PS2 Mini: 20 Games It MUST Include

The Twisted Metal series is a bit of a mixed bag; the first two were landmark installments in the vehicular combat genre, while the third and fourth games felt like terrible cash-ins on an at-the-time recognizable franchise. 2012’s Twisted Metal, the most current game in the series, also felt like a bit of a nostalgic ride that struggled to produce any meaningful content.

Twisted Metal Black on the PlayStation 2, however, was arguably the series pinnacle. Never before had the franchise ventured into such dark and sinister territory. No longer was this a game for pre-pubescent tweens—it was a full on M-rated murder-fest.

Though the arena-based car combat is exemplary here, Twisted Metal wasn’t made famous on the back of its single player modes. Local split-screen was the main draw for the series, and blasting friends to bits in an ultra-gritty vehicular rampage was perhaps the most satisfying thing a video game could offer at the time.

In 2002, an online-only version of Twisted Metal Black was released, and it would be great to see multiplayer combat re-vamped on the PlayStation 2 Classic. It would be great either way, but online capabilities would really set this pseudo-retro console apart.