Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal launched in 1995 on PlayStation as a vehicular combat game where the goal is not to finish first but to blow the competition to pieces – every car carries its own weapons and a special attack, and the whole tournament is overseen by the demonic Calypso, who grants the winner's wish with a cruel twist. Sweet Tooth, the clown with a flaming head driving an ice cream truck, became the series' enduring icon.

Twisted Metal 2 (1996) refined the formula with more cars, globe-spanning arenas and steadier multiplayer, and many fans still consider it the most balanced entry. Twisted Metal: Black (2001) on PlayStation 2 went the opposite way, dropping the light tone for dark personal backstories and a near-horror atmosphere, and it is often cited as the series' peak in terms of mood and design. The PlayStation 3 reboot Twisted Metal (2012), made by David Jaffe's studio Eat Sleep Play, leaned into online multiplayer and team modes; reception was more mixed, and the series went quiet for a long stretch afterward.

Across every installment the core formula stayed the same – a tournament of street fighters, each with a personal reason to enter and a wish that Calypso grants at the end with an unexpected, bitter catch. The arenas drew on real American cities and grew increasingly destructible over time, while the roster of cars and their weapons expanded with each entry, becoming one of the main draws for fans of the vehicular-combat genre. The early games were made successively by studios SingleTrac and Incognito Entertainment, but the creative vision behind the series was carried throughout by David Jaffe, who returned to it years later for the 2012 reboot.