I remember when I was a lot younger, I played through the original games just to make sure that I got used to every character and saw their individual endings; it took hours of play and the help of a very good friend, but it was all worth it in the end.

However, the question everyone wants to know the answer to, “is Twisted Metal still relevant now?”

The answer, I am happy to say, is an emphatic yes!

As it has been a number of years since the last time I have indulged in Twisted Metal’s particular brand of (car)nage (see what I did there?), I decided the best place to start would be the training. I can safely say that this was the best thing I could have done. It turns out that the control scheme is a little dated, which means they have made very little sacrifice to modernise the controls.

We all float down here....

This is great in the way that the game is even more like its predecessors, but not so great in that I haven’t used a control style similar to it in nearly ten years. Despite the old school controls, you get used to it relatively quickly, even when it comes to learning the newer bits and pieces. They even make use of the PS3′s six-axis control; a little flick forward will have you boosting off into the horizon.

On top of there being standard weapons, there are many other different types of weapons to use, from missiles to guns and each character has special attacks; one of which is a corpse on a trolley being fired at other cars. One of the more interesting attacks in the game is the ability to use the passenger in the car to snipe other players. I didn’t find this attack too useful; every time I stood still for any length of time I was murdered. However, I can see this being much more useful in the team based games.

Then of course comes the battle training in which you are faced with multiple enemies, all of them hungry for your blood. I am going to be honest with you and tell you that I couldn’t count the number of times I lost against the enemy A.I. It is a little embarrassing; especially as a seasoned pro of the original PS1 games, but at least I eventually managed to push my way through to success. With this under my belt, it was time to move on to the next mode… the multiplayer.

You're in my sights!

So, after graduating from the training mode, it was time to take this madness online. This reboot of the Twisted Metal seems to be focusing most of all on multiplayer. The original games were mostly focused on the story driven single player, and despite the fact the online is not new to the series, it is new to me.

At first things were a little sketchy with several attempts to join games met with server failure. Even when managing to get into an online lobby you could sometimes be waiting quite some time before you actually make it into a game. This is more than likely due to the time of day that I had chosen to play as opposed to any negative comment about the game. Although once you get into a lobby you will find yourself matched up before you know it.

After my training and eventual success in the single player and the first multiplayer mode to contend with was the standard deathmatch. I figured I would be more than capable of taking on the rest of the world. However, it turns out that other people are insanely good at Twisted Metal and I died… a lot. However, that didn’t stop me enjoying myself. The big takeaway from this for me was that the action was still as crazy and fun as it was the last time I played.

The next multiplayer mode is new to the series and is titled Nuke. The simplest way to put it is that it is Twisted Metal’s attempt at capture the flag. The truth, however, is a lot more complicated. Each team has a massive statue that you must destroy, but in order to do that you must firstly capture the opposition leader. After keeping the leader under your control you have to dump them into a missile launcher, which will in turn launch a user-controlled nuclear strike against the opposing team’s statue. As if it wasn’t difficult enough to complete this task once, you have to do it three times to win the game! Despite not winning this game type once, I enjoyed every second of play. The madness is so well realised, and I find myself loving playing even if I suck.

I bring you fire!

The last time I actually dabbled in Twisted Metal was a very long time ago; since the original Playstation game, World Tour, but I am looking forward to this game hitting stores. The absolute insanity that made Twisted Metal what it was has been portrayed exactly as I remember it; crude, loud and full of action.

The gameplay is a little difficult to get into to start with, as it has been years since games have actually controlled like this, but once you get used to it you will be back in the saddle in no time. Sadly the beta was only live for a few days, and it has left me hungry for the taste of Twisted Metal.

Even after playing the demo through several times it is difficult to gather my thoughts into a constructive and descriptive article; there isn’t a scrap of sanity to be found anywhere in what I have played. There have been many games in the past which have enthralled me with intriguing madness and absurd story, but is it going out of its way to be deliberately insane?

There is no easy answer to this question, and so far my many attempts at playing the demo have left me with many thoughts.

Asura was once a General in the army of the Gods, but after returning from a valiant battle he is blamed for the murder of the Emperor. He returns home to find his wife dead and his daughter has been kidnapped. While attempting to find his daughter and those who took her, Asura is thrown from a tower and tumbles to Earth. He wakes up many, many years later (12 millennia) and sets about trying to save his still-missing daughter by fighting all the Gods who stand in his path. I would like to add that none of this information is really prominent or available in the demo and I had to do a little extra reading on Wikipedia to figure it out. Needless to say you will still be a little confused as to what is actually happening.

More arms is more better!

As I am sitting here, I am literally asking myself, “where the Hell do I start!?” I guess the best place would be to start at the beginning, but even that is a little confusing when it comes to Asura’s Wrath. The demo has two playable sections of the game; chapters 5 and 11, which to me seems like a rather unusual cross-section of the game to choose.

The difficulty I have in explaining the game is not purely from a narrative stand point; where it really becomes difficult is trying to describe how you are playing it. You find yourself faced with a towering stone giant that looks a bit like an enormous Buddha statue. You are instantly thrown into the game starting with several quick-time event segments, but this isn’t the only style of gameplay that Asura has under its belt.

This is going to sting a little....

You are then thrown into various other styles of play; fixed 2D perspective like an old-fashioned brawler, then another fixed perspective while using a reticule to fire at the enemy and then eventually it opens to 3D combat. To my surprise you could only move left and right and jump; you were completely fixed on a path.

The game leaps from style to style; Heavy Rain-a-like to an on rails shooter that reminds me of the Sega classic Space Harrier and then to God of War style gameplay. I was a little thrown by this, but hey, I figured I would just roll with the punches and see where this takes me. Seconds later I am being attacked by something that looks a little like an alien mother ship, which is a little out of context with the rest of the game stylistically.

In chapter 11 there is a little more of a 3rd person action game vibe. This is where things start to settle a little bit and you are using combinations of shooting attacks, punching, blocking and countering to defeat your foe in a more all-inclusive fighting mechanic. The fighting sequences are seamlessly blended with other button bashing and button pushing events, with excellent results.

This is the part of the demo where Asura’s Wrath begins to show its full potential. Underneath the façade of grandiose cut-scenes and limited gameplay, there beats the heart of a well-crafted 3D brawler. Even down to the classical score (Dvarok’s No. 9 Symphony) chosen to accompany your fight. Every detail has been catered for and is used to create this incredible atmosphere.

Come at me bro!

So where does this leave us? I think that the obvious statement to make is that everyone should give this demo a try. I can’t quite make up my mind as to whether I love or hate this game. The portions of it that include actual gameplay are sublime, but these are fleeting moments, or at least the demo would have you believe this. I have no issues with games using quick-time events to progress through scenes to make the user feel like they are doing something; I was a massive fan of Heavy Rain and that is practically the entire game.

Like I said, the parts where you are in control of Asura feel really good, I just hope that the full title has larger sections like that and less of the quick-time parts. It isn’t that they are bad, it’s just a shame to hide the well-designed 3D brawling combat with basic button pushing while watching a video. I still can’t make up my mind about whether this will be a purchase or not for me.

Maybe they just chose the wrong chapters to show in the demo, and the rest of the game is full of action packed awesomeness! It would truly be a sad thing to see a game with such promise turn out to be little more than an interactive cut-scene.