Muddeh
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The gameplay is not what weighs the series down. In fact, the gameplay is the strongest element of the franchise. I still truly believe that vehicle combat is the pinnacle of all genres of gaming. And I mean true vehicle combat, not the demo derby or combat racing crap we've been bombarded with in recent years. The problem with vehicle combat games to date is that every one has had core flaws that prevent them from fully realizing the genre's untapped potential, on top of the fact that many of the gems from the past are showing their age with inconsistent networking and a lack of simple options like a proper TDM mode. One of the defining traits of Twisted Metal games has always been that they are perfectly imperfect. Every title has its own laundry list of issues, but (most of them) have redeeming qualities that allow us to see past them.
I do agree that Twisted Metal needs a form of rebranding though. At the least, it needs a change of focus with emphasis on reestablishing a widespread online community. Games with gameplay that is far inferior to TM 2012's have had great success, if just because they have been promoted as having a robust community. Rocket League is a great example of this, which was a fresh concept which demonstrated its potential as a competitive game through its small, yet impassioned community based around its predecessor SARPBC. I have invested a few hundred hours into Rocket League for lack of a better alternative, and the gameplay is far, far inferior to that of TM 2012's. Since Twisted Metal has been in the can long enough that its return would be a fresh offering compared to current AAA titles once again, it has equal if not more potential to succeed in the same way Rocket League has.
We need one thing, and one thing only: developers who give a shit. I completely get why many hate TM 2012 with a passion, because it possesses core flaws that ESP and SMS couldn't be bothered to listen to their fanbase about, on top of support for it being dropped like a hot potato shortly after release. Jaffe and company were incompetent to the extent that they nerfed Axel within the initial weeks (it being the second-worst vehicle in the game) instead of addressing crap like auto-aim mega guns which weren't fixed until two and a half months after release. I remember there being a competitive ladder and MLG showing interest in the game shortly after launch, but with the balance being utterly broken and the server errors being unbearable for a lot of players, widespread competitive interest in the game faded quickly. The competitive community could have been sustains as large as it was during launch if it simply wasn't unbalanced and broken. Ironically, it has been the niche competitive community and clans that has kept the game alive years later.
If Sony realizes the sole reason TM 2012 performed poorly in sales was because they shot themselves in the foot, and if they employed a developer that would create a quality product while listening to us fans, Twisted Metal could greatly succeed. As for the question if the series should be rebranded, I suppose I would answer the question by suggesting that more resources should be put into perfecting the formula of vehicle combat and building the online community. While the single player tournament mode should still exist and each vehicle should have its own driver, keep it simple like it was in previous games. There's no need for multi-stage boss battles like in TM 2012, as that's never been what Twisted Metal has been about. The small portion of the market that buys the game only for the single player is doing to for nostalgia, so give them the same experience they had with previous games fighting hoards of contestants to reveal a comic book style ending. For the rest of us, focus your efforts into the gameplay and online since that's what will sustain sales past launch.
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