It is a miracle that this game came out in 9 months...
Twisted Metal 3 tries to capture the fun of TM1 and TM2 but I feel like it unfortunately falls short. While it still offers some chaotic core vehicular combat, it lacks the polish and excitement that made the earlier games in the series so memorable, this is probably due to the 8-10 months the new developers had to make this game a reality. Having to create a new game engine as well as provide the same core experience from a well established franchise is certainly a tall order even after the original dev team has separated.
While I do believe this game to be overhated , I do also believe this is one of the weaker entries this franchise has to offer. One of the biggest issues with Twisted Metal 3 is weight to its vehicles. Compared to TM1 and TM2 , the cars in TM3 feel to weightless which in turn creates a lot of nuance of the cars flipping over and having to wait for the car to reset about 60% of the time. 989 Studios certainly had to recycle a car physics engine here but I feel like it did not work at all for this game.
The level design in Twisted Metal 3 is also lacking. Many of the stages feel uninspired and bland, lacking the creativity and detail of previous games. This can make battles feel repetitive and dull, especially after extended play sessions while trying out the returning characters or trying out the new characters it often felt like a drag to move on to the next stage.
Another disappointment is the single-player campaign mode. While previous Twisted Metal games offered unique engaging cutscenes when you beat the game, Twisted Metal 3's campaign feels tacked on and uninspired often reusing cutscenes. There was never a time where a character had the upper hand as seen in TM1 or TM2. Very unrewarding and I felt like just watching them on YouTube at times.
On a more positive note, I respect the hell out of Twisted Metal 3 and the history it has. Even after having the crazy crunch they did manage to include multiplayer, which can provide some enjoyment when playing with friends. However, even this mode feels somewhat lackluster compared to previous entries in the series. I have many fond memories of playing TM3 with my siblings or even friends. It feels strange as we get older to see games we adored as teenagers or even as children criticized for being bad, sometimes I feel like we enjoyed the games that were available to us since we had a lot of free time after school or just alone in our room. We never really had a sense of a game being good or bad, just asking the question "Is it fun?".
In terms of graphics and presentation, Twisted Metal 3 is mixed. While the game does have improved graphics due to the new engine, I feel overall it lacks the charm and personality of earlier games in the series.
Overall, while Twisted Metal 3 may provide some moments of enjoyment for fans of vehicular combat games, it ultimately fails to live up to the high standards set by TM1 or TM2. It's hard to recommend Twisted Metal 3 unless you are a fan of the franchise but even as big as a fan I am, I did not has as much as a enjoyable time than TM1 or TM2.
Twisted Metal 3 tries to capture the fun of TM1 and TM2 but I feel like it unfortunately falls short. While it still offers some chaotic core vehicular combat, it lacks the polish and excitement that made the earlier games in the series so memorable, this is probably due to the 8-10 months the new developers had to make this game a reality. Having to create a new game engine as well as provide the same core experience from a well established franchise is certainly a tall order even after the original dev team has separated.
While I do believe this game to be overhated , I do also believe this is one of the weaker entries this franchise has to offer. One of the biggest issues with Twisted Metal 3 is weight to its vehicles. Compared to TM1 and TM2 , the cars in TM3 feel to weightless which in turn creates a lot of nuance of the cars flipping over and having to wait for the car to reset about 60% of the time. 989 Studios certainly had to recycle a car physics engine here but I feel like it did not work at all for this game.
The level design in Twisted Metal 3 is also lacking. Many of the stages feel uninspired and bland, lacking the creativity and detail of previous games. This can make battles feel repetitive and dull, especially after extended play sessions while trying out the returning characters or trying out the new characters it often felt like a drag to move on to the next stage.
Another disappointment is the single-player campaign mode. While previous Twisted Metal games offered unique engaging cutscenes when you beat the game, Twisted Metal 3's campaign feels tacked on and uninspired often reusing cutscenes. There was never a time where a character had the upper hand as seen in TM1 or TM2. Very unrewarding and I felt like just watching them on YouTube at times.
On a more positive note, I respect the hell out of Twisted Metal 3 and the history it has. Even after having the crazy crunch they did manage to include multiplayer, which can provide some enjoyment when playing with friends. However, even this mode feels somewhat lackluster compared to previous entries in the series. I have many fond memories of playing TM3 with my siblings or even friends. It feels strange as we get older to see games we adored as teenagers or even as children criticized for being bad, sometimes I feel like we enjoyed the games that were available to us since we had a lot of free time after school or just alone in our room. We never really had a sense of a game being good or bad, just asking the question "Is it fun?".
In terms of graphics and presentation, Twisted Metal 3 is mixed. While the game does have improved graphics due to the new engine, I feel overall it lacks the charm and personality of earlier games in the series.
Overall, while Twisted Metal 3 may provide some moments of enjoyment for fans of vehicular combat games, it ultimately fails to live up to the high standards set by TM1 or TM2. It's hard to recommend Twisted Metal 3 unless you are a fan of the franchise but even as big as a fan I am, I did not has as much as a enjoyable time than TM1 or TM2.