Twisted Metal: Simpsons Special Edition



Twisted Metal: Simpsons Special Edition (Abbreviated TM:SSE) is a future vehicular combat/racing video game in the Twisted Metal franchise. The first crossover in the series, it features characters from the hit FOX tv show The Simpsons as tournament participants. The game will be available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 & Microsoft Windows; It will be the first TM game in 25 years (Twisted Metal II in 1996) to be available for Windows.

Story Premise
A small wormhole opens up in Mr. Burns' backyard, spitting out a unique red ring before closing. He and Smithers are the only witnesses to this discovery. After eventually putting on the ring with Smithers' help, Burns is seemingly able to grant wishes at will.

The next day, Kent Brockman announces to the town of Springfield of a competition hosted by Burns, where the winner will be granted any one wish they so desire. Let the games begin...again!

Gameplay
Twisted Metal: Simpsons Special Edition is a Twisted Metal game at heart with all the humor of The Simpsons. Like all the games that came before it, the overall theme remains the same. Contestants (in this case, Simpsons characters) compete in the titular Twisted Metal Tournament where the last one standing will get any wish they desire granted.

Core gameplay is mainly based on every game in the TM series, pre-2012 reboot. Players select one Simpsons character to progress through the Tournament and outfit their vehicle with non-special attack weapons (a slight departure from the rest of the series in this regard). The Tournament is the main career mode for the game and is made up of several stages that take place through the entirety of Springfield. Players will also encounter boss characters in select stages.

The game also features MySimp: a feature mode where players can create their own Simpsons character. Players can also choose their character's vehicle and give him or her a wish out of a preset list.

Single Player

 * Tournament - The main career mode for the game. For the Tournament, the player possesses six total lives. Losing all lives results in a premature "Game Over", however the player can earn one to two lives back after completion of boss stages.
 * Challenge - A singular demolition derby battle as opposed to several battles. In this mode, players can select any stage they have unlocked, and each individual opponent. Every challenge can have up to six opponents.
 * MySimp - The game's version of the "Create Car" mode from Twisted Metal 4. This version is more detailed, allowing the player to customize their own driver and give him/her their own wish.

Online

 * Capture the Flag - An event where up to 10 players can compete. The objective of this event is to be the first to reach the flag and deliver it to to its location and earn one point while trying to survive the drive. The player with the most points after either five or ten minutes win the match. In most matches, the flag is located at one end of the stage and the delivery point is at the other end. If the player dies before they deliver the flag, the flag will automatically attach to the player that killed the flag-carrying one. The number of lives in this mode is unlimited.
 * Free For All - A mass Challenge-styled demolition event where up to 30 players can compete. The player creating the event can select the stage for it and decide if lives or a time limit will be included in the event or not.

Springfield
The home to every character ever featured on The Simpsons, Springfield also plays host to Mr. Burns' Twisted Metal Tournament. The massive city features 16 regions--10 non-boss, 6 boss--which substitute for the Tournament's stages (similar to Midtown from Black). Each region is a fully destructible environment and barricaded by arrowed barriers. Each region is modeled from the map found here.

Non Boss Stages

 * Pressboard Estates - The primary residential neighborhood for Springfield that encompasses all of Evergreen Terrace. This stage also includes a portion of the Matlock Expressway and the Aqueduct.
 * Springfield Residential Hills - One of Springfield's more mountainous areas and the region home to Mt. Springfield. This stage also features Buck McCoy's and Kent Brockman's houses and Springfield A&M University. This stage extends to Walnut Street to the west and Center Street to the east.
 * Interstate 95/Main Street/Second Street - A predominantly straight-lined interstate that extends from one side of Springfield to the other. This stage extends from the entrance to Springfield Bridge in the west to Overpass Diner in the East. This region also combines Main Street and Second Street and features every landmark on either side of the interstate, including the Jebediah Springfield statue. Because of its size, it is one of the largest stages in the game.
 * Springfield Entertainment Park - A large multi-stadium complex featuring historic entertainment venues and the stadiums for most of Springfield's professional sports teams. The stage features Yahoo Search Engine Arena and Duff Stadium north of Fifth Street and Duff Beer Krusty Burger Buzz Cola Costington's Department Store Kwik-E-Mart Stupid Flanders Park south of Fifth Street.
 * Hickton - A rural area of Springfield along the westernmost side of town. This stage extends from Highway 201 to the north to Interstate 95 and Donny's Discount Gas to the south. This stage features Cletus' house, Snake's hideout, and the Old Simpson Farm to name a few landmarks.
 * Springfield Speedway - A racetrack located along Highway 201 near Springfield National Forest. It is the smallest stage in the game, since it encompasses only one main location.
 * Recluse Ranch Estates - A forested residential region and home to Mr. Burns' estate. This stage extends from Mr. Burns' estate to the north to Rommelwood Military Academy and Springfield Downs to the south, and features every landmark in that area, according to the map. Because of its size, it is one of the largest stages in the game.
 * Springfield Harbor - A region that links the southernmost side of town to the ocean. This stage features the Waterfront, S.S. Springfield and the Springfield Naval Reserve Base as a few landmarks.
 * South Street - A region of Springfield home to Little Italy, Tibet Town and Chinatown. This stage extends from the Springfield Memorial Bridge to the north to South Street Squidport to the south. It features every landmark located along the street, according to the map.
 * Jebediah Springfield Park - A partially forested area named in honor of the founder of Springfield. This stage extends from the entrance of Springfield Dam to the west to the Boss Stage Springfield Heights to the east. It features the Springfield Observatory, Springfield Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Springfield Bowl as prominent landmarks.

Boss Stages

 * Springfield Elementary School - The Simpsons' kids elementary school and the one place that Bart hates more than anywhere else. This stage is completely destructible and features several classrooms, the cafeteria, the auditorium and Groundskeeper Willie's shack. Boss stage for Coach Krupt.
 * Nuclear Power Plant - Homer Simpson's place of work and the main power source for Springfield. This stage features the main power plant (& all its sectors), both cooling towers, the Executive Building, and Mr. Burns' office building. Boss stage for Frank Grimes, Jr.
 * Springfield Cemetery - "Come for the Funerals, Stay for the Pie"! This stage also includes The Fighting Hellfish, Springfield Pet Cemetery, and a portion of Springfield University. Boss stage for Hank Scorpio.
 * Area 51A - An Army military base and Springfield's equivalent of Area 51. This stage also includes the Army Proving Ground, the Grand Chasm and Springfield Gorge. Boss stage for Kang & Kodos.
 * Springfield Heights - A partially mountainous area of Springfield and home to various prestigious estates. This stages extends from Springfield Dam to the west, to the Springfield Heights Institute of Technology to the east, and to Springfield Presbyterian Hospital to the southeast. It also features every building found in it on the map linked above. Boss stage for Fat Tony.
 * Michael Jackson Expressway - Formerly the "Dalai Lama Expressway". This stage extends from Springfield Airport to the south to Ye Olde Off Ramp Inn to the north. This stage also include destructible locations in the Springfield Mall, Barney's Bowl-A-Rama, The O.K. Car-al, and every other landmark on either side of the expressway. Boss stage for "Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger. It is also the only stage to appear in the game at different intervals, as both a Non Boss and a Boss stage. As a Non Boss Stage, the level is set during the day and as a Boss Stage, it is set at night.

Characters
There are a total of 30 playable Simpsons characters available in the game; 18 are available from the start, 6 are unlockable and 6 are boss characters that are unlocked for use once they are defeated.

(NOTE: All vehicle photos are taken from either The Simpsons: Hit & Run or the tv show. The game updates these vehicles in much clearer detail. All rights to each belong to the respective owners.)

Weapons
There are a total of 36 weapons than can be equipped in the game. Aside from their special attack, characters can have up to three non-special attack weapons on their vehicles. They are divided into three categories--short range, medium range and long range--and can be equipped in any combination (e.g. 3 long range, 1 of each, 2 medium & 1 long, etc.).

Short Range

 * Serrated Buzzsaw
 * Jumbo Shotgun
 * Killswitch Aura
 * Dual Guns
 * Retractable Spikes
 * Weapon Jammer (1st Generation)
 * Fragment Mine (1st Generation)
 * Mini Cannon Launcher
 * Front-Mounted Spike
 * Radioactive Aura
 * Large Gun
 * Repelling Rammer

Medium Range

 * Bomb
 * Gatling Gun
 * Weapon Jammer (2nd Generation)
 * Electronic Barge
 * Bullet Aura
 * Radioactive Ray
 * Mini Missile Case
 * Fragment Mine (2nd Generation)
 * Rotating Guns
 * Laser Shooter
 * Spike Ball Launcher
 * Killswitch Launcher

Long Range

 * Bazooka
 * Twin Torpedoes
 * Serrated Boomerang
 * Heat Seeking Missile
 * Lightning Gun
 * Mine Spitter
 * Flamethrower
 * Jumbo Oil Slicks
 * MetalPiercer
 * Gun Carousel
 * Mega Missile Pack
 * "All In One" Randomizer

DLC
To date, there are 2 DLC packs available across all platforms. Upon purchase, these packs award the player with new vehicles among other desirable perks. Should the player purchase all DLC packs at once, the packs have a combined price of $15.99.

Special Metal Pack ($10.99)
The first DLC pack available, the Special Metal Pack awards the player with one alternate vehicle for five characters. These vehicles also grant their drivers an alternate special attack. However, it should be noted in this regard that those characters effectively have two special attacks as opposed to only one.

When purchased, the player can select between the two vehicles for that character before he/she begins the career or before any Challenge.

Frink's Collection Pack ($4.99)
The second and last pack available, the Frink's Collection Pack features 4 of Professor Frink's weapons. These weapons are non-special attack weapons and are classified into Short Range, Medium Range or Long Range.

Suggestions/Feedback
Got a suggestion for a Simpsons character, vehicle, special attack, or wish? Please don't hesitate to let LoganC22 know in the comments or on his talk page! Any and all suggestions/feedback will be taken into consideration!

General

 * This is the second ever crossover racing game created by LoganC22, after 2020's Burnout Revenge: Mortal Kombat Edition.
 * Last Game Idea created by LoganC22 for 2021.
 * It is also the near-unanimous winner of LoganC22's first ever poll on Game Ideas Wiki. In the poll, he asked the Fandom to decide which Game Idea out of three he should do. Out of 5 officially counted votes, TM:SSE received all but 1 vote (80%).
 * Smithers is only unlocked when the player completes the career with all other characters (including bosses). Completing the career as Smithers will unlock the "True Ending" and fully complete the game.
 * In every one of the characters' endings, Mr. Burns doesn't call the Twisted Metal Tournament by its name, but by phrases with near-obsolete wording such as "This humdinger of a rigmarole" or "My brouhaha of ruffians".
 * Like Calypso & Sweet Tooth, Mr. Burns also has a tendency to mess up people's wishes and grant them outright to people with villainous intentions. However, Mr. Burns is different from both men in the following ways:
 * His tendency of messing up wishes spreads to villainous Springfieldians, as even they can be cheated out of their wishes. To be specific, only Frank Grimes, Jr. and Kang & Kodos have their wishes granted outright.
 * At the same time, Mr. Burns grants more wishes outright to non-villainous characters, as he either feels he relates to them or feels they are worthy of their wish. To be specific: Smithers (because he has to), Ned Flanders, Bart Simpson, Barney Gumble, Moe Syzslak and Gil Gunderson are the only regular characters to have their wishes granted outright.
 * All in all, these tendencies make Mr. Burns both the most unpredictable and the more fair of the three men to wear the ring.
 * Before settling on The Simpsons, the original Idea was to cross over Twisted Metal with Animation Domination, an animation block for FOX (which also includes The Simpsons). According to LoganC22, he decided to use just The Simpsons because "One show would be easier to do than six."
 * For the bulk of the game, Kang & Kodos appear as black-suited humans. They only appear as their alien forms from the show in their ending cutscene.
 * Along similar lines, Kang & Kodos are the only duo bosses in the game that take up one spot, technically bringing the number of total bosses to seven.
 * Also, they are the only default characters not affected by DLC to have more than one special attack (1 for each).
 * Originally, Principal Skinner was to be the boss for the Springfield Elementary School stage rather than Coach Krupt.
 * Russ Cargill was originally considered to be a boss, but was replaced by Hank Scorpio.
 * Jack Lassen was originally to be the last boss the player has to face, but was replaced by Sideshow Bob. However, he still briefly cameos in the "True Ending".
 * Sideshow Bob's special attack is the same attack as The Brothers Grimm from Twisted Metal (2012). The same shockwave sounds are even played.
 * Comic Book Guy's wish is to be part of the creation of the first comic book ever published. The first comic book ever published is The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats, published in 1897.
 * Moe Syzslak and Barney Gumble have the same special attack. According to LoganC22, that is intentional and not a coincidence (Moe has three Beer Blasters, while Barney has two).
 * Krusty's wish and subsequent ending is similar to the overall plot from Simpsons: Hit & Run.
 * The "One person" that Moe wishes for in his wish is Maya; a love interest he met over the internet in the Season 20 episode "Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe" (See the below heading for more details).

The Story + True Ending

 * During the opening cutscene, the date on Channel 6 reveals the events of the game to take place on October 10th, 2021. This date is day and date with The Simpsons ' Season 33 episode "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" on FOX.
 * The rightful owner of the ring that Smithers wishes for is Calypso himself (albeit in Simpson form). He is presented in the game as being an omniscient deity, aware that he is in a diffrent form.
 * Aside from the fact the game takes place on the date of a real-life Simpsons episode, there are other details in the story (specifically, in select characters' wishes) that connect the game to the real world.
 * If one looks at Moe Syzslak's wish in greater context, it can be theorized that the game "predicts" his wish. This idea is greater enforced by the fact that the Season 33 episode "The Wayz We Were" (which features Maya) aired a week after the actual date in which the game is set. In a more basic explanation, Moe's wish is a meta one that is actually granted in real-life. According to LoganC22, that is "100% confirmed" and that "Maya was always on my mind when thinking of Moe's wish."