Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal kicked off one of the most distinctive vehicular combat series ever made for consoles and became one of the key early exclusive titles for PlayStation. Players choose from a colorful roster of bizarre vehicles — from an ambulance to an ice cream truck to a tank or a limousine — and battle each other in an arena using weapons collected around the map, from rockets and mines to electric discharges, until only one survivor remains. Each vehicle also has a unique special attack that defines its playstyle and pushes players to pick a vehicle based on their preferred tactics.

The game from studio SingleTrac built on a simple but addictive concept of automotive deathmatch, enriched with dark, grotesque humor and bizarre characters with their own short stories unlocked after completing the campaign with a given character, many of which concealed darkly comic motives. Winning the campaign with a specific character also revealed a short ending video fulfilling that character's wish, giving the otherwise simple battles a narrative payoff. Technically, it was a solidly executed 3D action game with decent destruction physics and varied arenas that used elevation changes and enclosed spaces for tactical combat and hidden shortcuts. The individual weapons collected around the map also differed in power and risk of use, so players constantly had to weigh when best to deploy them.

Twisted Metal became a commercial success and founded a series that was among Sony's most distinctive brands for several console generations. Split-screen multiplayer for multiple players was one of the game's main draws, giving it a reputation as ideal party entertainment enjoyed by whole groups of friends as well as solo players working through the campaign. Today it's seen as a pioneer of the vehicular arena combat genre, and its darkly comic-book atmosphere, distinctive characters, and unmistakable humor make it a timeless classic of PlayStation's early years.

Why play it: For a group of friends around one screen, Twisted Metal is ideal party entertainment and a pioneering title of the vehicular arena combat genre, with a darkly comic-book atmosphere and unmistakable humor.