Since feelings on TM games may change from time to time, I figured I'd start up another post where we rank the series from best to worst.
1 - Twisted Metal Black: Online (2002)
Why?
It is still played to this day despite the official server having closed years ago. It was a first generation Playstation Online title that supported up to 8 players and featured (hidden) chat. It upgraded vehicles from the base game, added several new modes, and added relics, adding a whole new dimension of gameplay. Its considered the best Twisted Metal online experience, or at least the most fair and balanced.
2 - Twisted Metal 2 PC (1997)
Despite being initially unknown to many TM fans, TM2PC is among the most prized TM collectible, a rarity from the Windows 95 era, that managed to have its own cult following independent to the cult following the Playstation version had. It improved the graphics of the original game, created a more challenging story campaign, and offered online multiplayer. It was the first Twisted Metal game to allow up to 8 players online.
3 - Twisted Metal: Black (2001)
Because it's a quality game that kept a dying series alive after 989's TM4 was a financial failure many fans, both general and hardcore, consider TMB the best. TMB was really the first TM game where the developers took a little bit of input from the fans into consideration, and thus how TMAlliance.com got put in the game's Special Thanks for the first (but not last) time. TMB was also the highest rated TM game among professional critics, who praised it for its art, horror movie inspired cutscenes, atmospheric maps, and frenetic multiplayer. It also has one of the best game manuals ever.
4 - Twisted Metal PS1 (1995) PC (1996)
Unappreciated but very fun game that pioneered arena based vehicular combat on consoles, and head to head car duels. The 6 map location types, the types of characters and vehicles, and the variety of weapons provided a template for the rest of the series. There isn't a single sequel that doesn't reference the original in some way. Additionally, it also has the most realistic TM story.
5 - Twisted Metal 2: World Tour/EX (1996)
The favorite among most fans who were playing since the 90s. People were charmed by Mel McMurrin's evil and entertaining Calypso, mesmerized by a playable Minion, wowed by the mighty DarkTooth, amazed to see the Eiffel Tower fall... maps featured fun gimmicks from lava, to falling glaciers, to tall Holland grass. This was also the first TM game to feature a Co-Op mode, and the first to feature button-combo advanced attacks. The new characters of TM2 proved to be very popular in the series, especially Axel, who appeared in every single TM game since TM2 (vehicle-only in TMX).
6 - Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)
Like TM1 this game is also unappreciated. A very balanced Twisted Metal game, and an imaginative spinoff. The maps are well designed, with a soundtrack that reimagines some classic Twisted Metal tunes in a cool way. Despite the violence being toned down the game stays true to tradition.
7 - Twisted Metal: Head-On PSP (2005) PS2 (2008)
A game that is about nostalgia. Originally released as a PSP game with online multiplayer and ported years later on PS2 as a discounted title without online multiplayer (with extras in substitution). This game features dumbed down TM gameplay (strong homings, swarmers, various upgrade pickups) suited for casual gamers, mini-modes within maps (including racing), and tries to be the real sequel of TM2 while doing nothing all that innovative or original while also trying to incorporate some of the style of the Black universe (Sweet Tooth & Calypso's character designs). It amounts to this game seeming confused in what it was trying to accomplish. Still a fun game though, with some interesting maps and entertaining endings.
8 - Twisted Metal 4 (1999)
This retconned game commits the crime of erasing the events of TM1/2/3 and restarting the universe to tell the tale of how Sweet Tooth rose up the ranks and eventually took over the contest. I'd rather think it was actually TM4 that is all in Sweet Tooth's head, not TMB. This game was actually kind of fun at times though, as it certainly was trying as hard as possible to be different, so the game does feature some interesting original concepts. This game is also known for having a boss battle on each stage, being the only TM game where the tournament restarts upon completion, the first TM that had Create a Car, the first that assigned the player a ranking grade when finishing a level, and it has the distinction of being the Twisted Metal sequel with the most first-time characters as if 989 were trying to do a Street Fighter 3 thing with TM, who knows... but luckily, for us critics and haters, this game was bad enough where 989 Studios did not get a 3rd chance at a Twisted Metal sequel.
Additionally, TM4 was the 3rd TM game in a row where Sweet Tooth was a hidden playable character, despite being on the cover of the game, and featured in commercials.
9 - Twisted Metal PS3, aka TMX (2012)
Twisted Metal 2012, being the stupid child of Rogue Trip Vacation 2012 and Twisted Metal Head-On, returned the emphasis to offense; ramming, turbo ramming, turbo dash ramming, homings, auto lock weapons, multiple juice specials for everyone, super machine guns, rockets as sidearms. All that would be nice if the game had more defense beyond using shield, absorption shield, map obstacles as a shield, and grabbing healths which maps had an overabundance of, as it had an overabundance of turbo, and well, everything. The maps are not that well designed in this game & the inclusion of special team vehicles (Junkyard Dog as a medic, Juggernaut as a Super Darkside, Talon and ST as flying menaces, and Vermin as a camping remote rocket launcher) created unneeded controversy and division among fans, as well as the lack of a common dodging ability. There were some weapon ideas that were good in this game though, like exploding ricos & the shotgun. Nuke mode was a wasted opportunity, an attempt at something like capture the flag, a mode that had potential but was too flawed. Story mode was a waste but fun for a couple days, with 3 episodes, 3 bosses, 3 races, electric cage, DM, endurance, and pregnant juggernaut matches. It wasn't reflective of a true TM experience, but it did offer the first official live-action Twisted Metal story (I am excluding TM1's live-action cutscenes as they were cut from the final game). Additionally this game allows 4 drivers to drive whichever vehicle they want, diminishing the driver-vehicle relationship that was established in the series. It introduces a faction concept despite the TM contest never having been about gang warfare before. On the positive side, the game features some cool music by Larry Lalonde (Primus/Possessed), a Buckethead song, and Chuck E. Myers/Tommy Hopkins doing one final TM anthem.
10 - Twisted Metal III (1998)
This is the worst of the main series. The first sequel to TM2, this game is more like a parody of TM2 that carried over the same ideas, as it returns World Tour, Calypso in a blimp, a wrecked LA as the starting point, Minion as the mid-boss, and Sweet Tooth as a hidden playable character (despite being on the cover of the game and in TV commercials). This game is only really fun for me with gameshark codes on that allow me to play as Darkside and Primeval, because the main roster of this game is total trash although you could make a case for Firestarter and Club Kid who have pretty good specials. Returning characters were turned into joke characters for the most part, both in terms of story and how they played as vehicles. This game also lacked Shield for some odd reason and is the only Twisted Metal sequel that does. The attempt at more realistic physics was laughable but the graphics were okay, and if you love Rob Zombie and Lance Lenhart's TM guitar style, then you couldn't really complain about the soundtrack, since they made up 67 percent of it. Despite lackluster multiplayer it was the first Playstation TM to offer 3 & 4 player matches, and one of two titles that offered an AI ally in single player.
11 - Twisted Metal: Lost, & Sweet Tour (2008)
Why is TM Lost the worst game in the series? Because the story is a lie, for one. The TMB2 team did not die in a plane crash, and that fictitious account is not just morbid but disrespectful to them and the fans too. That aside, the game is fun, but not that fun. The gameplay is Head-On, the cars are Twisted Metal Black but they look like they don't want to be there, the map is some of Harbor City, the music is sped up TMB music, the Ricos are TM2 style in size, and the Low Health alarm is annoying as hell. The TML driver bios are not really canon but they are kind of fun I guess, but without text endings for each driver they are meaningless. The exclusion of Death Port from the short campaign is odd too. I'm not a game designer but I'd think 4 levels and Gold Tooth as a boss would make more sense than 3 levels and no boss fight. TM Lost ultimately just felt like a shameless way of hyping the property for the sake of promoting the next game, & it ended up teasing fans that really wanted TMB2 and were sad about Harbor City never happening. Also, the lack of Minion but the inclusion of a scrapped vehicle like 12-Pak was disappointing to me. As for Sweet Tour, roaming around Blackfield and reading the factoids was interesting the first time around, but even this Trivia mode felt like a wasted opportunity because it doesn't really give you that good of an idea of what the on-foot mission would have been like since there are no enemies.