Twisted Metal 2 was a great game. Twisted Metal Black came very close, but none of the other games compare to the 2nd.
What I like about Twisted Metal 2 is that all the characters are unique and the have different specials and everything. Not to say that hasn't been done in all the other TMs, but it was done well in TM2. I remember after a while of playing TM2, I soon got TM 3 for my birthday. It seemed ok at first, but then it started to feel less and less like TM2. The controls were too tight, and the levels were tiny and linear.
Twisted Metal 4-- I rented this game about two years later, and I hated it. It had good music and a funny opening movie, but it didn't seem anything like the other games. It seemed strange and I felt like I was an amateur at it, even though I was good at TM 2 and 3. I never played it again, and I didn't even feel like getting past the first level.
TM Black: When I heard that some of the original designers were coming back, I knew that there was finally going to be another good TM game. I was right. Twisted Metal Black was awesome. Everything about it seemed a bit more like TM 2, controls and all. They incorporated some new ideas into the game, and it had mezmerizing visuals as far as the sparks and the weapon animations. I love TM Black, but it didn't compare to those fun times I had with friends playing TM2. I think Twisted Metal 2 is an awesome game, and it will never be outdone unless they make one for the PS3.