The best installment in the series. And that's saying quite a lot.
As original as the concept is of suping up a car with insane weapons, driving around and blowing up other cars as well as environments and passers-by, I have to say to the people that frown upon the idea that it really doesn't focus much on the cars; it just feels like you're running around with some guns. The controls are absolutely seamless; thumbs on the left and right analog stick for gas, reverse and steering, and both index and middle fingers never leaving the shoulder buttons, used for alternating between and firing weapons in your inventory. That's it, folks! It's second nature. That is, until 7 other death-dealing vehicles are out to get you.
During the game, your given a great HUD, displaying your health, your currently selected weapon, your turbo gauge and a color-coded radar of all the enemies on the field. The epic, dark music kicks in as your cue to hit the gas in search of the first of many diverse weapon pick-ups you see, from homing missiles to ricochet bombs to catapulted gas cans to machine gun upgrades. Driving frantically around the massive stage, it's not long before an enemy is in your sight. After that, an intense, unexplained kind of fun begins, and doesn't let you go until everything is in flames. What makes it great is the need to stay in constant, panicking motion in order to stay alive while searching for just a few fire missiles or health pickups (which respawn rarely and must be used sparingly).
Added to all this is a set of over a dozen bloodthirsty, frightening characters, each with their own vehicle and special weapon which respawns over time in your inventory. Choosing what character you like to use will reflect your style of playing the game, as each car also has its own rating of speed, armor and handling. Their different specials are incredibly diverse, and each as effective as the next.
As for the characters' stories and general timeline of the series, well, I've been a fan since the beginning, and I only wish there was more canon content and consistency in the TM universe, because somewhere behind these standalone games, you can see a fantastic mythos being generated over time. Outside of that, these characters manage to make you right between scared of them and sympathetic toward them, and almost every story is well-crafted (save for some of the unlocked characters'). This gives plenty of replay before you even touch the multiplayer, and it shouldn't be too hard to find three friends willing to pick up a controller and blow each other up until the small hours of the morning.
Twisted Metal used to be mindless fun, but with Black, there's now a very disturbed mind behind it, devoid of heart and values, but rampant with beautiful, beautiful carnage.