Personally this game is more balanced than Twisted Metal 1 & 2 ever was and I'm neither a Gen X or a Millennial that was hivemind upset at this game instinctively for whatever reason. the maps leave something to be desired whether its gimmick, aesthetically, or just not being big enough to feel truly varied apart for one another (I'm pretty sure most of them are all square maps if I remember correctly). the gameplay itself is pretty solid even if it has been toned down with the ESRB rating. Calypso is a dickhead for pushing Axel in his wheelchair down a hill as a form of inviting him to the competition.

Where Twisted Metal 3 and 4 shows the absolute worst case scenario of a Twisted Metal game without David Jaffe and his team, Twisted Metal Small Brawl shows what a PS1 sequel would've been WITH David Jaffe's team . . . but without David Jaffe.

The co-creator and lead director of Twisted Metal 1 and 2 initially came up with the idea of Small Brawl, but was not there for any of its development as he got caught up with pre-production for God of War. The rest of his team got to have fun providing a more delinquently themed--but less sinister--take of Twisted Metal, replacing the cars and venues with RC cars and suburban playgrounds.

It's a cute little idea! And it plays fine, but kinda wears out its theme and doesn't really do anything that interesting with it. Jaffe has expressed, if he were able to direct it, he would've done more with the environment and even include raunchier humor a-la "Porky's (1981)". But without David's edgier sense of humor, his team's natural direction is into something softer and more family friendly.

This game released about a year after the Playstation 2 released in North America, in November before the holidays. It was made on PS1 and had a more child-friendly demographic because the target market was children. The developers believed that the PS2 wouldn't be as common in households as the PS1 was, but that was obviously proven to not the case, therefore when this game finally came out it, it was a pretty big failure. This game was announced at an event right next to Twisted Metal Black, the series's first game on the PS2, just to salt the wound a bit.

For a game that came out a year after the PS1's lifespan, the graphics are not that great. The 3D looks good at a standstill, but in motion its very jagged, and the draw distance is quite poor. The controls also are nearly the same as the controls for Twisted Metal 2, which came out in 1996, with almost no improvements besides the increased framerate which leads to better responsiveness. These things coupled with the game's strange release timing made it arguably the most forgettable game in the series, but by no means the worst, considering the existence of Twisted Metal III and 4.

The level design and theme for this game are actually surprisingly very effective, and the designs for the RC cars are respectable and faithful. The gameplay as well is exactly what you'd expect from Twisted Metal. Overall the game just had some very strange marketing decisions made with it, and was likely somewhat of a backburner project alongside Twisted Metal Black, which is why it uses the old Twisted Metal 2 engine. It's sadly noticeable, but that doesn't stop it from being a unique and interesting entry.

i joke about Twisted Metal 3 and 4 becoming much more infantilized and focus on doing unfunny jokes that actually making a fun experience, but then comes this game where its actual goal is turning the series into a family friendly version of itself

but its actually good and well made!

the gameplay is actually made by its original devs, which returns the tight and excellent controls alongside fun arenas to fight despite looking like Toy Story 2 levels

and despite attempting the same type of juvenile humor as the previous PSX games, it comes off way more charming and nuance

all and all, even by itself if you have no prior experience to the series, this is a very fun game