Peacock’s Twisted Metal TV series is out now, bringing Sony’s classic car combat game to the small screen. It’s a star-studded affair featuring actors like Anthony Mackie, Will Arnett, and Stephanie Beatriz. But did you know that it’s not technically the first live-action version of Twisted Metal? Feast your eyes on the original game’s bizarre lost endings.
If you’ve played the original Twisted Metal on PlayStation 1 (or on PS Plus), you might remember its limited approach to storytelling. Each driver has their own motivations for entering the vehicular blood sport, as the winner gets any wish granted by the creepy Calypso. Upon completing an arcade mode run with a character, players are treated to a short text scroll that resolves their story. It’s a little anticlimactic, but there’s a reason for that.
Originally, the game was set to feature live-action endings. All of those were filmed, but they never made it into the original game. They’d only see the light of day thanks to Twisted Metal: Head-On Extra Twisted Edition, where they were included as a bonus. If you’ve never seen them before, you’re in for a treat.
The low-budget clips are B-movie gold. In Pit Driver’s ending, Angela Fortin drives into Calypso’s lair only to reveal she’s a secret agent sent by the city of Los Angeles to kill him. A cheesy shootout ensues … and it doesn’t end well for her. Sweet Tooth’s ending is especially bizarre, as the deranged clown breaks down over his prize: a paper bag. I’m especially fond of Yellow Jacket’s ending, where the car’s old driver, Charlie Kane, reveals he just wanted a chance to drive again before he died. Calypso offers him a chance at immortality, but with a dark caveat.
“Sounds good to me, baby!” Kane says.
Watching the clips, you can probably guess why they weren’t included in the original game. They’re incredibly goofy (though that didn’t stop Resident Evil‘s infamous live-action segments) and full of scantily clad women, making it clear that they were a product of the ’90s. Though there’s a more practical reason they were cut: The endings were filmed before the game was actually called Twisted Metal.
Originally, Twisted Metal was going to be called High Octane. In the clips, you’ll notice that racers use that name when talking about Calypso’s tournament. That title didn’t stick, as there was already a 1995 EA car combat game called Hi-Octane that would launch just months before Twisted Metal. Rather than refilming the endings, the live-action segments were scrapped altogether.
If you’re planning to dig into Peacock’s adaptation of the series this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch these lost endings too. They might be more fun than the actual show.
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