Black Christmas
The year is 2005. It's Christmas Eve and Los Angeles is all a flutter in holiday cheer. Unknown the the city's many citizens, a man named Calypso is starting up his deadly Twisted Metal contest. Drivers will battle to the death to win one prize...anything their hearts desire.
Classic Twisted Metal characters make their debut. Drivers such as Sweet Tooth, Darkside, and Crimson Fury are all there. Arenas are areas all over Los Angeles. No you can't destroy the Hollywood sign. Wait for Twisted Metal 2.
Classic Twisted Metal gameplay makes its debut. Shoulder buttons are for weapons while the directional pad is for movement. The objective to destroy your opponents. You use missiles, mines, and a machine gun. Unlike other games in the series, the machine gun overheats after continuous unstopped use.
Graphics are quite good for a PS1 launch title. Not as good as the other TM PS1 titles, but they still bring home the bacon so to speak.
One of the first games for David Jaffe and crew to use their original tracks. Many of the tracks are a combination of rock, techno, and even orchestrated horror themes. Pedestrian screams and missile explosions are a bit scratchy.
One problem I had with the game are the endings. Originally, Jaffe and crew were going to use video endings, but they were cut in development. Text endings are used.
The original Twisted Metal is not to be missed. If you loved the rest, give the game that started it all a try.
Look for my reviews on the other games in the Twisted Metal series.