Twisted Metal III

Twisted Metal III continues the tradition of armored vehicle combat in arenas littered with wreckage, where drivers fight for a single wish granted by the mysterious Calypso. The player chooses from a varied roster of cars and trucks, each hiding its own special weapon, and the fights are about more than just survival – also about destroying the highest number of opponents within the time limit. The story mode again takes the player through a series of duels against increasingly dangerous opponents before reaching the final showdown, where the winner is promised a wish granted, which tends to be a bittersweet punchline in the spirit of the series. Each character has their own short intro and outro cutscenes that hint at their motivation for entering the tournament and give the matches at least a minimal dramatic framing.

This entry was made without founding studio SingleTrac, which parted ways with the series after the second game, and development was taken over by internal studio 989 Studios. Gameplay looks similar at first glance, but vehicle handling feels clunkier and collision physics less predictable, which was reflected in a cooler reception among both reviewers and players compared to Twisted Metal 2. New arenas and vehicles were added, many of them drawing on a New York theme, including battles on snowy streets and in harbor docks, and the story cutscenes between matches remain just as darkly humorous as before, albeit with different direction and editing rhythm. The weapon roster was expanded with several new specials tied to specific vehicles, forcing players to adapt their choice of car to a given opponent. The combat system remains built around collecting weapon icons scattered across the arenas and combining them with basic ammo, and just as in previous entries, one's own carelessness can be punished by an explosion near one's own vehicle just as easily as by the opponent's.

Why play it: For series collectors and fans of arena demolition derbies who want to see how the brand fared during a transitional period without its founders, even knowing this is a less-praised episode of the saga.