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Exclusive: The Extra Twisted Interview

It wasn’t Kingdom Hearts 3 . It wasn’t Syphon Filter 5 . It wasn’t a Final Fantasy VII remake. We’ve kept the secret for so long, some were even thinking it might be Team ICO’s new project at first, but of course, that turned out to be The Last Guardian . Now, after a year and a half of silence, the mammoth PlayStation 3 exclusive we at PSXE have known about for a very long time has hit Sony’s E3 press conference like a thunderbolt .

And in compensation for faithfully keeping our mouths shut, Eat Sleep Play founders David Jaffe and Scott Campbell agreed to an exclusive interview concerning their hot new Twisted Metal project. They should also send us some screenshots within the next few days. The following are responses by both Dave and Scott; these guys were facing an extraordinarily busy day, and we really appreciate them taking the time to talk with us mere hours before storming the stage.

PSXE: This E3 announcement is a surprise, isn’t it?

“Well, not to us. ‘laughs’ Dave- We’ve known for about four months that we’d be announcing it at E3, which means we’ve had to lie…I mean, flat-out lie to the press and everyone. You know, ‘we’re not making the game’ and all that. But E3 is like Christmas for gamers, and you don’t want to spoil the presents before Christmas.”

PSXE: Is this a reboot of the franchise? If so, how much of the Twisted Metal story and character histories can we expect to be preserved or carried over?

“Yeah, I’d call it a reboot. We have the story and fiction; we’re showing the characters and really focusing on the multiplayer experience and the team play. What we’re showing today is only multiplayer but the fiction still exists, there is of course a single-player component. The characters are still there and they’re really cool but right now, we’re talking about the online multiplayer; we’ll get into other aspects later. But it’s absolutely not a multiplayer-only game. We had originally said it would be online-only like Warhawk but then we did focus testing and brought it to Sony, and there was resistance to that idea.

We sort of kicked and screamed about single-player; we thought we were done with stories and we wanted to focus on multiplayer. But a lot of people involved said we’d go down the wrong path if we didn’t bring in the single-player aspect. Now, it’s a full-product idea and we found we were totally jazzed to talk about the stories. You were always kind of locked into a single-player campaign in Twisted Metal, anyway and besides, it’s been years since there’s been one, so we had to give the fans everything.”

PSXE: How long has the game been in development; from concept until now?

“I think it started about six months after the doors [of Eat Sleep Play] opened. We did Head-On and Calling All Cars; cranked those out, and then we started laying down some tech and an online foundation for the multiplayer. We knew we wanted to do a multiplayer game and we were always planning a new Twisted Metal, and asking ourselves what we wanted in the new game.”

PSXE: Has development largely been handled by Eat Sleep Play, or has Sony given additional help?

“For the first two years, it was exclusively just us at Eat Sleep Play, although we outsourced some of the art. Recently, Sony’s been great; they’ve jumped in and have been doing some online and audio support. Dave- Obviously, I worked for Sony for a long time and I was always on the Sony side, so it’s been really amazing to be on the other end of that, and see how much support Sony gives to the studios they hire to make games. They just have really great production support and PR and everything; they’re just a great group to work with. People always ask me, ‘why don’t you guys go multiplatform,’ and I’m not saying we won’t think about that someday, but honestly, we have such a great relationship with Sony. We’d actually be scared to try to find that somewhere else.”

PSXE: What really sets this new Twisted Metal apart from other series installments?

“We’ve asked ourselves that same question a lot. We asked that when we started talking about a new Twisted Metal. Scott- Obviously, there are lots of new modes and we’re focusing on the whole team aspect and multiplayer, which we haven’t really exploited in the past. It just turned out to be a really fun way to play the game. There’s more variety in the vehicles, there are more weapons, more characters, and all that. Today, we’re going to talk about one particular mode; it’s called Nuke and it’s like a Twisted Metal take on Capture the Flag. In that mode, you get two Factions – the Clowns and the Dolls [a nod to Sweettooth and Dollface, of course] – and there are two huge statues being carried around by helicopter transports. You have to kidnap the Faction leader and then earn a missile to launch; there are also exterminator vans and other new stuff. So you keep the team play but you still have that fast, frenetic pace.

Dave- The biggest thing is that when we first started, we said, ‘here’s what we want do do:’ Scott and I have always loved split-screen gaming; all that camaraderie and trash-talking and everything, but when you go online, you lost that ‘sitting next to your buddy’ vibe. Two or three hits and it’s all over; you can’t really build any sort of relationship with each other. It happens so quick. So one of the things we wanted to do was bring that ‘sitting next to your buddy on the couch’ feeling into the game.”

PSXE: What kinds of weapons and abilities can we expect? Will we see Specials from the old games?

“Scott- Yeah, we’ve refined old specials from past entries but now there’s also an Alt-Fire to the Special. Every special weapon will have two attacks; one is more strategic-based and the other one requires a little more skill but is – not sure how to say it – a little more aggressive, I guess. Dave- But also, this is the first time cars will have both a driver and a gunner; the gunner actually leans out of the car with a sniper rifle or missile launcher. And you can’t get out of the car like in GTA; we actually tried a version where you could get out of the car, but we just couldn’t reconcile the speeds [between driving and being on foot]. And we really wanted to stay true to vehicle combat. You’re driving a car at 160mph and fighting against a person an foot, and it just never lined up and was never satisfying.

Also, remember that GTA has a little more realistic physics. And that doesn’t work in Twisted Metal; we always go back to more arcade-style physics because it’s really hard to do car combat when you have to wait six seconds to get to a fun speed. We’re still looking at maybe getting out of the car down the road, but that would mean an adjustment to the physics. Oh, and we also added the helicopter so that has opened up a whole new element…lower a magnet and pick up buddies, use the Gatling Gun; you can even do straight-up air combat! Furthermore, because we’re using Factions in this one, characters can use any of the vehicles; the characters and vehicles aren’t linked like they used to be.”

PSXE: Do you think this is a game that caters to both veteran fans and newcomers to the series?

“When we first sat down to talk about what the next TM would be, we didn’t want to only cater to the hardcore gamers. We wanted to create a version that was more accessible to the masses; bring in new players and let them just ‘pick-up-and-play.’ At first, we weren’t sure if we should keep the default control system; so many people are used to the gas being one of the shoulder buttons. And because we use every button on the controller, it’s not like walking into a GameStop kiosk and giving Burnout a try, but the classic control setup makes it significantly better. The pacing is so intense and there’s a lot of firepower so the hardcore can always make those quick decisions, but we spent a lot of time playing around with the controls. We found we can keep that high tempo while keeping it accessible, and we’ve done a lot more with awareness. We’ve added radar, damage indicators (where missiles are coming from); you know, simple FPS stuff we never had.”

The only question is whether or not we can bring all the excitement and fun to everyone…we really don’t know. I guess you never know. But I think we’re confident we’ll deliver a really fun game.”

End Interview

Again, we want to thank Dave and Scott for remembering us and offering to do this interview; everyone was true to their word throughout this whole secret-keeping process. Wouldn’t it be great if the entire world worked this way…? Well, anyway, we couldn’t possibly be more excited about the new Twisted Metal ; some of these details just had me grinning like crazy…a gunner and a driver, characters getting in any of the vehicles, helicopters, new Specials and weapon options, the totally sick multiplayer facet; it all sounds exactly like the next-gen TM we’ve always wanted. It'll be out some time next year.

E3 gameplay video Part I:

And here's Part II:

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Kai200X
Kai200X
13 years ago

Great interview! Nice read!

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
13 years ago

So good. I have been waiting for this one for a long time and so far it looks better than I had even hoped.

DjEezzy
DjEezzy
13 years ago

E3 footage looks ridiculous. D1P for me. I totally got excited when this was announced. Sorcery looks pretty awesome too.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

Same here, easily in the same league as Street Fighter for me

(I'm also loving Sorcery…, if only you could make your own character though, don't like using a generic kid)

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

stupid little harry potter.

Mavfan321
Mavfan321
13 years ago

Sorcery completely sold me on what the Move is about and as a dissenter I'm becoming quite excited about it.

Hexen
Hexen
13 years ago

"sounds exactly like the next-gen TM we’ve always wanted"

And more.This might be the game that actually gets me into online play as I've been avoiding it for so long now.

ro kurorai
ro kurorai
13 years ago

Wow, thank you guys, all of you.
That announcement was like the biggest announcement of E3 and honestly, hadn't TM been announced I'd be rather disappointed with Sony's conference.

But in retrospective (and comparison) it was awesome. The only competitive announcement (imo) was LoZ: Skyward Sword, that looked mint.

Looking forward to the TM screenshots and hope you guys can keep us updated on development.

Thx again guys =)

Swim_Irr
Swim_Irr
13 years ago

Zelda definitely would have benefited from the Move.

"It seems there is some wireless interference" lol what a joke.

PAKINIPS
PAKINIPS
13 years ago

I'm a happy PS3 gamer

TEG3SH
TEG3SH
13 years ago

God damit ben I cant believe u knw about it for so long, Didn't u see I was dying for this.

On another note I was one of the many ppl who guessed it right :).

A very awesome interview ben thanks

Rings0fUranus
Rings0fUranus
13 years ago

This game will totally dominate my 2011. I'm a HUGE Twisted Metal fan, from the PSone days. And now that it's online, with these awesome gameplay modes, let's just say I can't accurately describe how excited I am for this game. D1P if there ever was one. 😀

556pineapple
556pineapple
13 years ago

Good interview, though I'm confused about one thing. Is it the multiplayer online-only, with and improved feel, or do they still have the split-screen mode? I gotta have me some split-screen.

Again, great read, and thanks for keeping the secret.

TEG3SH
TEG3SH
13 years ago

4 players split screen even online, or so I heard

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

It'll have both

They basically said that since most people play online they don't have the split-screen play like we all used to have in the ps1/ps2 days. That's one of the things that made TM great, the fact that you had your friends over and could blow up each other and trash talk next to each other.

Think 'bout it like Arcades and fighting games (Arcades are dead in America just like split-screen is kinda being replaced by online).

But they'll have both. I think they just want to make the game very team oriented so that you get a sense that you're playing with other people (more meaningful), than just entering a room, having a game session and then leaving.

More like an rpg feel to it if you think 'bout it (specially this NUKE mode where you have to co-operate to achieve the ultimate goal)

556pineapple
556pineapple
13 years ago

Awesome. I figured it probably would, since they said they both like split-screen, but it didn't really say anything that absolutely confirmed it. Glad to hear that they're keeping it alive, when so many others are throwing it away.

spiderboi
spiderboi
13 years ago

Ain't that gonna be hard for your connection (well, my connection since it sucks). 4 player split screen plus downloading other players' actions and locations at the same time. might be a lag-fest.

shadowpal2
shadowpal2
13 years ago

OH MY GODDDD!!!!!!! GOOD JOB ON KEEPING SILENT GUYS!!!!!!!

Shams
Shams
13 years ago

Haven't played previous TM installments, but I'm psyched about this one. Great read, Ben, and thank you Eat Sleep and Play.

Wage SLAVES
Wage SLAVES
13 years ago

This is AWESOME!!! I think we all had our hunches but when that cigar hit the pavement I think WE ALL KNEW.

P.S.
Honesty finally pays off!!! The silence worked to everyone's benefit either way…


Last edited by Wage SLAVES on 6/15/2010 4:41:14 PM

Rings0fUranus
Rings0fUranus
13 years ago

I thought the taxi driver would get killed by Yellow Jacket or something. 🙂

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

I was expecting Yellow Jacket as well (then being saved by Sweet Tooth or something)

FullmetalX10
FullmetalX10
13 years ago

Oh noes, I was wrong, first sentence: It wasn't Kingdom Hearts 3 (It felt like a punch in the face -_-), but still awesome, maaaan that press conference rocked, that they actually drove that ice cream truck on stage, and the whole way Jack announced it, we got one last thing out of our back pocket to show you guys, BAM Twisted Metal.

Me and ma bud were watching the live feed, and we were like O.O the whole time. Also we went like OoO when Portal 2 was announced on Sony's stage, by friggin' Gabe Newell's giant behind 🙂 especially when we heard that the PS3 version was going to be the best console one and him eating his own words.

SONY'S PRESS CONFERENCE BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF microsoft's PRESS CONFERENCE!!!
Also, I'm liking all those hardcore games being playable with MOVE.

And Kevin Butler was friggin' hilarious ><
Everything that man says is automatically funny, especially his shy xbox jokes 😉

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

Good thing Sony advised them to add a story/campaign mode to the game

You need to fiction (story) to really care 'bout the game's characters and overall THEME. Can't wait to see old and returning characters.

My favorite character was Black AKA "Manslaughter."

I wanna see the images!


Last edited by Scarecrow on 6/15/2010 4:50:01 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Always love the interviews Ben, even if things didn't work out the way I had hoped you are a as great secret keeper as I've ever seen (which I think is because you don't drink). Maybe you and Jaffe can fool us again next time. Keep up the fine work.

Edit: and thank GOD it's over!


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/15/2010 4:57:56 PM

fluffer nutter
fluffer nutter
13 years ago

My wallet is going to have a huge hole through the next 12 months.

MyWorstNightmar
MyWorstNightmar
13 years ago

Fluffer, your wallet is "going" to have a huge hole, meaning it doesn't already? I don't know about you, but I am broke from just the past 6 months of video games man!

CHAOS THEORY X
CHAOS THEORY X
13 years ago

This is freakin sweet!!!! isnt there another secret game coming out though, supposedly to be announced in July?

tlpn99
tlpn99
13 years ago

That was the secret exclusive.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

nope

tlpn99
tlpn99
13 years ago

Reading the article in the first couple of paragraphs Ben said this is the secret exclusive we have known about for ages. so I assumed it was. unless I am mistaken and there is another secret announcement to come ?

tlpn99
tlpn99
13 years ago

Good interview as usual Ben. Looks like another one to add to my list.
Next question whens its going to be released, I presume sometime in 2011.

Next year's gonna be great KZ3, the new TM and possible Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3 and Dead Space 2 plus anything else that gets pushed back from this great year too.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Let's hope Last Guardian has a way of showing up too.

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
13 years ago

"Scott and I have always loved split-screen gaming"

Now I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to Twisted Metal.

CharlesD
CharlesD
13 years ago

I knew it was going to be sik, but I didn't realize quite how awesome this will be when it's all done

TEG3SH
TEG3SH
13 years ago

ur on my list too Charles u also knew about it .lol

Dutka fam are so cruel 🙁

maxpontiac
maxpontiac
13 years ago

This is reason 1,952 on why I love this site so much.

Excellent interview, and bravo for keeping this big of a game secret.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
13 years ago

Good job on your 1 & 1/2 year old "Sound of Silence", and on getting your just rewards of an exclusive interview, guys!!!!!!!

The only thing in the interview that worry's me a bit is on how good & how long the single player mode will be, especially since they're quoted as saying….
<<<We sort of kicked and screamed about single-player; we thought we were done with stories and we wanted to focus on multiplayer>>>.
I hope I'm wrong.

BTW, at a ripe ole age of mid-57, I actually did my very first on-line a couple night's ago, a co-op mode.

I saw that Live was free for the weekend, so I started scheming….I hypnotized one of my 2 box-bots at work(no PS3 owners there, UGGG) to take me on & show me a few of the ropes about doing online play.

Anyways, we were going to do GRAW2(he's a FPS shooter only player), but my copy is on the PS3, and the only botbox game we both had, was Gears 2(which is a game I never even had the chance to even play yet).

So I told him to just pick a mode that a MP noobie could start right into, & I'd try to follow. We wound up in something called "Horde" mode & wound up playing 9 & 1/2 levels before calling it a night.

It was fun(and I was able to hold my own too, LOL), but I really didn't like having staying inside 1 small confined space on the map the whole time(just seemed seemed too repetitive).
I'm thinking some kind of campaign co-op mode would have been a bit more to my liking.

Anyway, I did enjoy the time online overall, but since I'm more of the loner type, & I love my single player modes way too much, going online all the time is something I probably wouldn't do too much of though.

But, at least for me, it was a monumental start, LOL

So that old adage IS wrong….
cause sometimes, you can teach an ole dawg NEW tricks!!!

Naztycuts
Naztycuts
13 years ago

Why don't you play your ps3 online? It's always free : )

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

More people need to be like you BikerSaint. Their fear of the unknown is holding them back from some gaming goodness.

You should try Red Dead Redemption with some friends. Good games and good online friends is an experience no gamer should miss.

OtisFeelgood
OtisFeelgood
13 years ago

Great interview and thanks to everyone involved. Definite going to pre-order this.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
13 years ago

Naztycuts,
It was only because I've never gone online before, so I want to start off playing with someone I actually know for a while first, and that we had talked about it during our lunch breaks for a while.

Plus add in the fact, I've also been working on my bot, trying to swing him over to getting the better PS3.

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
13 years ago

Is there any videos of the interview?
I'd love to see one.

OPHIDIAN
OPHIDIAN
13 years ago

I have been in gaming all my life, why is it that this is the first time I have heard Twisted Metal?

Brilliant interview Ben, btw.

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

What?!

OPHIDIAN
OPHIDIAN
13 years ago

I'm 22 now, when was this series at its best?

This one looks like a day one buy though.

GuernicaReborn
GuernicaReborn
13 years ago

Wow, this is awesome. I can't wait for character lists to come out. Is there a site for the game yet? I played as Roadkill all the time in TM:Black. I played TM2 alot as well, but it was mostly multiplayer with all my friends.

wolfsinner
wolfsinner
13 years ago

I guess I'm the only one disappointed at this.
I mean, Twisted Metal was good news, but I was hoping for something better.. Like KH3 or Jak & Daxter.

SolidFantasy
SolidFantasy
13 years ago

Nice interview guys, But any news on a release date??

-sf out


Last edited by SolidFantasy on 6/15/2010 8:04:09 PM

kraygen
kraygen
13 years ago

2011 is all that Jaffe would say.

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