Software:Twisted Metal 4

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game

Twisted Metal 4
Developer(s)989 Studios
Publisher(s)989 Studios
Director(s)Jonathan Beard
Producer(s)Jonathan Beard
Darrin Fuller
William Todd
Programmer(s)Jim Buck
Mike Riccio
Matthew Titelbaum
William Todd
Artist(s)Baz Pringle
Jonathan Beard
Diane Covill
James Doyle
Darrin Fuller
Thai Tran
Nikola Trifunovic
Julius C. Willis III
Writer(s)Jonathan Beard
Matthew Titelbaum
William Todd
Julius C. Willis III
Composer(s)Chuck Doud
SeriesTwisted Metal
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Twisted Metal 4 is a 1999 vehicular combat game developed and published by 989 Studios for the PlayStation. It is the fourth game in the Twisted Metal series and the second and last developed by 989 Studios. The game was released in North America on November 16, 1999, followed by a Greatest Hits edition in 2000.

Players control armed vehicles in enclosed arenas, collecting weapons and using attacks to destroy opposing vehicles. Tournament mode can be played alone or cooperatively by two players, while Deathmatch supports up to four. The game also introduced Create-a-Car, which allows players to build and save a custom vehicle. The story follows Sweet Tooth after he overthrows Calypso and takes control of the Twisted Metal tournament, with Calypso entering the contest as a driver.

989 Studios developed the game in response to criticism of Twisted Metal III, enlarging the arenas, adding more environmental interaction and revising the vehicle handling. The soundtrack features seven bands, including Rob Zombie, who also appears as a playable contestant. Critical response to the game was mixed. Reviewers often considered it an improvement over Twisted Metal III and praised its arena design, but disagreed over the handling, multiplayer modes, graphics and soundtrack. The game sold fewer copies than each of its three predecessors.

Gameplay

A player controlling Quatro engaging an opposing vehicle, the Joneses

Twisted Metal 4 is a vehicular combat game in which the player selects an armed vehicle and fights other drivers in enclosed arenas until only one remains.[2] Each vehicle has its own special attack.[3] Further weapons, including missiles, remote explosives and proximity mines, are collected during battle.[4] The arenas contain several elevations, hidden areas and hazards, and some include mechanisms that can be operated against opponents.[2][4] These include a magnet in the Construction Yard that lifts vehicles before dropping them and a train that runs through Neon City.[2][5]

In Tournament mode, the player fights through a series of arenas, each ending with one or two boss vehicles.[2] The mode can be played cooperatively by two players, while a single player may select a computer-controlled ally.[2] Deathmatch supports up to four players on a split screen.[4] The Create-a-Car option allows players to choose from nine vehicle bodies, add a paint scheme and exterior fittings, assign one of four special attacks and select a battle cry; the completed vehicle can then be saved to a memory card.[5]

Plot

Twisted Metal began as a traveling carnival run by Calypso, in which drivers fought to the death for a prize. Sweet Tooth followed the show from childhood, later entered its contest and won, asking Calypso to make him the star of Twisted Metal. He eventually overthrew Calypso and took control of the tournament, leaving its former organizer seeking revenge.

Sweet Tooth now promises to grant any wish to the tournament's winner, while Calypso enters as a contestant driving a nuclear missile launcher. If Calypso wins, Sweet Tooth's assistant refuses to surrender the ring, and the two rivals fight over it until the souls held within escape.

Development and release

989 Studios developed Twisted Metal 4 internally, having taken the series in-house for Twisted Metal III after original developer SingleTrac was sold to GT Interactive.[2] Jonathan Beard directed development and produced the game with Darrin Fuller and William Todd, while Jim Buck served as lead engineer and Chuck Doud as music director.[6]

The team did not receive the source code used for the first two games, which remained under SingleTrac's ownership.[7] Buck said the changes to the arenas and handling addressed repeated criticism of Twisted Metal III, particularly its small stages, limited environmental interaction and tendency for vehicles to overturn.[7]

In a September 1999 demonstration, the vehicle physics had been revised to allow more airborne stunts, and cars showed visible damage when struck.[8] Other planned additions included larger interactive arenas, new weapons and vehicles, stages made specifically for deathmatch, easier combination attacks and a larger role for Sweet Tooth.[9]

Pre-release plans for vehicle customization included choices of wheels, body style, engine, weapons, call sign and colors.[10] The soundtrack featured seven bands, including Rob Zombie, who also appeared as a contestant driving the Dragula.[10] Twisted Metal 4 was released for the PlayStation on November 16, 1999.[1]

A fifth 989 Studios entry was approved after Twisted Metal 4 shipped but was canceled in December 1999 as the company turned away from PlayStation games and sequels ahead of the PlayStation 2.[7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings68.04%[11]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame3.5/5[12]
Game Informer9/10[14]
GameFan69/100[15]
GameRevolutionB−[5]
GameSpot7.1/10[2]
IGN6/10[4]
OPM (US)4/5[16]
PSM2.5/5[17]
PSExtreme83%[18]

Critical response varied. GameRankings recorded an average score of 68% from 17 reviews.[11] GameSpot's Joe Fielder called the game much better than Twisted Metal III, but said that the series had not regained its former standing.[2] Game Informer praised its closer resemblance to the play of Twisted Metal 2 and its controls, whereas GameFan argued that the new engine, cast and arena design moved it further from the first two games.[14][15]

The arenas earned praise for their hidden routes, multiple elevations and interactive hazards.[2][4] Brian Chin of GameRevolution found that the early stages were stronger than those near the end, while GameFan criticized the open spaces and uneventful battles.[5][15] Fielder and AllGame's Damien Thorpe found the physics improved from Twisted Metal III but still prone to flips and collisions with the scenery, whereas Marc Nix of IGN objected to the vehicles' toy-car feel.[2][12][4] Game Informer was more favorable, praising the handling and weapon effects.[14]

The multiplayer modes were better received with two players than with four: Game Informer called the two-player game enjoyable but found the four-player option choppy. Nix also criticized its movement and the poor visibility of vehicles.[14][4] Create-a-Car was welcomed as an idea but considered too limited to sustain much interest.[5][18]

The graphics also received qualified praise. Thorpe called it the best-looking game in the series but placed it below Vigilante 8: Second Offense, while Nix found the environments colorful but unexceptional.[12][4] The soundtrack divided reviewers; Androvich praised it, Chin found the repeated songs tiresome, and GameFan disliked the reused Rob Zombie remixes.[18][5][15] Twisted Metal 4 sold substantially fewer copies than each of the three preceding games, selling 465,000 copies by April 2001.[19]

In a 2001 retrospective, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine said that the game contained some good ideas but had been rushed to take advantage of the series' popularity.[19] Series co-creator David Jaffe later attributed the rejection of the game by some fans to its treatment of the series' setting, which he felt reduced a coherent fictional world to a loose collection of comic ideas and cars.[20]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Twisted Metal 4 Shipping: Zombie In, OJ Out". November 15, 1999. http://www.gameinformer.com/news/news_story.cfm?NEWS_ID=222. 
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Fielder, Joe (November 16, 1999). "Twisted Metal 4 Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/twisted-metal-4-review/1900-2550042/. 
  3. ↑ Twisted Metal 4 instruction manual. Sony Computer Entertainment America. 1999. https://oldgamesdownload.com/wp-content/uploads/Twisted_Metal_4_Manual_PS_EN.pdf. Retrieved July 1, 2026. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Nix, Marc (November 22, 1999). "Twisted Metal 4". http://psx.ign.com/reviews/11680.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Chin, Brian (November 24, 1999). "Wanna be da boss? Throw your old one out the window!". http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/action/twisted_metal_4.htm. 
  6. ↑ "Twisted Metal 4 credits (PlayStation, 1999)". https://www.mobygames.com/game/11863/twisted-metal-4/credits/playstation/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Mortimer. "Jim Buck interview". http://tmalliance.com/interviews/jimbuck.shtml. 
  8. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (September 14, 1999). "Hands On With 989". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hands-on-with-989/1100-2450062/. 
  9. ↑ GameSpot staff. "First Look: Twisted Metal 4". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-twisted-metal-4/1100-2450431/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 GameSpot staff. "New Twisted Metal 4 Info". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-twisted-metal-4-info/1100-2450055/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Twisted Metal 4 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/199137-twisted-metal-4/index.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Thorpe, Damien (1999). "Twisted Metal 4 - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20452&tab=review. 
  13. ↑ Conlin, Shaun (1999). "Reviews: Twisted Metal 4". Elecplay.com Productions. http://www.elecplay.com/reviewfull_1819.html. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 McNamara, Andrew; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (January 2000). "PlayStation Review: Twisted Metal 4". Game Informer (Sunrise Publications) (81): 37. https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-81-january-2000/page/n40/mode/1up. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Rodriguez, Tyrone; Weitzner, Jason; Mylonas, Eric; Ngo, George (February 2000). "Viewpoint: Twisted Metal 4; PlayStation Reviews: Twisted Metal 4". GameFan (Shinno Media) 8 (2): 13, 27. 
  16. ↑ Kujawa, Kraig (January 2000). "Reviews: Twisted Metal 4". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (28): 92. https://archive.org/details/official_u.s._playstation_magazine/Official%20U.S.%20PlayStation%20Magazine%20Issue%20028%20%28January%202000%29/page/n91/mode/1up. 
  17. ↑ "Reviews: Twisted Metal 4". PSM (Imagine Media) (29): 53. January 2000. https://archive.org/details/psm-029/page/n52/mode/1up. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Androvich, Mark (January 2000). "EXrated: Twisted Metal 4". PSExtreme (Dimension Publishing) 5 (2): 58. https://archive.org/details/psextreme-issue-50-january-2000/page/n57/mode/1up. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Davison, John (April 2001). "Twisted Metal: Black". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (43): 88. https://archive.org/details/official-us-playstation-magazine-issue-43-april-2001/page/88/mode/2up. Retrieved July 22, 2026. 
  20. ↑ Santos, Wayne (October 20, 2010). "God of Metal: An Interview With David Jaffe Part 3". https://www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/god-of-metal-an-interview-with-david-jaffe-part-3/. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.



Template:Twisted Metal series

Warning: Default sort key "Twisted Metal 04" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Twisted_Metal_4&oldid=4562328"