Hands-OnRoadKill

Midway recently showed off an updated version of its upcoming mission-based car combat game, RoadKill. The game appears to combine the mission-based, open-city action of a game like Grand Theft Auto III with the car combat gameplay style of Twisted Metal Black. The game takes place in an alternate-universe version of the 1980s, which meant the developers could make some pretty wild soundtrack decisions, and they've included tracks from such bands as Foreigner, Judas Priest, and Rick Springfield. In addition to a collection of licensed music, a lot of '80s-style music is actually being created for the game.

The game's radio will also alert you to upcoming events, including side missions you can embark on to increase your reputation. The game's main mission points trigger cutscenes, and through the course of the game's three-city, 30-mission adventure you'll go to work for a few different gangs.

The game starts you out in an El Camino look-alike with a swivel gun turret position mounted in the back. After a few missions, you'll meet up with a character who will man that turret position, but a few missions will also put you in the gunner seat while the AI drives. The missions we saw take place early in the game, and they mostly teach you how to use the GTA-style map readout to find and eliminate targets. Some of the game's side missions will have you going on armed races through the city streets against three equally armed vehicles.

Graphically, the game has a pretty sharp look to it, and it looks like it'll be able to maintain a smooth frame rate as well. The cars deform and lose pieces as they get shot up, and the game's explosions also look pretty nice.

With its open-ended gameplay and tight control, RoadKill looks like it could turn out very well. We'll have more on RoadKill as it becomes available.