Twisted Metal: Head On Interview
We talk with Incognito's Mike Snow about Twisted Metal: Head On for the PSP
I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Snow, QA Lead and Assistant Designer with Incognito (Formerly Incog, Inc.), the developer of Twisted Metal: Black, War of the Monsters, Downhill Domination, and the upcoming Twisted Metal: Head On (their PSP title). We spoke about changes with Incog, the PSP, and naturally Twisted Metal: Head On itself.
First things first, I had to ask about the companys name itself. According to Mike, initially there were some legal issues with the company using the name Incognito, so they settled with Incog. However, now that these issues have apparently been resolved, theyve decided to switch to Incognito, and are using this title to make the transition (In a cinematic before the game, the Incog logo warps into the new Incognito logo).
As you may recall, my impressions of this title back at E3 were less than positive. However, the graphics in this build seemed vastly improved, and the game seems much farther along. When I asked about this, Mike said that, back at E3, they had a very limited time to prepare something for the show, and since that time theyve been able to make leaps and bounds in the development of the game. Now, the title is much closer to completion, and its looking far more polished as a result.
He said the most difficult part of the development process was actually in porting the game from the PS2 to the PSP, as when they first started creating the game they didnt have final PSP development kits and had to create the game on PS2 hardware. Their development for a handheld system also became important in the game design, where theyve decided to incorporate gameplay modes specifically designed for play in limited sessions of just a few minutes at a time, allowing the player to quickly connect wirelessly with others nearby for a short game.
In addition, I noted that the dark, moody atmosphere that permeated Twisted Metal: Black was absent in this title, replaced by a slightly more comic-booky type of look. Mike explained that, unlike the M-Rated Twisted Metal: Black, for the PSP they wanted to create something that would appeal to a wider audience, and were aiming for a T rating. The design of Twisted Metal: Head On was actually actually intended to be similar to Twisted Metal 2.
Overall, Id say this title gets my vote for Most improved PSP title since E3, and now Im actually looking forward to it when its released. Well let you know more about this game as we hear it.
And, just for you: :lol
Twisted Metal Black remains a big favorite with us, all these years after its release -- the game was one of the first killer apps for PlayStation 2, and it still shows today everything that it made it a must-own in its day. Or now, even. But there were fans of the series who still counted Twisted Metal 2 as the pinnacle of the series. The developers at Incog respect their fans' opinions enough to give then something they have been clamoring for -- a new Twisted Metal more in the vein of the classic series. The team is developing a revival / sequel to Twisted Metal 2 that will remind players a lot of the glory days of the series, while rocketing the visuals and presentation elements into the now.
The darkness has been lifted in Twisted Metal: Head-On, which was available in playable form for the first time at CES 2005 (a concept trailer of the game was shown at E3 2004, but this is the first official announcement.) What we've seen in this new game is a brighter and bigger Twisted game that's still sick, but more in the demented way of the PSone games than the deranged manner of the PS2 game.
This has afforded the team to aim for a T-rating -- a boon for the producers to capture a much wider audience with this game and get more people into the WiFi battles of the PSP game -- and the comic stylings and other touches should still give fans a twisted chill even with the black being driven out. The game starts up with a cel-shaded animatic that will remind players of the TM2 and other early SingleTrac efforts, showing carnage that's still every bit as explosive and destructive as the series has ever gotten.
The other thing about the return to the TM2 world that fans are eager to see would be the more technical control scheme. Some found the PS2 game a little too perfect, too cat-like in its antics. The physics were good in TMB, but they were different. From what we had a chance to play in the PSP game, we have a feeling that this edition may be a little more loose and touchy, like some like. It's still a bit too early to tell exactly where the game will end up, as the control is in its first beta pass and will need to be catered to the PSP's analog nub as development continues. Handling of this game (which has always made use of as many buttons as it can get) has simplifed well to PSP (Triangle selects the special weapon, and double-tapping the gas goes into nitro as it did in the more recent TMs -- other than that, the buton layout is just like others in the series), so it's just a matter of preference whether the game feels like the Twisted Metal that you like best. Weapons in the PSP version included the exploding cans instead of the napalm fire bomb, and the zoomers seen in the PS2 game are also in this version -- we're not sure how some of the tweaks will affect the hardcore, but it's all in the balancing as far as most TM players are concerned.
The PSP game includes 14 characters from the older TM editions. Returning for battle so far are Roadkill, Shadow, Mr. Grimm, Sweet Tooth, Thumper, Specter, Twister and Outlaw. Like in TM saga, not all of the drivers will be familiar to fans, but the cars and the special attacks will feel like home for old-timers of Twisted. All of these cars will be put to work in the game's 8-player WiFi feature.
Visually, the game has gotten a very needed overhaul, bringing the visuals up to current console quality. The game's effects pallet and car detail wasn't the aces that a few other PSP games at CES were, but the framerate was, pushing out smooth and fast motion (except in some early stutters from the unoptimized code shifting -- the team expects it to run perfectly when it's finished.) Draw distance is incredibly deep on the open courses, and textures and building architecture are all very sharp.
The visual overhaul doesn't stop at just being pretty. Stages are massively overhauled in the PSP edition -- in the Paris stage, for example, the main map is just the start of the combat, as battles stretch far back behind the Eiffel Tower as well as in front of it. And, while we didn't find the needed firecrackers for blowing up the tower, we're sure that feature has also made the PSP game to extend the combat onto the flaming French rooftops. 18 stages in all will be there for thrashing in the PSP edition.
Also of interest is the new fly-by feature added to the game's story mode combats -- in the first battle we played, a rock band was smashing away on a stage that was revealed to be a small part of a much larger arena, all set for car combat! The band will play throughout the stage's combat sessions, and it's little touches like this that will add to the in-the-mashing feel for this PSP edition.
Twisted Metal: Head-On has been in development for a while now on PSP, but the team isn't rushing this title -- Incognito has set the release date for Spring, sometime after launch. For PlayStation devotees, that's time well spent on the game they want most.
We talk with Incognito's Mike Snow about Twisted Metal: Head On for the PSP
I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Snow, QA Lead and Assistant Designer with Incognito (Formerly Incog, Inc.), the developer of Twisted Metal: Black, War of the Monsters, Downhill Domination, and the upcoming Twisted Metal: Head On (their PSP title). We spoke about changes with Incog, the PSP, and naturally Twisted Metal: Head On itself.
First things first, I had to ask about the companys name itself. According to Mike, initially there were some legal issues with the company using the name Incognito, so they settled with Incog. However, now that these issues have apparently been resolved, theyve decided to switch to Incognito, and are using this title to make the transition (In a cinematic before the game, the Incog logo warps into the new Incognito logo).
As you may recall, my impressions of this title back at E3 were less than positive. However, the graphics in this build seemed vastly improved, and the game seems much farther along. When I asked about this, Mike said that, back at E3, they had a very limited time to prepare something for the show, and since that time theyve been able to make leaps and bounds in the development of the game. Now, the title is much closer to completion, and its looking far more polished as a result.
He said the most difficult part of the development process was actually in porting the game from the PS2 to the PSP, as when they first started creating the game they didnt have final PSP development kits and had to create the game on PS2 hardware. Their development for a handheld system also became important in the game design, where theyve decided to incorporate gameplay modes specifically designed for play in limited sessions of just a few minutes at a time, allowing the player to quickly connect wirelessly with others nearby for a short game.
In addition, I noted that the dark, moody atmosphere that permeated Twisted Metal: Black was absent in this title, replaced by a slightly more comic-booky type of look. Mike explained that, unlike the M-Rated Twisted Metal: Black, for the PSP they wanted to create something that would appeal to a wider audience, and were aiming for a T rating. The design of Twisted Metal: Head On was actually actually intended to be similar to Twisted Metal 2.
Overall, Id say this title gets my vote for Most improved PSP title since E3, and now Im actually looking forward to it when its released. Well let you know more about this game as we hear it.
And, just for you: :lol
Twisted Metal Black remains a big favorite with us, all these years after its release -- the game was one of the first killer apps for PlayStation 2, and it still shows today everything that it made it a must-own in its day. Or now, even. But there were fans of the series who still counted Twisted Metal 2 as the pinnacle of the series. The developers at Incog respect their fans' opinions enough to give then something they have been clamoring for -- a new Twisted Metal more in the vein of the classic series. The team is developing a revival / sequel to Twisted Metal 2 that will remind players a lot of the glory days of the series, while rocketing the visuals and presentation elements into the now.
The darkness has been lifted in Twisted Metal: Head-On, which was available in playable form for the first time at CES 2005 (a concept trailer of the game was shown at E3 2004, but this is the first official announcement.) What we've seen in this new game is a brighter and bigger Twisted game that's still sick, but more in the demented way of the PSone games than the deranged manner of the PS2 game.
This has afforded the team to aim for a T-rating -- a boon for the producers to capture a much wider audience with this game and get more people into the WiFi battles of the PSP game -- and the comic stylings and other touches should still give fans a twisted chill even with the black being driven out. The game starts up with a cel-shaded animatic that will remind players of the TM2 and other early SingleTrac efforts, showing carnage that's still every bit as explosive and destructive as the series has ever gotten.
The other thing about the return to the TM2 world that fans are eager to see would be the more technical control scheme. Some found the PS2 game a little too perfect, too cat-like in its antics. The physics were good in TMB, but they were different. From what we had a chance to play in the PSP game, we have a feeling that this edition may be a little more loose and touchy, like some like. It's still a bit too early to tell exactly where the game will end up, as the control is in its first beta pass and will need to be catered to the PSP's analog nub as development continues. Handling of this game (which has always made use of as many buttons as it can get) has simplifed well to PSP (Triangle selects the special weapon, and double-tapping the gas goes into nitro as it did in the more recent TMs -- other than that, the buton layout is just like others in the series), so it's just a matter of preference whether the game feels like the Twisted Metal that you like best. Weapons in the PSP version included the exploding cans instead of the napalm fire bomb, and the zoomers seen in the PS2 game are also in this version -- we're not sure how some of the tweaks will affect the hardcore, but it's all in the balancing as far as most TM players are concerned.
The PSP game includes 14 characters from the older TM editions. Returning for battle so far are Roadkill, Shadow, Mr. Grimm, Sweet Tooth, Thumper, Specter, Twister and Outlaw. Like in TM saga, not all of the drivers will be familiar to fans, but the cars and the special attacks will feel like home for old-timers of Twisted. All of these cars will be put to work in the game's 8-player WiFi feature.
Visually, the game has gotten a very needed overhaul, bringing the visuals up to current console quality. The game's effects pallet and car detail wasn't the aces that a few other PSP games at CES were, but the framerate was, pushing out smooth and fast motion (except in some early stutters from the unoptimized code shifting -- the team expects it to run perfectly when it's finished.) Draw distance is incredibly deep on the open courses, and textures and building architecture are all very sharp.
The visual overhaul doesn't stop at just being pretty. Stages are massively overhauled in the PSP edition -- in the Paris stage, for example, the main map is just the start of the combat, as battles stretch far back behind the Eiffel Tower as well as in front of it. And, while we didn't find the needed firecrackers for blowing up the tower, we're sure that feature has also made the PSP game to extend the combat onto the flaming French rooftops. 18 stages in all will be there for thrashing in the PSP edition.
Also of interest is the new fly-by feature added to the game's story mode combats -- in the first battle we played, a rock band was smashing away on a stage that was revealed to be a small part of a much larger arena, all set for car combat! The band will play throughout the stage's combat sessions, and it's little touches like this that will add to the in-the-mashing feel for this PSP edition.
Twisted Metal: Head-On has been in development for a while now on PSP, but the team isn't rushing this title -- Incognito has set the release date for Spring, sometime after launch. For PlayStation devotees, that's time well spent on the game they want most.
