# Twisted Metal: Black

Twisted Metal: Black is a 2001 vehicular combat video game developed by Incog Inc. Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the first game to be developed by Incog Inc. Entertainment, formed by SingleTrac alumni. The fifth title of the Twisted Metal series following Twisted Metal 4 (1999), it serves as a reboot of the franchise. An online enabled multiplayer-only variant, Twisted Metal: Black Online, was released later as a free send-away. The game received acclaim from critics and was nominated for several gaming awards.
It was also the first Twisted Metal released in PAL territories since Twisted Metal 2. Both Twisted Metal: Black and Twisted Metal: Black Online were reissued as part of Sony Greatest Hits program. A standard downloadable version of Twisted Metal: Black is included in the first batch of copies of Twisted Metal for PlayStation 3, discernible by the "Limited Edition" tab near the top of the cover art. In December 2015, the game was made available for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network.

## Overview

In concept, Twisted Metal: Black is a demolition derby that permits the usage of ballistic projectiles. Players choose a vehicle and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with opposing drivers. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage. The objective of the game is to be the last one standing.
The basis of the plot follows the same structure as in all the previous games: Calypso runs a car-based contest called Twisted Metal (though in the game the contest is never called that), in which the various characters compete risking their lives to win the prize: a single wish granted. There are different endings for each drivers, with characters who have malicious wishes generally seeing their wishes straightforwardly granted, while those with beneficent wishes (such as Outlaw's driver Agent Stone) typically seeing their wishes manipulated and misinterpreted.
Each of the game's characters has their own story, which they narrate from their own point of view. Each of them starts with them being visited by Calypso, who knows what they desire and offers them the chance to receive their wish via winning his contest. Each member of the main cast also has a mid-story cutscene presenting more of their backstory through a dream sequence and an epilogue cutscene showing the consequences of their wish.
The game instead takes place within a single city known as "Midtown", with most competitors coming from the city's mental asylum, "Blackfield".
Twisted Metal: Black has a cast made up from both new and returning characters, some of which have changed drastically from their previous appearances. There are a total of fifteen selectable characters, in which ten of them are selectable from the very beginning and the other five must be found and unlocked.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 91/100 |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame | 4.5/5 |
| Edge | 6/10 |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.5/10 |
| EP Daily | 9.5/10 |
| Eurogamer | 9/10 |
| Game Informer | 9.5/10 |
| GameRevolution | A− |
| GameSpot | 9.5/10 |
| GameSpy | 94% |
| GameZone | 9.5/10 |
| IGN | 9.6/10 |
| Next Generation | 5/5 |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | 5/5 |
| X-Play | 5/5 |
| The Cincinnati Enquirer | 4/5 |
| Playboy | 90% |
Twisted Metal: Black received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Daniel Erickson of NextGen said, "The best car combat game in history is also the most creative. Go get it." Dan Elektro of GamePro said, "If you've lost your taste for Twisted Metal, this is the game that will bring back your appetite. Twisted Metal: Black is car combat action at its best."
Many critics praised its dark and outstanding storylines for each character and its variety of weapons and unlockables, but its hover style controls for not changing much from the previous installments and its unbalanced difficulty were noted criticisms. Maxim gave the game all five stars and called it "a road rager's dream come true". Playboy gave it 90% and called it "fun for the whole family!" The Cincinnati Enquirer gave it four stars out of five and called it "a fight to the finish, so it's important to keep moving and to quickly learn how and when to use each of the weapons".
The game was nominated at The Electric Playground's 2001 Blister Awards for the "Best Multiplayer Console Game" and "Best Console Driving Game" awards, but lost to Halo: Combat Evolved and Grand Theft Auto III, respectively. It was also nominated for the "Best Shooting Game" award at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards, which also went to Halo. The game also came in ninth in their list of the Top 10 Overall. A year later, the Online version was nominated for the "Best Online Game on PlayStation 2" award at their Best and Worst of 2002 Awards, which went to SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs. During the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the latter online version received a nomination for the "Online Gameplay of the Year" award, which went to Battlefield 1942.
By July 2006, the game had sold 950,000 units and earned $31 million in the U.S. NextGen ranked it as the 61st highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between October 2000 and July 2006 in that country.

## Twisted Metal: Harbor City

A sequel project,Twisted Metal: Harbor City, was planned but never officially announced. It was later scrapped.
Details on the game were revealed in the PlayStation 2 port of Twisted Metal: Head-On, Extra Twisted Edition. Harbor City was meant to feature interconnected levels to offer a sense of a continuous world as opposed to the discrete stages of the main game. The four completed levels were included in the game as a bonus feature entitled Twisted Metal: Lost.

## Webisodes

Animation S4, a producer of 3D and Flash animations, created a series of six original Flash "Webisodes" to promote the release of Twisted Metal: Black, beginning with No-Face, and including Billy Ray Stillwell, Sweet Tooth, Dollface, Bloody Mary and Mr. Grimm.