Twisted Metal head-on delivers classic fun game-play and tons of extra content, but lacks that certain Black magic.
(-) character roster is horribly unbalanced this time around; it's hard to adjust to for players who regularly play Twisted Metal Black; most of this entire game has been seen before in previous installments in the series
Twisted Metal Head-On Extra Twisted Edition is basically a port of a PSP game which has been packed in with some net extras and slightly better appearance. Other than Black and the somehow invisible Twisted Metal Black: Online, it is one of the few games of this giant franchise that have made it to Sony's second home console.
The game has most of the classic characters like Sweet Tooth, Axel, Thumper, Grasshopper, Roadkill, Mr. Grim, and other characters that we have seen before. There are also levels that aren't complete emulations but similar to some on the first two Twisted Metals.
The good things about this game come as follows. Firstly, its just there weren't many opportunities to see the evil devilish clown in the Playstation 2's library and it seems unusual considering all the success that comes out from Twisted Metal, and because of that Head-On is a likely purchase for anyone with a nostalgic itch for the familiar vehicle combat. Because for better or worse, the game-play that made the series a hit has been changed very little at this point, and it will please long time waiting fans who haven't seen a new game in a while but don't own a PSP. It will also appeal to younger fans better who might have been disturbed by Twisted Metal Black's morbid appearance. The low-price point is also without a doubt a nice advantage, only 20 dollars for a new game, making it even more accessible especially if you think of the possibility of it being ported over to Playstation Newtork. Also there are loads of fan service, such as levels offered from the never-made Twisted Metal Black: Harbor City before the production crew were killed in a plane crash. There are also videos, artwork, a mode where you wander around as the iconic character Sweet Tooth and get pick-ups which give you information about the game, as well as ending videos.
But some of the downsides I found about this game are even though the familiar game-play that I said was good for fans who may have missed the series, there also would have been appreciations for something new in the formula. After all, you're seeing most of the same characters and levels that you've seen before. Also, the car roster seems to be terribly unbalanced. Dark Tooth, which is the unlockable boss of the game which is a giant tower built in courtesy of Road Kill and Sweet Tooth, has all perfect stats and a one hit kill special. And on the other hand you have a pathetic ATV, with almost no offense, defense, speed, a pathetic special, and even not that cool of a looking car, which makes me curious to why the selection is so unbalanced. Also some others who may have been holding a classic out of Twisted Metal Black, like myself, may find this installment of the Twisted Metal series to be somewhat immature. Since that dark dreadful spook and bright colorful explosions of weapons as well as hardcore horror movies are all gone, and it may be difficult to adjust for those who have regularly played Black.
There is one thing outside of the goods and the bads of this game that I wouldn't rest right tonight until I made it clear. This doesn't take either side, in other words it doesn't affect my score, because it's more of a "what the hell?" kind of thing than a good side or bad side. When you're low on health, you hear a computer automated female voice speak continuously, "health is low - low health". Why? That gets really damn annoying! You're already stressed out running for health pickups when enemies are chasing for the death of you, but when you need to hear that voice over and over again it can be overwhelming.
Twisted Metal Head-On Extra Twisted Edition is certainly a good game especially if you consider the low price point, with tons of extra content and familiar classic gameplay that long time fans like myself have missed, although the character roster is unbalanced and it has a completely different atmosphere than Emmy Award-Winning Twisted Metal Black which it may be difficult to adjust to and from it, but still it's good to know that we can see an unsuspecting victim's wish backfire once again.