Twisted Metal: Black

When I received my PlayStation for Christmas some many many years ago, it came with two games: NFL GameDay 98 and Twisted Metal. I immediately fell in love with Twisted Metal. The concept of the game (and series), for those of you not in the know, is that a demented but omnipotent man holds a tournament every Christmas Eve in which several entrants engage in a demolition derby of sorts featuring ammunition and artillery. Basically, the last contestant left standing gets any wish he requests, and usually these wishes are perverse and vengeful. Twisted, no? Anyway, I liked the first game and absolutely loved Twisted Metal 2. But then the third installment just didn't deliver and the fourth was downright terrible. So it was with low expectations that I bought Twisted Metal: Black (the fifth game in the series and the first for PS2) some many years ago. Fortunately, the game served as sort of a rebirth for the franchise. The games were always dark and demented, but typically there were plenty of comedic undertones that served as the foundation. Think of them as the movie Cabin Fever - a horror, strictly speaking, but hilarious and incapable of taking itself seriously. Now, think of Twisted Metal: Black as a Saw movie. Terror without comedy. (Actually the over-the-top aspect of the game could rightfully be called comedy of another kind, but you know what I mean.) There was nothing cartoonish or lovable about any of the contestants in this game. And I liked that. It showed that the Twisted Metal franchise was maturing, or at least changing, after two pretty shitty installments had left a fan base deteriorated. The game itself was much like the Twisted Metal games I enjoyed in my youth, but faster-paced and thus more challenging. I prefer the slower, easier, more realistic gameplay of the first few games. But graphically, there's nothing to complain about - and that's impressive, as this game came out way back in 2001. The game was no masterpiece and certainly lacked the charm of the first two in the Twisted Metal series. Still, it was nice to see the franchise change its direction and go for something different; change needed to happen, and lo and behold, it did. This definitely isn't a game you need to check out for yourself, but if you've never played any Twisted Metal games I do highly recommend the series. It's unique and entertaining. What more could you want?