(How many times will I say edgy?) This is the last game I’ve played for the series before getting my hands on the PS2 installment in the series. Not much to say about it other than it’s a quick fix back in the day (2009) when the fourth title broke and there was no way to play the game other than a demo version of the second game. Though was this game really as bad as people thought or were we too critical? This is Twisted Metal III for the PlayStation (through emulation). 

Story : 6

The game sets you in the year 2008 I think? I’m assuming because the first level you hear Calypso stating “the great earthquake of 2007 months ago” so there’s that. Anyways basically the story is mostly about car destruction all around the world and the winner is granted a wish of any choice. It’s the same old trope that hasn’t changed much at all with the series. The only difference is really the location. Twisted metal had a warehouse, Twisted Metal II was in top of a tower. Twisted Metal III, in a blimp. Each character has a wish of their own they want fulfilled and they do have endings so there’s that. 

It’s a 6 out of 10. Game is dull with the same plot as the previous titles but the game is still fun. 

Graphics : 6

The graphics are atrocious for 1998. The CGI animation, one of the worst intros I’ve seen. I know they were going for an edgy animation with heavy metal music but the models look so stiff, the facial expressions look blank, the artwork… I’m not sure if it’s some cel shading or what but it’s just horrible to look at. Pffft even the characters themselves are just kind of terrible. I’ve seen better graphics from lower budget games and this is supposed to be one of the staples for Sony? 

The stages are pretty lackluster and void of personality. Some are just an open area with one or two higher levels and the creativity just isn’t there. Some stages just feel too claustrophobic to maneuver or too open to explore, it’s like the devs didn’t know what made the second game special with the stages. Even with some stages when far away you do see some discoloration of the walls until you come up close. The backgrounds of the stages look so unlikely from the cloudy skies of DC to a jpeg image of stars created by Microsoft paint back in 1998… I mean some walls can be destroyed and other items being interactive but that’s about it. 

Car models may look good at first but when you start playing, they’re pretty pixelated most of the time. Not sure whether it’s my tv since it’s not a crt but those cars just look bad. Some warping is present when driving and see how the roads have some disconnect black lines, very thin. Fire looks so 2D and exaggerated, weapons look too pointed or sharp, and when vehicles are far away they turn into a block. I do have to say though, no matter how bad Mr. Grimm looks, the way he turns his head while turning is pretty neat. Though sometimes I feel like his head isn’t connected to the rest of the model. 

Character bio pics…. One of the ugliest things I’ve seen from the twisted metal series and I’ve played the first and second game… 

To finish up on graphics, the frame rate is surprisingly good and mostly consistent on the play through which is surprising because in my earlier reviews, Twisted Metal 4, the frame rate was one of the worst ever. It makes me wonder how little time the devs had to make the fourth game right after this… but the game actually plays really well with minimal drops, but there’s other issues (later on). 

The graphics is a 6 out of 10. I’m not sure if it’s my tv or game but this game just looks ugly with its graphics, stages are too simple by design, models have some flaws and backgrounds look like a basic Microsoft paint or jpegs of low quality. 

Sound : 8

The audio isn’t that bad. The sound effects don’t sound muffled or compressed and that’s a plus. From weapons hitting you to grabbing power ups, even machine guns hitting the vehicle sound pretty good.

The stages always start with Calypso giving a bit of dialogue to describe the area you’re in and even though it gets very annoying after a few play throughs, the quality isn’t bad at all. 

The music, it’s mostly heavy metal. They try to make sure they’re edgy with the metal music with Rob Zombie and some other artists I don’t bother looking up. It’s just there, and I just feel like they’re trying too hard for the game to feel, I don’t know any other word but edgy. It’s a try hard for 1998 to go with the trend and whether it works or not for this game is up to the person playing. I’m not much a heavy metal fan so. 

It’s a 8 out of 10. Everything sounds great no doubt, would have been a 5 out of 10 due to my distaste of music but staying unbiased. 

Difficulty : 4 (9 on hardest)

This game is too easy on normal. I’m sorry but you can easily beat this game on easy once you’re able to control  the vehicle. The only way to give yourself a challenge is to put the difficulty on the hardest setting. With this though, the game is pretty cheap. Enemies only target you most of the time, cheap tactics. They grab health when low and such to the point it’s unfair. This game is seriously flawed in the difficulty where on normals it’s a cake walk but hard it’s a whole different game. 

It’s a 4 out 10 on normal. It’s an 9 out of 10 on hardest. 

Depth : 7

The game lacks a bit of depth. I mean yes there are some variety of cars with different abilities but they have no personality. 

The cars are 15 in total, 13 of them are playable. Out of those 13, only 2 are able to be played by passwords or cheats. The stats are in the characters’ bios and they don’t really mean much because the stats aren’t accurate to the actual specials. Returning characters are Thumper, Outlaw, Mr Slamm, Hammerhead, Axel, Spectra, Roadkill and Warthog with Minion and Sweetooth as hidden characters. New to the series is Flower Power, Auger, and Club Kid with Firestarter. Primeval being the final boss of the game he uses all the specials of the characters. 

The controls are horrible. Can’t really control the vehicles and they always flipped over or oversteer. It’s just so bad in my opinion. 

The stages, like I said are pretty barren and lackluster where there’s no fun for most. It’s just pretty bad to the point you lose interest. The stages are Hollywood, DC with Darkside as the boss, Hangar 18, North Pole, London with the boss Minion, Tokyo, Egypt and Blimp as Primeval as the boss. 

The game modes are tournament with the 8 stages with three lives overall during the gameplay. To continue playing the game as “saved progress” is by use of a password. Team death match is usually just one match against ai opponents. Can be played with two players as well as Tournament with Co-Op. With each character they have their own story and wish for the game to play through the tournament so that’s a bit of a plus. There’s not much to say other than the weapons and use of special abilities like freeze, invisibility and such. 

It’s a 7 out of 10. Characters are more so the same with some specials, stages are eh, gameplay and game modes are lacking. 

Addictive : 4

This game is probably the weakest out of all the series. The issues it has is just so bad that you lose the will to play or the appeal is gone. For the game to be switched to a different developer (989 Studios) they done a poor job making this game fun. The gameplay is just a no. The stages are mediocre, the characters are silly in a bad way that the endings are just… horrible for most. It’s a big no for me 

It’s a 4 out of 10. It’s not only lacking in edginess, it’s lacking in everything else. 

This game was fun as a kid but playing it now you can see how bad of a job 989 Studios did with the game. The sales might say it was successful but probably due to the name itself garnered attention. The sequel also suffered so much for different reasons and honestly, if the sequel hasn’t been rushed it would’ve been a redemption to this poor excuse of a twisted metal game. I had more fun playing Vigilante 8 than I did with this. If anything it’s a weekend rental if you’re curious. It’s not worth playing for a long time or having fun. 

My rating : 6 out of 10. 

Review rating : 5.8 out of 10

I played the first two games mainly at my cousin's house. This one I think played one maybe twice. Let me say I agree with your review. The story was pretty much unchanged from the previous titles. To me the game might have been better if they tried to offer something new. Mega Man and Mario games have the same thing Dr. Wily or Bowser trying to take over. However, every time its a new scheme. They could have tried to make a new scenario in the story.

From what I remember the graphics were not as good as the earlier titles. I wonder if this game was rushed. The others had good graphics and play station games after this one had good graphics.

I agree with you on the replay value. Like I said I only played it once or twice. It must not have had good impact on me as I did not play it again.

Overall, good review.

tornadocam : I think it has to do with more about changing developers since the first two games were by SingleTrac and then 989 Studios took over the third and fourth installment of games. The fourth one I know was rushed due to how poor the gameplay is compared to the third but it was more enjoyable at least compared to TMIII. I feel like 989 studios lacked the expertise to create a car demolition game, hence why it was so poor.