Developed by a “new internal development group” at Sony, Hardware: Rivals acts as a spiritual successor to the similar Hardware: Online Arena for the PlayStation 2, a game several members of the Rivals team worked on, according to producer Daniel Durnin.
As you can see from the announcement trailer, Hardware: Rivals features a bright color scheme and architecture straight out of Legends of the Hidden Temple. Whether or not the Green Monkeys and Purple Parrots make an appearance is still up in the air, but the art direction is in stark contrast to the realistic (at least for the time) visuals of Online Arena. The original release featured similar level design, but with vehicle designs that would have fit right at home in a Battlefield game.
Rivals, meanwhile, lets you launch a tank off of a giant ramp and land it on an enemy buggy as lasers zip through the air and a giant volcano-like structure erupts: the pinnacle of authenticity.
“We’ve taken the opportunity to introduce a truckload of upgrades and new features, but the spirit of the original gameplay remains the same,” Durnin says in the official announcement. “Bringing back the explosive mayhem and online rivalry of vehicle combat has been an absolute pleasure, and we can’t wait for you to get behind the wheel.
Hardware: Rivals will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 4, with a beta test beginning “in the near future.” If you can’t wait to blow up some vehicles, Twisted Metal is also free on PlayStation 3 for PS Plus members this month.
