On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Twisted Metal fans poured into the Rehoboth Beach, Delaware GameStop for the midnight release of the newest installment of the series. The Rehoboth Beach GameStop is the only GameStop in the district that hosted a midnight release for the game.
Not only were fans able to pick up their copy of the game, but they got a chance to compete against other Twisted Metalheads in a tournament.
An employee from the Rehoboth Beach GameStop organized the tournament. The employee, who must remain anonymous, has been playing Twisted Metal games since the first one was released back in 1995 for the PlayStation.
The employee was really excited when it was revealed that there would be a Twisted Metal on the PlayStation 3.
“I found out that David Jaffe and Scott Campbell [the creators of the Twisted Metal series] were making a new Twisted Metal for the PS3 back in 2008. I was reading about Twisted Metal Head On: Extra Twisted Edition online and I found out that there was a hidden message in a documentary video that said ‘TWISTED METAL IS COMING ON PSTHREE’.”
The employee didn’t want this to be just another midnight release.
“I decided to throw a tournament because I think Twisted Metal is one of the greatest multiplayer games ever created. I thought it would be nostalgic for people that grew up playing Twisted Metal games.”
People that had signed up for the tournament started coming in at 9 p.m. to practice before the tournament’s start at 10.
The tournament consisted of four-player splitscreen on three TVs. It was conducted in a bracket style, allotting for buybacks. During each round, everyone advanced except for the one person from each team with the least amount of kills.
The winner, Hunter Forst, received a $20 GameStop gift card. Runners-up won t-shirts, posters, and other goodies.
“I think the tournament was a huge success,” said the employee. “Everyone had a blast. I plan to organize more tournaments in the future.”
Twisted Metal fan Alex Didycz sacrificed some sleep to compete in the tournament.
Didycz thought the tournament was great. “I think everyone enjoyed playing Twisted Metal, and if another multiplayer game comes around that gets enough attention, I think there should be another tournament for its midnight release.”
He added: “Maybe it could even be a weekly event with games that have already been out for a while. Twisted Metal tournament part two? Now that’d be epic.”
Didycz says the game is “pure, simple fun.”
“Mindless destruction with a massive array of weapons and cars at your disposal makes for a good time.”
He says that fans of the old Twisted Metal games will not be disappointed. He also encourages n00bs to give it a shot.
“You may be pleasantly surprised at how addicting the game can be.”