Twisted Metal is a series of vehicular combat video games created by David Jaffe and owned and primarily published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. First released in 1995 with Twisted Metal, the series was developed by a variety of studios throughout its history, including original developer SingleTrac, 989 Studios, Incognito Entertainment and Eat Sleep Play.
The games revolve around the titular "Heavy Metal", a demolition derby in which participants can use various weapons while driving modified vehicles, with the goal being to destroy other vehicles and remain the last one alive. The games tend to feature both a story campaign and a multiplayer mode. The series has been primarily released on PlayStation consoles, with the first two games also receiving Windows releases in Japan.
The Twisted Metal series has been credited as a pioneer in vehicular combat video games, though critical reception to the franchise varied, with reviews praising the action, art direction and dark tone, while criticism at most games was leveled at subpar visuals, design issues and control schemes; Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal: Black were largely met with acclaim. The series enjoyed commercial success and Sony has expanded it into other media such as comics and a television series.
Titles[]
Main series[]
- Twisted Metal (1995)
- Twisted Metal 2 (1996)
- Twisted Metal III (1998)
- Twisted Metal 4 (1999)
- Twisted Metal: Black (2001)
- Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005)
- Twisted Metal (2012)
Spin-offs[]
- Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)