Online Pass or not: Twisted Metal is going to be awesome.

The developer told Eurogamer: “I’d actually prefer [it if we didn't do an Online Pass], even though it’s probably good business.

“Only because we have such a mountain to climb in terms of gaining people’s good faith, especially in Europe, and really letting people know that this is a title that’s worth getting excited about.

“It’s not my call and I’d totally understand if Sony as a company said ‘Look, this is a mandate that permeates all of our titles. We’re not making selective choices.’”

Jaffe admitted that he'd be willing to forego an Online Pass and take the used game sales hit if it meant more people tried the game.

“I’m okay with the fact that we might lose sales on this first game if, because of it, we generate a lot of fans that otherwise wouldn’t have played the game,” he explained.

“The online is so much the bread and butter of this game, so I’m okay with it because it means we’re setting ourselves up for a possible return to the franchise one day.”

Online Pass or not, Jaffe explained he's remaining realistic about Twisted Metal's retail potential.

“Anything beyond [covering the game's initial investment is] gravy. We’re not living under any illusions that we’re going to do Call of Duty numbers, or even Uncharted 3 numbers,” he admitted.

But while he doesn't think the upcoming reboot can topple the big-boys in sales, he expects it to compete at a critical level.

“In terms of value and fun factor and quality, I would put the multiplayer toe-to-toe with Call of Duty, Battlefield, Uncharted 3, if you like this kind of game. We’re worth every penny and more,” he said.

“This might come back and bite me on the butt – I don’t care – but do I sit here and have moments where I’m like ‘I can really see us being nominated for some best multiplayer, best shooter awards next year’? I do. That’s how proud I am of it.”

It sometimes feels like we're part of the minority, but we can't wait for the new Twisted Metal. And we're European too. Fancy that. Jaffe's dreams of not including an Online Pass seem pretty unlikely though — all of Sony's multiplayer featured titles include a multiplayer access code at the moment. We can't see Twisted Metal being an exception.

[Thanks Eurogamer]