"M" for Mature! They mean this! Not for the faint at heart!!
The previous versions of Twisted Metal were very comical, and had some dark humor in it. But, Twisted Metal Black takes that mood, and throws it away. Just look at the title, "Black". Everything about this game screams "Depression" and "Horriffying" lol The underlying story is the same here as in every other Twisted Metal entry. Calypso, the owner of the Twisted Metal tournament, gathers a bunch of characters that each want a deep wish to come true. And Calypso is the man that can make them happen, for a price. They must battle each other to the death in his tournament. Only then will they get what they wish for. But, you know what they say, Be Careful What You Wish For. The only difference here is that all of the people entering his tournament are coming from an asylum. So, everyone is mentally insane in some way, shape, or form. That makes for one exciting tournament, where the objective is to smash, crash, and destroy your opponents with different missiles, energy-based attacks. But, what differs each character during the combat is #1- The insane cars they are driving: and #2- The special weapons that every character has. It's basically Mortal Kombat on wheels! If you were wondering, this game follows the combat system that TM 2: World Tour laid out, which was pretty easy to pick-up-and-play. The other thing that separates this entry from other Twisted Metal games is that this game gives a lot more detailing on the character you're playing with. Everything revolves around the character that you chose in the game's Story Mode. At the beginning, It shows a cinematic scene of Calypso going to visit you at the Asylum. Then, when you defeat Minion, the sub-boss, another cinematic scene is shown that tells you more of the backstory of your character, and why he/she was put in the asylum. Then, If you're able to beat the final boss, Warhawk, the final cinematic cutscene will show you and Calypso, with him granting the wish. It basically shows If your character got what they wanted/expected. I like this aspect of the game because it almost has you sympathize for your character. It lets you see their point of view, and why they want that specific wish.
The Graphics are pretty top-notch this time around. I think its because they made a transition to the PS2, which had more capabilities than the PS1. And, they took full advantage of that aspect. All the worlds look amazing. But, they also look "dark and glooming", which is what the game is trying to portray thi universe as. I like how they added interactivity in this game. For Example, almost everything in this game is pretty much destructible. You can blow up anything you want. You can also run over civilians, and crash. blow up other cars that you're not battling. It almost gives that feel that the world is coming to an end, and chaos is just occuring. The Sound is pretty great as well. Every world has its own generic soundtrack playing in the background, which gave a scary "I don't want to look back, Just Keep Driving" feel to it. The weapons sound good too. I like the theme song that they chose for this game: "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. It fits the game's mood perfectly. It had me shaking at one point lol.
All in All, This is one out of control game!! If you think you can handle the horror that this game will give you, I highly recommend it. But Beware, don't play it at night!