more fun watching the extra bits than playing the game, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get your money’s worth.

Twisted History

Two games are immediately available from the start screen – the original Head On (plus one extra level) and something called Twisted Metal: Lost. Head On is what you would expect, more or less, if you’ve had a cup of coffee with the PSP version. Compared to the handheld game, it looks very polished.  It’s definitely fun to play on a couch with some friends, but it’s not a must-have considering how far multiplayer action games have come on consoles since then.

Lost is a set of levels from a sequel to Twisted Metal: Black that was cancelled partway through development. Apparently, this would have been another example of the free-roaming-world fad that exploded after Grand Theft Auto III. Instead of each level being its own separate arena, they would have been connected by a big mess of freeway ramps that made up one giant city. While there are no such connections in this version of the game, you can see where they would have gone. Most of the Lost levels have a mess of looping back routes that plug into certain points in the open areas of the level. Presumably, those would have connected to other areas in the finished game.

Unfortunately, you can tell that these aren’t finished designs. They have their strong points – there’s a level built around a demolition-derby arena that makes great use of a deceptively simple space – but on the whole, they’re too big and too easy to turtle in. Sometimes, you can even find yourself turtling by accident, because the other competitors just all happen to be somewhere else while you buzz around collecting power-ups. Most of the levels need more stuff to destroy, too. They’re a far cry from the finished levels in Black, where just about every bit of the background could explode.

Twisted Ankles

That never-was sequel apparently would have also included a couple of on-foot levels, starring Needles Kane and the Preacher from Black. One of the prototypes survives in here as a trivia collection – you can run your demon-clown avatar around a cavernous insane asylum and collect little facts and bits of art about the making of the games.

While it’s not much of a game in itself, it makes a good complement to the accompanying documentary. “Twisted Metal: The Dark Past” runs through the making of the first two games, glosses over the cheap-imitation period of volumes three and four, and comes back with plenty of details about Twisted Metal: Black.

It’s a surprisingly honest look at the series, especially thanks to David Jaffe’s contributions. There’s a hilarious segment about the ending movies he filmed for the original Twisted Metal, a collection of B-grade live-action clips that never made it into the finished game. You can watch them elsewhere on the Extra Twisted disc, and it’s easy to tell why Sony had them axed – Jaffe himself admits that they prove he should never be let behind a camera again.

The doc does gloss over a few points where it might have been interesting to learn more details, especially character design. It’s strange to watch the developers talk about the genesis of Sweet Tooth without once hearing John Wayne Gacy’s name, for instance (to say nothing of Stephen King’s It). Even so, this is about as funny and frank a behind-the-scenes look as you’ll ever get from the videogame business.

Twisted Future

That’s enough to recommend a package that, talking strictly about gameplay, isn’t necessarily the most exciting release of 2008. Head On is a fun multiplayer game, and the visual style is a neat balance between the cartoony look of earlier releases and Black’s relentless grimness, but as the series’ creators more or less point out in the documentary, Twisted Metal’s time has probably been and gone by now.

It had a respectable run, though, and Extra Twisted makes for a good note to go out on. If you ever were a fan of the Twisted Metal games, and especially if you’re still a big fan of the series now, give this a look. You’ll probably have a good time with it, and you’ll definitely learn a few things you never knew before.

Review by: D.F. Smith

Video Produced by: Mark Fahey