Sweet Tooth was an ambitious child. He yearned for his name in the spotlight; not only did he lust for fame and fortune, he wanted to be on top! What exactly he was craving for was unknown, but he knew that Calypso's Twisted Metal tournament was the answer to everything. If he were to win the tournament, the demented creator would have his dreams realized!

And he won.

The ambitious boy turned circus clown stood before Calypso. Upon asking him what he desired, Sweet Tooth shocked the world by announcing he wanted to take the reigns of the Twisted Metal tournament! What was Calypso to do? As part of the bargain, he had to grant the victor's wish; reluctantly, he handed the tournament over to Sweet Tooth.

In an attempt to reclaim his tournament, Calypso and 19 other demented characters (some of which are hidden) have entered Twisted Metal 4! Among the new psychopaths are Goggle Eyes, a tormented chemistry and pesticide student vowing to rid the world of vermin; a Trashman that wants to turn the entire world into a landfill; and the elf-like megalomaniac Micro Blast. Calypso himself drives a Soviet missile-launching truck.

Each vehicle is given a barrage of combination attacks executed with the controller's directional pad. Among the various combinations are the invisibility, shield, hyperspace, high jump, rear freeze and attack, and massive frontal and rear attacks. These combinations affect your vehicle's performance so be careful not to over use them! Ammunition is not required to execute these moves.

Additionally, 989 Studios has incorporated a Create a Car feature! If so inclined, players are able to choose the size of their new vehicle, style, coloring and paint job, various options, and a special weapon. Your creations are savable to a Memory Card and can be traded amongst friends!

With Sweet Tooth at the helm of the tournament, the action takes place throughout eight new combat arenas! Players will journey through Sweet Tooth's Bedroom, a freeway known as Road Rage, an oil rig, and a demented carnival. Each battle arena features a plethora of secret items and areas only accessible by blowing certain things up!

What would a vehicular shooter be without destructive weapons? Lying around each level are a wide variety of pickup items including the Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle, or M.I.R.V. for short, Rain 2 Missiles, Mortars, Homing Missiles, Ricochet Bombs, etc. There are also some health and turbo pickups thrown in for extra measure.

Twisted Metal 4 features a couple different gameplay options including the Tournament and Deathmatch modes. Players familiar with the past Tournament modes will feel right at home here; the objective of each level is to blow the snot out of the other vehicles! This year's incarnation gives players a computer-controlled ally. Your ally will shoot everyone except for you; additionally, you'll share a total of ten lives. Choosing an ally is optional.

When you're ready to kick some human butt, grab a friend or two and select the Deathmatch option. Played with two to four players (four with a Multi-Tap), the objective is simple: select a stage and destroy anything that moves! Players are also given the option to throw some computer-controlled combatants into the mix.

Have you got what it takes to win Sweet Tooth's tournament? Choose a vehicle and enter Twisted Metal 4 to find out!