PREVIEW: New Twisted Metal may live up to the hype

A PlayStation classic is getting a brand new look in the upcoming PS3 title Twisted Metal. I've played through the demo for the highly anticipated game and can safely say that the hype is justified.

For those unfamiliar, Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat game series filled with explosions, insane stunts, and borderline scary characters. It is as much fun as it is intense. Players pick a character and car then hop in to battle in a game world to battle against a number of opponents looking to take them down or blow them up any way possible.

The big appeal of this demo was the online play. Online play ran just as fast and smooth as local action, but we'll see how it holds up once the full game releases on Valentine's Day.

Offline, players learn the basics in a training tutorial that explains the somewhat complex controls in an easy to understand manner. Since Twisted Metal is both a combat and racing game, controls normally used for each of those genres are fused together here. There are a few different control options available, so you can play around to find what works best for you.

The free demo gave a good indication to what the final product will look like, but there are some features we haven't gotten our hands on yet. There will be an offline storyline that fans of Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, and Dollface are sure to enjoy, but the big hook is the online gameplay. Seven different game modes on more than thirty multiplayer maps will keep players hooked for months. If you're not the type who enjoys online play, you can battle three other friends in split-screen action at home.

This small taste of Twisted Metal certainly had me interested in the full experience. We'll have our review of the game late next week, but if you can't wait until then, pick up Twisted Metal this Valentine's Day exclusively for the PlayStation 3.