Twisted Metal: Difference between revisions

* [[Bowdlerise]]: Due to their ''very'' graphic and unsettling nature, the PAL version of the game saw the removal of character FMVs.

** Also the story behind the "Lost Endings" for ''Twisted Metal 1'', with the higher ups objecting against them due to the violence and [[Stripperific]] chicks appearing in them.

* [[Canon Dis Continuity]]: Twisted Metal: Head-On acts as a direct sequel to ''2'', and ignores Twisted Metal 3 & 4. ''Black'', meanwhile, is set in its own continuity, as is ''Twisted Metal: Small Brawl'' (basically ''Twisted Metal'' [[Lighter and Softer|for kids, with RC cars]]). The reboot is yet another continuity.

* [[Car Fu]]: It's an option with every vehicle, but a few have it as part of their Special Weapons arsenal. Darkside, Hammerhead and Mr. Slam are the most notable examples, and in ''Black'', Axel and Yellowjacket have secondary [[Car Fu]] modes as hidden moves. Grasshopper's special attack in ''2'' and ''Head-On'', meanwhile, involves launching her buggy into the air and landing on enemies. Melee combat is particularly important in the first game, where most of the devastating weapons of the later games do not exist yet and many special weapons are useless. When you are in a semi truck and all you have is a wimpy firebolt as your weapon, you probably want to hit the turbo and plow into people instead.

** From ''Twisted Metal: Black'': The girl's teddy bear from Outlaw's story (though it could also be Krista's teddy bear from ''Head-On''), No-Face's surgical boxing gloves, Shadow's voodoo dolls and John Doe's wallet

** From the 2012 game: Sweet Tooth's Machetes.

* [[Comic Book Adaptation]]: A tie-in comic for ''Twisted Metal 2'' came out back in its time as a giveaway prize. It focus on Calypso's [[Start of Darkness]] and how he become the host of the tournament.

* [[Cool Car]]: Virtually every vehicle in the series.

** [[Cool Bike]]: Mr. Grimm.

** [[Tank Goodness]]: Minion, usually. Warthog to a lesser extent (if it's not a tank, it's a hummer.)

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: In 2012, if you watch one of the AI opponents, you will notice they can re spawn their special weapons almost instantly. With one time using its special five times in one go just after the match started. It is also able to use other items without having to previously acquire them.

* [[Evil Versus Evil]]

* [[Exact Words]]: When you meet Calypso, you need to be ''very'' careful how you word your wish...

* [[Exploding Barrels]]: A unique example

* [[Expy]]: Mr. Grimm in ''Twisted Metal 2'' bears a striking resemblance to the [[Ghost Rider]]. When you select him on the car select screen, his skull even catches fire.

** Hold on a second... if she's ''fourteen'', [[Fridge Logic|how'd she get a job?]] You'd think they have child labor laws even in the TM universe.

** It goes beyond that. In her flashback, she says that "it was [her] first '''real''' job after college..." Wait, college? 14? What?

* [[Genre Savvy]]: The Robertses in ''Head-On'', with regards to Calypso's wish granting methods. But, of course, they had already been screwed over twice before, so they learned from their mistakes.

** [[Downer Ending|Or not...]] Jamie's ending in ''2'' is an example of this trope played straight, as she tricked Calypso into helping her find her brother. A good example from ''Head-On'' is Agent Shepard, who, in his ending, doesn't even bother making a wish, he just arrests Calypso.

** The Moscow level in ''Head-On'' is arguably a better example. While the one in ''2'' only contained a small arena with none of the city's landmarks, the one in ''Head-On'' featured Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin, and a few SCUD missiles that could be used to blow up parts of the scenery.

* [[Hammerspace]]: Where the weapons are stored after weapon select animations were introduced starting with ''Black''. There is even an animation for the motorbike producing a large oil barrel. In ''Black'', Sweet Tooth's special attack involves it [[Transforming Mecha|transforming]] into a [[Humongous Mecha]], even though there isn't enough room in car mode to store its towering clown robot form.

** Most directly was ''Head-On'', where {{spoiler|Sweet Tooth wishes for he and Calypso to swap bodies. Sweet Tooth immediately orders Calypso's guards to shoot him}}

* [[Humongous Mecha]]: Sweet Tooth's special in Black transforms his ice cream truck into this.

** Tower Tooth in Head-On, conveniently hiding in the streets of [[Animeland|Tokyo]] as an ice cream shop.

*** Then of course there's the Iron Maiden [http://thegamingliberty.com/wp-content/uploads/DF2.jpg Dear crap, look at it]

* [[I Am a Humanitarian]]: {{spoiler|Mr. Grimm}} in ''Black''

* [[I Am Not Shazam]]: The [[Monster Clown]] is Needles Kane. His ''car'' is Sweet Tooth. The [[Canon Dis Continuity|third and fourth games]] screw this up and call the clown Sweet Tooth, but Incog Inc. makes a point of having characters only ever call him Needles.

* [[Name of Cain]]: The Kane family: a madman with a [[Monster Clown]] split personality and his father, the drunkard insane taxi driver (main continuity)/corpse being remote controlled by his other son (''Black'' continuity). The 2012 game {{spoiler|adds in Marcus/Needles two children, both of whom take up the [[Monster Clown]] legacy at the end.}}

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: Does anybody else agree that Calypso in ''1'' resembles a burnt-face Gene Wilder?

*** Or Glenn Jacobs, AKA [[Wrestler/Kane|Kane]].

* [[Not Drawn to Scale]]: Scale problems exist like nuts in this series. Axel, a man on a platform stuck between two wheels, is approximately 20 feet tall, judging by the civilian and house sprites on some levels. Even the motorcycle & dune buggy vehicles are house-sized.

* [[Precision F-Strike]]: First used in ''Black'' by Needles in his intro. It was [[Curse Cut Short|bleeped out though]]. The reboot was the first time in the series where the F-bomb was used openly. In a nod to ''Black'', the first time the F-bomb ''was'' used, it too was [[Curse Cut Short|cut short]] by the scream of Marcu's/Needles' wife upon {{spoiler|her getting chopped}}. For the rest of the game, F-bombs were dropped without censors.

* [[Pyramid Power]]: Obviously enough, in the Egypt stages.

* [[Recurring Character|Recurring Car]]: Sweet Tooth, Warthog and Mr. Grimm (renamed Reaper in the reboot) are the only vehicles seen in ''every'' game in the series; Axel and Outlaw are in all games except one; Thumper, Spectre, Hammerhead and Roadkill are in all except two.

** [[Recurring Character]]: Calypso, Needles Kane and Mr. Grimm are in all games, though Grimm is a different character in ''Black'' and the upcoming PS3 game. Axel, Marcus Kane, Preacher Jebediah, the Roberts siblings, Bruce Cochrane, Minion, Captain Rogers, Krista Sparks and Simon Whittlebone appear in more than one game.

* [[Road Cone]]: While no two characters' endings could technically occur (since, by the nature of the contest, you kill all the other drivers), several endings from ''Twisted Metal 2'' are treated as happened in ''Head-On'': Axel, Outlaw 2, Twister, Mr. Slamm and Grasshopper (sorta). Though Axel's story is written in a way that suggest his previous ending happened as a result of having survived rather than because he won, and the others may be [[Hand Wave|Hand Waved]] by the fact there are 2 years between the games, and the tournament has always been annual.

** On the other hand, Outlaw's ending in the first ''Twisted Metal'' is pretty much the ending that happened, as its the only one brought up ''twice'': it's the focus of Outlaw-2's story in ''Twisted Metal 2'' and is referenced again in ''Head-On''.

** ''Twisted Metal 3'' had the same issue to a lesser extent, what's with Warthog's driver wishing to have the head to match his body, the two Outlaws being reunited and Axel claiming he separated from the machine (though his hands does seem undamaged).

* [[Rob Zombie]]: A [[Guest Fighter]] in 4. He even drives his Dragula roadster.

* [[Stuff Blowing Up]]: One of the main features of the series.

* [[Take a Third Option]]: More of a second option, but in ''Head-On'', the driver of Crimson Fury, Agent Shepard of the FBI, chooses to simply arrest Calypso in his ending rather than trying to collect his prize from the [[Literal Genie]].

* [[The Grim Reaper]]: Mr. Grimm, in the first <s> two</s> three games and ''Head-On''.

* [[Transforming Mecha]]: Sweet Tooth's super in Black turns it into one of these.

* [[Troll]]: Calypso. He makes contestants risk their lives fighting in his freak show contest then screws them over when they make their wish, complete with his own trollface.