Twisted Metal: Black

Twisted Metal: Black is an awesome game. From the makers of the first two games, this blows the entire series out of the water. The movie graphics are very good and the movies themselves are outstanding. If you played the first four you'll remember the're semi-kid friendly. This one pulls out all the stops. Even the gory, sweary ones. You remember the plot: Mental asylum paitents are approched by a man named Calypso. If they participate in his car battling contest and win, they'll have one wish granted. Some are in it for redemption. Others, revenge. Eithier way it makes for great plot twists and top-notch gameplay.

Yet again, doing another review for a old video game that helped shape my childhood, for better or for worse.... Now, this game definitely is pure, unadulterated nightmare- fueled nostalgia for me. I remember switching this game on for the PS2, and hearing the beginning to Paint it Black from The Rolling Stones; this set the tone for this dark, evil, and gruesome game that awaited. Now, gameplay wise, the game wasn't THAT gruesome. Sure, you had some character that had a suicidal guy impaled on his car, or you had lots and lots of environmental destruction, but nothing super gruesome; that was the job for the intro videos. Instead of playing the game, you can access these videos through the main menu, and that's what me and my brother did. And boy oh boy, nightmares ensued! Seriously tho, almost every character intro video was somewhat traumatizing for me at this mere age of 7 years old. There's 2 intros that stuck out the most; the dead taxi driver that's remote controlled by his son, and the skeleton guy. I remember my brother literally freaking out and almost crying when we used to watch these. Literally amazing! I loved this game; this was the true Battle Royale and the only Battle Royale I'll actually revisit. If you haven't played this yet, do it. You might not regret it.

"Twisted Metal: Black" is just that - black. It's what you'd see if you were on a bad trip of LSD while locked up in an insane asylum. The "Twisted Metal" series was known for being the centerpiece of the vehicular combat genre of video-gaming, where people in outfitted vehicles engage each other in deadly tournaments. The most successful and acclaimed entry in the "Twisted Metal" franchise, the Playstation 2's "Twisted Metal: Black," adds some much-needed darker elements to what was in 2001, a waning series. It goes without saying that this is the "Blackest," darkest, most violent and disturbing entry yet. The developers went to great pains to create a "Twisted Metal" experience that captured the violent fury and insanity that was only hinted at in its predecessors. The game-play is greatly polished from previous games in the series, and the controls are easy to use. The biggest improvements, I feel, are the characters and the fully interactive and beautifully rendered environments. The characters this time out are all mental patients, participating in the Twisted Metal tournament in an effort to have any wish of theirs granted. As you can see, the story isn't much, but the deeply dark and twisted characters featured here make up for it. Sure, some cheesy voice actor gives the characters some life, but their stories range from insane to utterly horrific (i.e., "Twisted Metal" mascot, Sweet Tooth). If you wanted to know what went on in an insane asylum, look no further than "Twisted Metal: Black."

10/10

Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, State of Emergency. These games are all attacked by the media repeatedly for being "too violent." If anything, Twisted Metal Black rises above these in terms of sheer horror. While GTA3 may come right at you with violence, it does not attack you mentally like Twisted Metal does. The storylines revolve around the demented minds of patients in an asylum and their quest to right a wrong. The game itself is one of the greatest on the Playstation 2 and without a doubt the best in the Twisted Metal series. About 15 characters in all, and each level gets progressively more difficult, making the game an everlasting experience. If you're looking for a game to buy on your PS2, I highly suggest this title.

Overall rating: ***** out of *****

This game blows away the previous Twisted Metals. 3 and 4 are a horrible mess, but this game picked the series back up. Gameplay is pretty much still the same in terms of fighting. The cars are more detailed and handle much better than they ever have. Top notch voice acting with well written stories and gameplay makes this a perfect game.