Twisted Metal 2: World Tour (better known as just Twisted Metal 2) is a sequel that improves on the first. The story here is that one year after the first game, the city of Los Angeles has been reduced to rubble thanks to Calypso's Twisted Metal competition, and now. he is having trouble finding out where this year's will be held, as he has already chosen 14 of the world's best combat drivers to compete. Seeing the globe in his blimp, he decides the world would be his battleground this year, mentioning cities, Paris, Hong Kong, and even Antarctica as possible arenas And thus, the next Twisted Metal competition takes place in eight levels based on cities around the world, from the outskirts of Los Angeles, to the streets of Paris, to even the rooftops of New York City, where one winner will receive whatever his or her heart desires.
So, for this, the game does have some improvements. While the graphics are basically the same as its predecessor, a lot has changed. The levels are larger and have some interactions, some which open up new area (like the Paris level allowing you to destroy the Eiffel Tower, turning its top half into bridges to the rooftops where weapon pickups are placed). Also, the game has a good cast of characters, which include returning vehicles like Thumper, Hammerhead, and even Sweet Tooth (who is a hidden character) alongside new faces like Twister, a Formula 1 race car whose Special Weapon allows it to spin and form a tornado. Mr. Slam. a front loader construction vehicle who grab and slam opponents with the teeth of the loader, and Axel, a man strapped into a two-wheeled machine who can unleash a shockwave.
Weapon pick-ups have been redone. Other than the Fire Missile, Homing Missile, and Power Missile, we get new weapons like Remote Bombs, Napalm, Ricochet, and Lightning (which is used in few levels, but would be the influence of the Enviromental Weapon in Twisted Metal: Black). Also, the game introduces the concept of Advanced Attacks, which using a button combination, can do certain attacks like the Freeze Burst (which replaces the Freeze Missile of the last game for freezing opponents), as well as firing weapons from behind and jumping, at the cost of some of an energy meter that slowly recharges as the battle goes on.
With improved controls, a colorful cast of characters, and bigger and better levels, Twisted Metal 2 is a good improvement on its predecessor. A shame after this, SingleTrac would leave Sony, hence leaving 989 Studios to do the next games.
