Twisted Meta | The Intriguing Story Of Twisted Metal: Black

Boy, we sure did have fun last time, didn't we? Well, as is something I want to do on this channel, I wanted to balance the books of negativity with some positivity. Recently I played through the game Twisted Metal: Black and made a discovery that some might feel mundane if you're a fan, but as a new fan, it's fascinating to me. Hopefully you'll understand by the end of this video as well.
Any similarities between me and anyone else alive or dead is... unfortunate.

[@TBP]

Apologies, there was some annoying audio popping towards the 14 minute mark that I just couldn't stand to leave in. So I had to pull the video and find a way to fix the audio, which was a strange amount of work. Hopefully this doesn't kill me in the eyes of the algorithm before I can even get the channel off the ground. Anyways, follow me on twitter. twitter.com/RealTBP

[@slimcognito5327]

I was wondering why this video was pulled down. Good to know it was only temporary

[@tapz02]

Ohh, yh was wondering why it was reuploaded

[@xxxxxandozel1645]

Actually i think i get what’s being said by Marcus, The entire game’s Visuals are from needles mind while marcus remembers it being Colourful and less dull with more wacky people.

[@thegreat1007]

If thats true it makes the game a hundred times more scarier

[@shift_nasty]

Dereck?

[@nickynicky513]

At about 12 minutes I started laughing so hard thinking about how I clicked on a twisted metal video and ended up in a super deep psychology break down of sweet tooth’s mind and I loved it.

[@MikeStang2004]

Same here man. I never thought this video was going to go into a super deep psychology but it did and I too also love it. Especially cause everything he said make sense if you really think about it.

[@kushstein]

Because TM used to have amazing lore.

[@aitolight]

youtube at it's finest

[@mattyy101]

Lol it goes deep for a video game, used to love twisted metal games though

[@gregtavarez3322]

Why does this have so many likes

[@coldharbor2.020]

I remember when I was a kid, I would go to the cutscene viewer in the menu in Twisted Metal: Black and watch all the cutscenes late at night. I was scared shitless from all those cutscenes. I was never was able to get past the first level time because of how hard the game was for my small child brain. My dad always played it and beat the game, unlocking all the cutscenes and characters.

[@perturbedxtirade7428]

Your dad sounds cool !

[@coldharbor2.020]

@@perturbedxtirade7428 yup, he is! Love him to death

[@alexpaniagua1296]

@@coldharbor2.020 That's awesome to hear bud! Keep on doing so! It's beautiful!

[@WheatPG3D]

Exact same thing lmao

[@deciduous_reaper]

I played the game when I was like 4 years old and yeah it was disturbing and scary especially No-Face but never passed it since it was way too hard and when I got it on PS4 (which I was on like 20 years) I have all the characters even Minion and 100% got the Trophies

[@twistedmetaldarkside962]

Finally someone made something about twisted metal in 2021

[@geewhiz5926]

I like your pfp Dollface was my favorite too I was deadly with her boy could she whip that rig that ram was nasty af lol

[@psdmaniac]

seek better. There is a few videos about TM created this year

[@twistedmetaldarkside962]

@@psdmaniac nope

[@MrRomiBajwa]

😝

[@SheriffValentine]

Lol right

[@ailingstar8856]

Two interesting things I noticed in TMB: 1: The only drivers other than Sweet Tooth who physically resemble their main universe counterparts in name and appearance (though not in characterization) are Mr. Grimm and Axel - the two characters whose faces are clearly visible, since they are respectively driving a motorcycle and a pair of giant wheels and a board. They're the only characters who Needles would have clearly seen the face of. The closest third is Needles's own father, and even then the appearance is way off. 2: The character driving Roadkill - normally Marcus's vehicle - is an amnesiac John Doe, a metaphorical blind spot.

[@MEGVTRON]

Noone cares

[@FlackBackTV]

​@@MEGVTRON I do.

[@MEGVTRON]

@@FlackBackTV like i said NOONE

[@FlackBackTV]

@@MEGVTRON aren't you so edgy and cool.

[@MEGVTRON]

@@FlackBackTV why is noone still talkin

[@MrJtin69]

Just proves this could be an amazing horror film and series if properly done

[@fetuskicker6466]

Youre in luck now. Peacock made a show about it although it’s not a horror

[@cosmicsoul8042]

​@@fetuskicker6466 Have you watched it? Is it any good?

[@fetuskicker6466]

@@cosmicsoul8042 it is extremely good. I’m actually already rewatching it as I type this lol

[@cosmicsoul8042]

@@fetuskicker6466 will see if I can watch it somehow as I don't have peacock subscription.

[@coldharbor2.020]

We need more video essays on twisted metal! It sucks to see that this only has 1,500 views, it needs way more. Hopefully twisted metal makes a big comeback one day.

[@TBP]

I'm planning to do a video sometime in the future attempting to piece together the Twisted Metal timeline. So look forward to that. Although it will require a lot more research and possibly contacting some experts on the series.

[@coldharbor2.020]

@@TBP awsome! for sure will sub with the bell on. I will keep a look out for when it is posted, thanks.

[@bandawin18]

@@coldharbor2.020 did you hear that twisted metal is coming back in 2023 with a new game and a tv series? Big stuff

[@coldharbor2.020]

@@bandawin18 yeah, i'm really looking foward to it!

[@That_Handle]

A comeback!?!? Heck, I played a session of TM:B-Online just last night on my PS2! No way I'm waitin' around!!

[@UhGaflavin]

I remember from when I was a kid The quote in No Faces Journal(Instruction Manual) "they say the mind bends in order to deal with the pressures of life, sometime it twists so much it snaps in two" or something like that. Only now I'm realizing it's about Minion and Sweet Tooth, also the significance of the asylum and why every single person starts in the same exact solitary room.

[@sprinterofblack8186]

The Twisted Metal series is filled with so much mystery it's intriguing. I never did really look at Black at such a deep level. But after revisiting the game, I'm suckered into the mystery. The mind of Sweet Tooth is perhaps among the top 10 of gaming's biggest mysteries.

[@FatherTime89]

"I was also fighting Axel, see he's right there" The timing of that was really funny.

[@LKOnyx]

One theory could be that Marcus Kane could’ve very well been the dominant personality at one point, believing that he was in some sort of dream where he was fighting sweet tooth for control. Then in Twisted Metal 2 made a wish to calypso that he would wake up, in which calypso screwed him over by putting him in a hallucination where he had “woken up” while sweet tooth would become the dominant personality (It’s been made clear several times that Calypso will purposefully misconstrue the meaning of things in order to screw over the winner). He had probably been in trapped in this hallucination for years, relief probably making him believe it was all real, never getting in the way of sweet tooth’s murder spree. However, around the events of TMB, Marcus would probably wake up from this hallucination (most likely with the help of strong perception that he already had as well as strong feelings of anxiety which he may have already suffered from when he was the dominant personality) only for him to find that sweet tooth is the dominant personality who has been running around freely for so long that he could easily kill the personality of Marcus if he found out that side of him returned. So now in TMB, while we’re playing through the eyes of Sweet Tooth, he could very well be fearing that Marcus has returned and is now entering the competition in order to try and kill him (just as sweet tooth had been trying to do before) while Marcus is trying to avoid getting caught by him. This could also explain why Marcus is a character you would unlock, as he isn’t really in the world of TMB but just a figure in sweet tooth’s mind that only he can see.

[@OneNationUnderGod.45]

Woah, those are really good points. That actually makes sense that Sweet Tooth is the only one who can see him, since your battle with Minion, is the ONLY battle where it's completely 1vs1. Even the final boss isn't a direct 1vs1. It's amazing how all of these years later, people still talk about this games mysteries.

[@SeanStrife]

The only really big hole in this theory I can see is the fact Marcus Kane was nowhere to be found in the very first Twisted Metal; that was all Needles Kane.

[@MrRAGE-md5rj]

To be fair, there was the whole situation with Mr. Ash, Calypso, and the demon, "Black."

[@nathanielgarza9198]

I’d assumed from Marcus’ ending that the twisted metal world was the real world so when he wished to wake up Calypso had to give him a hallucination of waking up As Calypso said that is beyond his power to grant, but he will try to get close to what he wants

[@breakinggames6356]

Interesting theory this was my first game too but the 2012 version of twisted metal adds to it but marcus was the dominant personality and sweet tooth kept picking away at him and is based on what I remember all the anger he has built up over the years or decades until one day sweet tooth gets marcus to carve his mask and then sweet tooth « killed him » and then did the same to his family if you want to know more watch the cutscenes or play the game

[@NerdStone01]

Maybe Sweet Tooth won the previous tournament and his wish was for a never ending tournament? Trapping himself along with everyone else in a loop inside his head. That’s why everyone is in prison.

[@3xperiment8]

The true story of Twisted Metal Black explained is as following: Twisted Metal: Black all takes place in Needles Kane’s/SweetTooth’s mind. SweetTooth is the other personality of Marcus. Since SweetTooth is the stronger personality, Marcus is stuck in SweetTooth’s mind, where everything is dark. Every character’s personality and story is a representation of how SweetTooth thinks or something he has done in the past. JUNKYARD DOG - Being betrayed BRIMSTONE - Lies of religion OUTLAW - Ineffectiveness of the law MR. GRIMM - Regret for a horrible act/Addiction to a horrible act ROADKILL - Forgetting your old life CRAZY 8 - Revenge against someone that has blinded you physically or mentally SPECTRE - Never finding love/Being an outcast/Selfishness DARKSIDE - Loss of innocence SHADOW - Friendship/Avenging someone important to you YELLOW JACKET - Broken family/Legacy after you die AXEL - Guilt for someone’s death WARTHOG - Removal of remorse MANSLAUGHTER - Demons/Intruders MINION - The biggest obstacle The only ones who are aware of their presence in SweetTooth’s mind are Marcus, Black/Manslaughter and Calypso. Minion is Marcus in SweeTooth's mind. That's why when we play with Minion we see those messages in codes "I DON'T THINK THIS IS REAL". "I THINK WE ARE TRAPPED IN HIS MIND" and so on. Black is a demon who was sent by his master, from the real world, into SweetTooth’s mind to kill the Calypso in SweetTooth’s mind. In the real world, Twisted Metal is an actual competition. The original Twisted Metal, 1995 (also Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal Head on) is the real world. Black’s master is the real Darkside, Mr. Ash/Darkside from Twisted Metal (1995). Mr. Ash is the devil. Calypso obtained his powers by stealing Black from Mr. Ash and using Black’s demonic power to grant the wishes that the winners of the contest ask for. Since Calypso is present in SweetTooth’s mind, he used Black’s power to transport from his real body to his body inside SweetTooth’s mind and hides from Mr. Ash there, while remaining aware of where he is. Since Black is also present in SweetTooth’s mind, Mr. Ash sent Black from his real body to his body inside SweetTooth’s mind to kill the Calypso there. Since Calypso does not control Black in SweetTooth’s mind, Black is able to follow Mr.Ash’s commands. Since Calypso is aware that he is in SweetTooth’s mind, being killed by another aware person would kill him in the real world also, which is why Mr. Ash sent Black to kill him there. Mr. Ash cannot go himself because he does not exist in SweetTooth’s mind, which is why Calypso chose to hide there. SweetTooth does not notice Marcus, Black and Calypso being aware because SweetTooth sees his imagination as the real world.

[@NerdStone01]

@@3xperiment8 thank you. Story was more complicated than I thought 💭 Is the tv show any good??

[@3xperiment8]

@@NerdStone01 Glad you enjoyed, bro :) The TV show is good. It is a generic storyline. Not fair to say it's Twisted Metal shell universe on a show. It is an adaptation of the franchise. Some characters were even taken from non canon titles like TM3. But It's an adaptation that stays true to what Twisted Metal is about. It's very mature, dark humor on a good balance, without posing or trying to be over violent. I enjoyed the vehicles characters, specially Sweet Tooth. And there are lots of references to the 90's. The visuals are colorful and vibrant, with also dark environments depending on th scene. It remembers you that you're watching something based on a game at every minute. It's fun even for those who never played the game. I can't spoil you much more. Just say that It has potential for a even better season 2. Twisted Metal Show is the proof that a videogame franchise work doesn't need to follow the videogame story to be good and worth watching. I totally recommend!

[@3xperiment8]

@@NerdStone01 Glad you enjoyed, bro :) The TV show is good. It is a generic storyline. Not fair to say it's Twisted Metal shell universe on a show. It is an adaptation of the franchise. Some characters were even taken from non canon titles like TM3. But It's an adaptation that stays true to what Twisted Metal is about. It's very mature, dark humor on a good balance, without posing or trying to be over violent. I enjoyed the vehicles characters, specially Sweet Tooth. And there are lots of references to the 90's. The visuals are colorful and vibrant, with also dark environments depending on th scene. It remembers you that you're watching something based on a game at every minute. It's fun even for those who never played the game. I can't spoil you much more. Just say that It has potential for a even better season 2. Twisted Metal Show is the proof that a videogame franchise work doesn't need to follow the videogame story to be good and worth watching. I totally recommend!

[@torque8899]

I always took it then it definitely all in his head. Calypso looking completely different but having the same scarred eye as sweet tooth’s mask. The overall emphasis on masks like doll face, mr Grimm even minion. The asylum type theme, I got that maybe needles/ Marcus had finally been locked up in an asylum an this was playing out in his head.

[@jimmycraig221]

yeah the asylum was the giveaway for me, and the masks seemed to hammer the point home. i was a bit older tho so it wasnt very difficult for me to absorb with repeated playthroughs.

[@CassandraPantaristi]

My headcanon is that Twisted Metal: Black takes place in the mind of Needles Kane of the Twisted Metal 2012 interpretation, while he is asleep.

[@andrewverrett568]

Nice theory.

[@JayCalamity07]

But how do u explains other ppls story's and endings lol

[@frankdeleon4209]

🤔😲right!

[@Cipher_Actual]

So, fun fact. On the back of the case for Black there's some text that says "The mind bends and twists to deal with the horrors of life. Sometimes the mind bends so much, it snaps in two." Or something along those lines. I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but it might have something to contribute to the conversation as well.

[@Impalingthorn]

It is in the manual as well. It's a line spoken by Mr. Grimm: "They say the mind bends and twists as it tries to deal with the horrors of life. I think mine bent so much it snapped in two."

[@TheGodofdrawing]

To give a possible answer to, "if sweet tooth is dead, why are we still seeing the world through his perspective," I interpret it as what he believes would happen to that contestant once they won the competition. Sure it's a stretch and it one of those things you really have to squint at but here's my point. If the Needles personality takes over when Markus is asleep, what's to say that these aren't Sweet Tooth's "Dreams" so to speak? Sometimes in dreams you can take on the perspective of other people and even live what you believe their life to be.

[@kyddkreature9801]

Sweet Tooth takes the term "head canon" to a WHOLE new level 😂😂

[@SHDW-nf2ki]

I really wish you'd talk about the other character's stories. You can see a lot of Sweet Tooth in them once you know to look for it, like how everyone is out for blood and suffering all the time.

[@isaac2bands]

Yooo a comment from 10 minutes ago 😳

[@WaffleStomper69]

Calypso is the best

[@KanishQQuotes]

Doll face has interesting story, also Axel is literally trapped between two tyres

[@baghousetechnician9815]

@@KanishQQuotes sweet tooth for president

[@jimmycraig221]

thats a good point. you could do a video series on every character, and i'd certainly watch them all. im just now realizing how justified i was in my love for this game. i knew it was underrated, but i think i underrated just how underrated it truly is/was.

[@gerryfegan3608]

Funny story... My mom bought this game for me when I turned 8 years old It gave me nightmares and I never played it again after seeing the character backstory

[@gerryfegan3608]

@@brkenppt2222 haha I feel ya

[@zenos02]

I saw a theory that said most of the characters are parts of Sweet Tooths fractured Psyche Sweet Tooth- the Main Personality Brimstone- The part of his brain that interprets how he views Religion Darkside- The Innocent side of his mind that he locked away once he started killing Outlaw- how he views Justice, Regret, & Grief though the car is a pretty strong fighter Sweet Tooth feels that those emotions will make him weak Specter- The side of him that Loves, he'd do anything for what he loves (murder) and stop at nothing to reach his goal and God help whoever gets between him and his passion Roadkill- the life he had before he lost his sanity, Sweet Tooth wants to forget about who he was before becoming Needles Kane Mr. Grimm- How Sweet Tooth views survival. He'll do whatever it takes to stay alive and continue killing no matter how Heinous or Horrific the outcome is. Junkyard Dog- The side of him that was once hurt by a loved one (Sweet Tooth could've been abused as a child that may have mentally scarred him) Yellow Jacket- How Sweet Tooth views his own relationship with his father. The two may have been close growing up until Sweet Tooth killed him years later, killing his father may have hurt him deep down, but Sweet Tooth will never admit it. Manslaughter- the primal instinct that is in Sweet Tooth. Black says that he was created to only survive and kill. Crazy 8- The fighting spirit Sweet Tooth has to just keep going despite how injured he may be. Shadow- how he will take the biggest risks to get revenge on those who wronged him in the past Minion- who he TRULY is trying to resurface in his Psyche. Calypso- all of Sweet Tooths Hopes & Dreams. He knows he's got to work hard to achieve his ultimate Goal... The Perfect Kill.

[@TwisteyJ]

Warthog - The side of him that still has compassion and empathy, which he desires to kill off so that he doesn’t feel guilty for killing

[@N_0_S_t_al_gicben-zo]

Perfect

[@zenos02]

@@TwisteyJ holy shit, I did forget Warthog and I agree with your description of Cage's representation

[@NeurodivergentSuperiority]

@@TwisteyJ Or how he views the competiton

[@NeurodivergentSuperiority]

Mr.Grimm could also the be projection of the dopamine Sweet Tooth feels every time he commits murder, the way both reap the rewards of each kill (Sweet Tooth via pride and joy, Mr.Grimm via cannibalisim)

[@Najstefaniji]

the whole game is him fighting his own personalities. very very deep and interesting, its like in Alice:Madness returns, or the first part, or the third which is about to come out. superbly done man, now this game has even bigger value. also, check twisted metal black for ps3 and ps4, it has better graphics, and there are some ways you can play it on your pc, full wide screen. EDIIT: by THIS IS HOW HE SEES THE WORLD, he means : This game, Black, is far darker and moodier than the rest, all other games are happy colored.i think now, he got even worst with his psychosis and there you go, his world where he;s fighting 15+ entities, is now gray and dark, he is going even more insane. i think thats the message, and minion wants it to go back to some previous game, still at war but less dark less gray more colored. or maybe he wants to set free of all other personalities, i now thing other players are imagined as well, everything is in his head, like the shutter island

[@ludroalvarado9922]

So, after watching the timeline video and this one, I have come up with a theory that could connect TM 2, Black and Head-On into a singular cohesive plot. What I find very interesting about Head-On is that Calypso's appearance is strikingly similar to how he looked in Black, with the whole black scarred eye thing. This video then got me thinking; what if Sweet Tooth somehow survived the events of TM2 and had some kind of 'psychotic break', placing him in a dream-state where he would hallucinate being in another competition, which forms the events of TM: Black. Remember that in TM2, Sweet Tooth wanted an 'escape from his madness' in his strange ending. So perhaps, in order to escape his madness (or at least confront it), he had to do it himself and face his own demons through the events in Black. Now that I think about it, he might have fantasized the endings for the other characters as some kind of 'closure', or in his case a little headcanon just to soothe what little of a soul he has left. After Black, Head-On begins, and Sweet Tooth wins the competition. The way that Needles carries himself in his ending is a very strong contrast to how he was previously portrayed, rather than just a mad clown killer, he is something more of a focused psychopath with a clear, dedicated goal in mind, even going so far as to fire a few quips at Calypso. The reason for his shift is due to his ending in Black, which tells us that; A. Needles accepts himself for who he is, and embraces the madness rather than wishing it away, and B. He wants to be "the greatest of all time", which I presume to be the greatest killer of all time... ...and what better way to do that, than to gain Calypso's powers? If the next Twisted Metal game were to follow Head-On's continuity somehow (which I highly doubt), I wonder how Sweet Tooth post Head-On would run the competition. Maybe he would actually grant some wishes, considering how in Black he allowed some of the contestants to get a good ending. After all, Needles is only half of a being, and maybe Marcus (or Minion) is controlling a little bit of his mind... Regardless, I am glad to see some critical thought being put in a franchise which sincerely deserves it. These videos show me a lot of untapped potential in the series, and hopefully with the supposedly upcoming game and series, the writers would do it justice.

[@pinstripe4254]

I think a fascinating idea is thinking about a more realistic version of Sweet tooth’s mental state. In real life multiple personality disorder forms from trauma. It’s usually a complex defense that certain individual’s brains use to not completely shatter from a horrifyingly traumatic event (like something beyond horrifying. It’s been known to show up in victims of child pornography and consistent childhood sexual abuse) Now typically these personalities will fascinatingly serve a purpose. They can commonly do things to protect their core personalities. Some also have abilities beyond inhabiting the body. They can cause hallucinations that are so vivid they seem completely real, even in one instance simulating an assault and rape to discourage the host personality to dig further into something (long story that is fascinating to look into) So why did Kane’s psyche create Needles? Well I am unsure of the circumstance obviously but it’s maybe in relation to his never again mentioned brother. I think it’s quite possible that he never had a younger brother and instead his “younger brother” in reality is him. At least a version of him. Maybe even another weaker personality stemming from his childhood. See his father was killed we don’t know how although it’s assumed to be by sweet tooth. I think in reality it’s possible that this was some form of mugging that happened in front of the young Kane. Or some other senseless killing. In response to watching his father die in front of him (which is definitely traumatic) his brain segmented off that knowledge and suppressed it. Later on something triggered these memories creating a seperated personality. One focused on defense through offense. Protecting Marcus through killing all possible threats. That being any person at all. Needles has an innate desire to kill as an attempt to defend the host personality. Of course this is despite Marcus’s wishes as Needles despite being made to defend has developed a sick love of killing. So yeah that’s my attempt at creating a somewhat reasonable version of Marcus Kane’s psychosis. Of course MPD is not at all well understood atm and I’m definitely not an expert only having taken a singular psychology course but I just thought writing this comment would be interesting

[@elijennings9913]

Oddly enough I had the same theory.

[@kielmessersmith1956]

Knowing about the secret messages makes me wonder if calypso never lost his ring and power, but instead merely put sweet tooth to sleep in his ideal dream world. Along with other souls collected by calypso. Making TM4 and black a sort of shared dream/nightmare of all the contestants, inside sweet tooths mind until he wakes up.

[@Ziimbiian]

One thing the newspaper that appears on Sweet Tooth's cinematic is that this contest happends in the year 2001. So it is around one of the few contests being held. Christmas 2005 was the 10th Contest being held, with Minion also being the winner of said year. And the past one

[@TBP]

Good eye, sniper.

[@Vaatacious]

One interpretation I like to think is that Marcus Kane is actually delusional into thinking he’s the sane one when in reality this is how he views the world. The only contradiction to this idea is his quote about missing the colorful world, but seeing as his character has always been one to want to wake up from these dreams and be in the real world, I find the settings, characters, vehicles, stories and everything being more realistic and ideal for a guy like him as opposed to Needles, a clown who has his actual head on fire, fitting the theme of colors and wacky crazy settings and a world like Twisted metal 2 being his true perspective. I feel he takes memories from other competitors to fill in the other characters, and the legacy of the real minion for some sort of power complex since even in Black, Minion is the champion of the previous contest. I don’t think it’s too far fetched as in Marcus’ TM2 ending when he wakes up, the people in the car pile up are also competitors and if I’m not mistaken, even the doctor has Calypso’s voice. Possibly filling spots in his head like he could in Black? I’m pretty sure a lot of my points can be countered but I enjoy throwing these scenarios out for discussion if theres any merit to them. One thing I also like, if this is actually Sweet Tooth’s perspective is that Marcus always drove around Roadkill. He takes over Minion this time which can always symbolize being a minion to the other personality or demons that being Needles/Sweet Tooth, but also if Marcus is mostly snuffed out, that Roadkill is now John Doe, aka an unknown, a blank slate that use to be where Marcus Kane was. Even more crazy how John Doe is arguably the most sane or good people in Black, only to be taken out in the end. Also a more bitter piece of irony I find is in his dying moments, he remembers he has a family, much like Roadkill in TM2 at the end being reunited with his family. As if a faded lingering memory being killed off, just like John Doe’s whole amnesia story. I might be thinking way too deep though

[@kenpanderz672]

from a near-complete outsider from a lore perspective, my head-canon is that these Twisted Metal competitions are happening, but Sweet Tooth interprets them as being far more deadly than they really are. where in reality they might be either entirely virtual ala The Matrix, or they are heavily regulated to ensure they are as safe to engage in as possible, like any normal destruction derby. though it could also be possible that Sweet Tooth/Needles Kain is an actual serial killer who enters these derbies run by a corrupt man (Calypso) who allows him to make things more lethal for greater ratings or something, but most of the magic elements are exaggerations of reality on account of Needles' psychosis. if im wrong or apparently not aware of certain aspects of the lore, feel free to inform/correct me.

[@BLaRgXrvbX]

Calypso's abilities in each game differs from world to world. There is no grand continuity, and the development teams wouldn't care to make it as such. In Black, he seems to be a morally-challenged and well-connected man that can get you just about anything. In Head-On, he's a trickster God. What is constant is that he deeply enjoys the bloodshed and carnage wrought by his tournaments. All his contestants are desperate people in need of something, and he claims he can give it to them "for a small price". This is most easily shown in the character of Grim. In Black, an American solider in Vietnam was trapped in a tiger pit with his battle buddy, Benny, and held prisoner for weeks. Benny died, and Grim was starving. Instead of releasing him, their captor threw him a knife. Forced into cannibalism, he wore Benny's skull as a mask over his own to pay tribute. When he was finally found, they put him in psychiatric care. For winning the competition, Grim gets to eat the man who imprisoned him, alive. In Head-On, Grim is the Grim Reaper. IIRC, he becomes addicted to consuming souls. Desperate to be rid of his duties and vice, he enters the tournament. For winning the contest, Calypso makes him human, and makes someone else the reaper. Immediately, he gets hit by a truck and is harvested by the new Reaper. If you have a PlayStation, you can play Black on their streaming service. Calypso is actually very honest with the contestants there-- it's what they want that is rather dark. It can mostly be won through map and character familiarity, but looking up the special moves would help quite a bit.

[@UhGaflavin]

I'm pretty sure Calypso is a human with powers of a demon, he has a job to do but wants to be free to use his powers to rule the world, so to be able to exercise his power he had to create twisted metal. In one game I think minion was the demon he got his powers from and he took Calypso back to hell. Since black would be in Needles Kanes head, Calypso of course would be weak considering that Needles is the chosen successor to run the Twisted Metal Tournament, and has ALWAYS had it out for Calypso.

[@TKsMantis]

Great video about a great game! Good stuff man!

[@ar1299gaming]

Holy shit I didn't expect to see you here. That's super dope.

[@ChrisP-yp6iy]

Really though hahaha

[@UndisputedBillyBadass]

Wtf mantis is here ☝🏻

[@lilchadaldrich]

This just blew my mind. I was a huge fan of Twisted Metal 3, then Twisted Metal 2, and then Twisted Metal 4. Me and my brother and all our friends played these games all the time. Great job.

[@shiruotakuno28]

I never realized how much Sweet Tooth's situation is like Fight Club. Great video!

[@SebbyPlaysMusic]

"This game is not for the faint of heart." *simultaneously shows picture of man's head being chopped off during warning*

[@RoxorTehCoxor]

AMERICA

[@____________838]

Guck yeah!

[@ultimasora27]

Goes to show all perspective is important, from amateur to expert. I've played Black since childhood up until now and never saw this take on the universe in that specific game. Though I do have to say the creator has said Black has always been the way he's envisioned Twisted Metal franchise to be in his head. Dave Jaffe. Also he has said from the start that Sweet Tooth is him, his dark thoughts. Still stick to my original opinion about your perspective though. Earned yourself a sub

[@reee5159]

Such a good fucking game, I literally would kill for another twisted metal game that was on par with Black. Especially looking back it was super creative and super fun some good shit lost to time.

[@chriswright8114]

username checks out

[@reee5159]

@@chriswright8114 indeed

[@reee5159]

Lol didn't catch the joke until now😂

[@reee5159]

@@chriswright8114 my name has been this for a long time okay😂

[@viperxr3761]

I guess all that's left to do is join Twisted metal in the real world!

[@CarmineKar98K]

Also it's very awesome and refreshing seeing new fans get onboard with the series! This series is so underrated and I always love welcoming fans to it.

[@alexalvesferreira6753]

in twisted metal 2012 there is an epilogue cutscene that shows in a place where calipso is, on the wall there are accessories of the contestants of the other games together (ex. darkside's mask or crazy 8's box glove from twisted metai black, etc.), which means that twisted metal black contest and to a certain extent the endings of each characters acutually happened at some poit, and of couse, that could mean two things: either the contest of black happened as we saw in the game itself or it could be just another twisted metal contest through sweet tooth's eyes.

[@1Hol1Tiger]

Calypso's powers allow him to transcend time and space, we know this because pretty much all the endings seem to happen to some extent. Twisted Metal 2 seems to imply that Outlaw and Charlie BOTH won last time (Charlie's ending has him becoming Calypso's personal driver, TM2 has Dark Tooth which Charlie is the driver of.. and Outlaw's connections are even stronger) and Head-On only works if Twister, Outlaw, and Mr. Slamm win the previous tournamet Twisted Metal 3 (non-canon I know), has Captain Rogers and Outlaw both winning Twisted Metal 2 Twisted Metal 4 doesn't work if ANYONE wins Twisted Metal 3, but rather continues off of an ending from Head-On

[@CassandraPantaristi]

I feel like TM: 2012 is the waking world in contrast to the world of Needles in Black.

[@ciroaldorisio8034]

i love how the intro for your channel is just you deadass cooking dinner

[@chefboiardeeznutz9881]

Or you know...breakfast

[@ciroaldorisio8034]

@@chefboiardeeznutz9881 im italian, in the morning we only eat sweet, never salty

[@chefboiardeeznutz9881]

@@ciroaldorisio8034 fair enough

[@TheOnlyBlaze87]

You know you made awesome and highly interested game when years later people are still talking about it and I love it cause we need more games like this in current day, stories that really make you go down the rabbit hole to find out what's the secret just to hit with a whole plot twist. We NEED these types of games

[@eevee_lunice]

For.the longest time I've believed this could be happening: This is all just a daydream of sorts or a reimagining of another tournament in Sweet Tooth's head. Many characters fit the mold of old characters, but how Sweet Tooth might see them. Mr. Grimm, devourer of souls, now just a cannibal. Outlaw, a cop, to him he's just a murderer. Spectre, always wants attention, so to him they're just a psychotic bitch who demands someone love her, etc. Yellow Jacket is particularly interesting, as it could mean he's cut all ties to his family, he's mentally killed them off, and the boy may just be a lingering "what's going on with them" moment. Marcus piloting Minion may be used as a part of him hiding. Minion may be the one thing Sweet Tooth fears, seeing how frantic and chaotic the battle is. The sky turns blood red and clouds move unrealistically fast, possibly pointing towards a panic attack. Sweet Tooth may not want to be anywhere near Minion, so it stops him from investigation. Not even Warhawk, someone who successfully captured him, scares him that much. In the unlocking cutscene, if you listen close, Minions radio keeps mumbling out "it's not real, it's not real", possibly to keep Marcus from losing all hope and becoming absorbed by Sweet Tooth's mind, especially because he is fated to lose. Minion being playable may be Sweet Tooth just pretending to be him, a sort of power fantasy. He can't read his code, and may not understand why he can't write one for him, hence his game ends with just a dark screen. It may also be the one time Sweet Tooth is sleeping where Marcus has more power, and can try to dominate, to no avail, try to scream our for help, but nobody can help him. Every other character you play is just a what if scenario in his head, entertaining the thought of the other characters winning. The environment is how Sweet Tooth may see the real, waking world as well. Dark, oppressive, something his messed up psyche would love. TM1 and 2 may be real, in some way, but I'm unsure.

[@heardofrvb]

But how does Head-on add to this, especially Dark Tooth's ending?

[@CassandraPantaristi]

My headcanon of Twisted Metal Black is that it takes place in the mind of a sleeping Needles Kane of Twisted Metal 2012. Needles in Black dreams of being the greatest serial killer of all time, which in the 2012 waking world Marcus wishes he would be as there's one who got away (Sophie). Because of this, he feels unsatisfied with him being the "greatest" serial killer ever. So, he lucid dreams a world where Sophie doesn't exist during his sleep (Black). Marcus in Black is Needles' split personality trying to get out. In the 2012 waking world, I think that means Marcus is trying to be dominant but his personality of Needles is simply too strong.

[@chadlarson4149]

Has anyone ever given credit to the minds that create narratives in games? Shit we could barely ever imagine for ourselves, they create entire worlds.

[@KasumiRINA]

I mean, that's called being a writer. Every game, movie, or book is written by them, out of thin air.

[@chadlarson4149]

@@KasumiRINA Provably untrue. Most everything that exists now has been built off the shoulder's of the giants in the past. Every story told today in cinema is a retelling or a reinterpretation of the past. It's been that way for a long time. It's a hero with 1000 faces. Everything that can be done, has already been done. Nothing is ever out of thin air. Ever. Writers are a dime a dozen, true visionary geniuses are once in a generation, if that.

[@SlugRiot]

@@chadlarson4149💯

[@Space_Ghost_Hunter]

The mastermind behind Sweet Tooth and most of Twisted Metal's narrative is this dude named David Jaffee, he also created God of War and the first iteration of Kratos, guy is a legend in gaming.

[@trcsonic]

Very good video. I'm a big fan of Twisted Metal and i considered Black to be the best one because is very deep. The dark tone of the story is something else. Mr. Grimm from Black is the best version for the character. This, Vigilante 8 and Road Rash are the videogame series i missed the most.

[@treflippa2]

Man I always felt bad for the vigilante 8 series. Seemed it was somewhat underrated alot due to Twisted Metal. Also love me some Road Rash. All these series need proper reboots IMO. Would likely be breaths of fresh air to newer gamers too who haven't had the luxury of experiencing these series before.

[@FatherTime89]

This was a well done video. Have you ever seen the list of how the other characters' stories possibly/explicity prop up Sweet Tooth? In Roadkill's story he mentions Calypso is number 2 on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Who's number 1? Probably Sweet Tooth.

[@buggy730]

Now that I know about super egos, I can now safely determine what Calypso removed out of cages (also known as warthog) brain.

[@Poleskeris]

As far as I know david jaffe (the director) had to quickly make a closure to the game as he was approaching the game's deadline so he made up this cryptic ending and called it a day, so in my opinion im gonna go with its all actually happening narrative!

[@CassandraPantaristi]

Does that mean his little brother exists?

[@beersforsmarch]

I worked with the lady who voiced the original Doll Face and we would periodically get her to say lines from the game, basically just swearing in the middle of the office lol

[@Blackan]

Sounds like fun lol

[@zxJC34xz]

Is she cute lol

[@murtlethefertileturtle6732]

If you play as sweet tooth the minion boss fight is literally both personalities fighting for control until one dies

[@nono9543]

I remember when this game first came out and the revelation that Black was all in Sweet Tooths head made us question whether or not all the other characters represented some twisted aspect of Needless's own life. Like is Preacher's ending metaphorical for Needless's slow descent into madness and his loss of faith over any God-like benevolence existing? Is Dollface a representation of his need to wear a mask to hide the pain from others? Is the zombie corpse of his father meandering around supposed to synonymous with the death of his childhood and his need to cling to it in a hollow way? Like how he drives an ice cream truck despite his psychotic disposition? Is Agent Stone a manifestation of how Sweet Tooth perceives the hypocrisy and weakness of authority figures like cops? Is No Face an avatar to Sweet Tooth's persistence to stay alive even when he has nothing to live for? Billy Ray being a depiction of love being placed onto the act of killing instead of people. Lastly, I remember a popular theory being that the Calypso we see in Black has Sweet Tooth's face and coincidentally they both have a missing eye and are bald. Very weird choice but it feels deliberate. It's as if Calypso is the Ego trying to balance Marcus and Needless. I don't know if David Jaffe put as much thought into this story as we did but I'd be intrigued to see his choice to make this all a fever dream.

[@llRandomPersonlll]

Ok you have literally blown my mind about the twisted metal series. I’m convinced you’re right 🗿

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

I'm no expert, but your analysis makes loads of sense immediately.

[@CassandraPantaristi]

Raven is said to be Needles' interpretation of Mortimer's ways of avenging the innocent who are killed by people who are malevolent.

[@SeanStrife]

Given interviews I've seen on the topic of Twisted Metal Black from David Jaffe; he did kinda admit there wasn't a whole lot of thought put into the gameplay, but they made up for that by putting more thought into the actual story.

[@nono9543]

@@CassandraPantaristi That's a good way to see Raven. I was wondering if Raven was a representation of killing being justified since her entire storyline is revenge and she doesn't seem to mind innocent people getting in the way. The slippery slope to killing.

[@Knee_Boy64]

I haven't played Black since high school (15 years ago), and I had no idea how ahead of its time this was. This is the kind of thing you see in countless indie games today. Great video!

[@DrewskiDess]

Great video dude! Nice to see people making content around Twisted Metal.

[@BlackiechanFu]

Okay, so if you want the irl answer behind the Needles/Marcus dilemma, the coded messages between loading screens don't have any deeper meaning behind what they say when you decrypt them. They were simply a last minute thrown together backstory for the Minion character because the series creator David Jaffe was told he had to come up with something for the secret character so without having to spend more time and resources making cutscenes, he came up with coded messages as a fun easter egg for the fans. Also according to Jaffe, if you tend to pick the same car each game and you notice there's a continued storyline for that car (e.g Outlaw and Twister) that conflicts with the storylines of others it's because every time you pick a vehicle you're playing through a sort of "separate universe" of Twisted Metal. So for example if you picked Twister in TM2, her driver gets sent back in time with no escape and then you pick Twister in Head-On you play as the younger sister trying to save her. According to Jaffe there is no canonical winner for each game and Twisted Metal Black is just another fucked up universe he felt like creating to make more fucked up storylines.

[@atomagevampn308]

Out of all the twisted metal lore I've watched this is probably the most intriguing. I played all the games when they came out when I was a kid cause I'm old and all this just went straight over my head then.

[@hohohojo]

I remember buying the first twisted metal when it came out and playing with my dad. We spent so much time on that, never really the other ones buy still. What an awesome nostalgia ride here man, thank you.

[@50percentGrey]

I've played Twisted Metal Black quite a bit back in the day and as much as it's a well-made game for it's time (and still is today), I had no idea that it was all one big mental construct in Sweet Tooth's mind. It all made me realize that even the simplest game premises can contain complex and subliminal secrets to ultimately give the game and it's characters more intellectual value. Can you imagine Super Mario Kart, yet another vehicular combat game franchise, be a subliminal vision of what happens when all the characters die and go to heaven with the joy of kart racing being their eternal respite?

[@Slop_Dogg]

Twisted Metal had this dark mystery to me as a kid. I wish it didn’t crumble as a series.

[@insomnia_cow9970]

Bro this game scared the shit out of me as a teen. just felt like a horror game. loved it!

[@sendbobs2509]

I think Sweet Tooth wished the world of Black into existence in TM2, and there's a lot of parallels that point to this. His bio in TM2 states when/if he wins you'll never be too far from him, and also mentions how his first home was a state institution. Midtown is the only place that seems to exist in TMB and ST has a reputation as it's Boogeyman, keeping Midtown under a constant grip of fear. Almost all characters' stories also begin at Blackfield Asylum, a place ST would be all too familiar with and not hard to dream up. My assessment is ST (like Marcus) wished to be removed from TM2's reality, and chose his own mind to replace the "real" world because he would have full control there. The request to be turned into a bug could've been Calypso's account of what happened rather than the truth. In TM:Lost we also learn that Black (driver of Manslaughter) was created by a Calypso from an alternate universe to murder TMB's Calypso. The Calypso from the alternate universe is described as "more colorful" and to me, fits the description of TM2's Calypso and could possibly tie both continuities together.

[@wtfsamusidk7574]

Calypso ending with Grasshopper In TM2 was so wholesome.

[@323observing]

My brother and I would play for hours as kids. One of my favorite games ever! Crazy 8 and Mr. Grimm were the go to

[@Yawnscast]

This video is so home-y. Everything reminds me of early age youtube.

[@isaac2bands]

True

[@WarHero373]

I’m surprised you didn’t bring up the “paint it black” song used in the game. It really leans into the idea of sweet tooth seeing the world through a black lens

[@RegalRoyalWasTaken]

There's something hilarious to me about the idea of Sweet Tooth winning a Twisted Metal tournament and then before Calypso can grant his wish he suddenly gets back in his car, drives off and shoots at nothing for five minutes before coming back, cussing out Calypso for the 'bonus fight'. Meanwhile Calypso just has the most 'what the fuck' expression on his face imaginable lmfao

[@Techhunter_Talon]

Had an idea: What if the kid that is the driver of Yellow Jacket in Black is actually a representation of Markus's childhood innocence? It could be that, when he was a kid, he saw his own father murdered in front of his eyes and that planted the seeds of what ever mental condition he developed over the course of his early life and into adulthood. The kid making a device that brought back his father to some form of life could have been a fantasy he had or something he wished he could have done so that he didn't lose his father at such a young age. As for Charlie Kane being both his son and father? He could have just named one of his kids after his father before he went crazy and killed nearly his entire family before the events of Twisted Metal (PS3).

[@HeavenOrHell74]

This video is much appreciated 🤦🏿‍♂️👏🏾🤦🏿‍♂️👏🏾

[@DjGaza18]

What a hidden gem of a channel. Definitely binge watching your twisted metal black videos after work.

[@ThommyofThenn]

I love how our introductions to this strange, frenzied game were so similar. The older brother was my next door neighbors though. I remember the brother left the game in his PS2 when he left and my neighbor and I played it all night. I had no idea anything so macabre even existed at this point and I was enthralled by the raw brutality of Twisted Metal: Black. We were both shocked yet kept playing. Im actually really glad I played it when I did

[@mauricea.tillman4956]

This is one of the first games I bought with my PS2. This, and Madden 2001 were revolutionary. Twisted Metal Black has aged gracefully and is still playable.

[@ArcaneEther]

Three things you seem to have skipped over: first, you didn't mention Dark Tooth at all, the final Boss of TW2. Dark Tooth was TW1's Charlie Kane, Marcus's father, who also went insane upon learning that his son, Marcus, was a serial killer. This suggests that Marcus's insanity is hereditary. Second, the Ego/Super Ego/Id theory is a creation by Sigmund Freud. It's disingenuous to not credit him when speaking of the theory. Third, if as you posit that Needles is the Id and Minion is the Super Ego, then that idea can be extended by thinking of the unnamed brother (Yellow Jacket) as the Ego. In Yellow Jacket's ending, Sweet Tooth is "killed" and Yellow Jacket becomes the "new" Sweet Tooth. This is effectively the Ego choosing to give the Id full control.

[@richizzle39]

Looking at the description in ps store for twisted metal black PS4 it says “They say the mind bends and twists in order to deal with the horrors of life… …sometimes the mind bends so much it snaps in two.” Great interpretation. I saw the Calus post video now moving on to the every character video. Great series of videos for these games.

[@swolie]

A detail that is worth mentioning is that every character intro in Black zooms in to the same room, C-1 solitary. And almost every confrontation with Minion ends with the characters resting their heads on the driving wheel. Now this might be to save up on the animation budget, but would also help with the theory that it's all in Sweet tooth's mind, because C-1 solitary is the only room Sweet tooth knows.

[@Riseroseriot]

"This game is not for the faint of heart" Me who finished it countless times when I was 12 🤣

[@poljakov13]

which episode?

[@Riseroseriot]

@@poljakov13 the whole game twisted metal 2 up to black from 7 year's old up to 12 year's old

[@poljakov13]

@@Riseroseriot 2 and black were best ones 🥰

[@Riseroseriot]

@@poljakov13 agreed 🖤

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

Dude how old are you? This game came out when I was around 10 but you sound like you could be my dad

[@conservativegumbby755]

Why was this so satisfying like you wanted to say "see that right there" to tell some one reason it's so interesting hats off to you bro like audio therapy I didn't know I needed

[@RottenBlossuns]

After hearing Minion say "My name is Marcus Kane" that completely blew my head out of the water

[@AJ-up3ff]

10:41 this clip made me die inside lmao

[@whatthespenny4835]

Also a theory of Calypso being a form of Sweet Tooth due to his eye being scarred out and Sweet Tooth's mask having that eye closed up

[@TBP]

Could Calypso be the superego? Intriguing.

[@Sandcrab1317]

Ive played Twisted Metal Black back on the PS2 when I was a teenager. I remembered parts that disturbed me, but not much else. But you bringing up the Minion text really gives me more respect for the game. That makes me want to go back and replay it myself to see what I take away from it all. Good video, And a very interesting subject.

[@juaja1]

Sweet Tooth is such an iconic character. Awesome video!

[@Levan4KGaming]

Oh this games were such a big part of my childhood, however i can sum all games like this. TW1 - Unplayable because of vomit inducing graphics TW2 - Amazing game can't say anything bad about it. TW3 - This is complete mess what were they thinking TW4 - it isn't as bad as TW3 but still bad TW Small Brawl - not great but playable TW Black - a very good game, but still prefer TW2 TW head on - a good portable game. TM 2012 - around head on level to be honest.

[@infernal9206]

Dude, it's TM...not TW. How'd you only get the last one right? And TM1 is basically the same graphics as TM2, so you can also say that TM2's graphics are vomit inducing.

[@Levan4KGaming]

@@infernal9206 TM 1 graphics are completely different from TM2. TM1 had one black texture for the whole game, however TM2 has way more textures and their colors are way more vibrant.

[@TBP]

I'd like to point out that TM and TW are both equally valid acronyms. TW=TWisted metal TM=Twisted Metal I prefer to use TW, because TM is a Pokemon thing and might confuse some people.

[@infernal9206]

@@TBP That makes zero sense at all. That's not how abbreviation works. Would you like it if I abbreviated your name as TA instead of TBP?

[@infernal9206]

@@Levan4KGaming There's hardly much of a difference really but overall it's quite similar. One key thing though, is that TM1 runs at a slightly higher frame rate than TM2. Interestingly enough, both their PC ports have better graphics (TM2 has quite some different ones but unique too) and they both run under the same frame rate.

[@Mae_Dastardly]

I like the irony that the silly clown in an ice cream truck's the dude who sees the world all grim and serious like

[@aplenope]

my personal cannon for twisted metal black is that sweet tooth is the sweet tooth in twisted metal 2, telling all of these deranged stories to these dead ladybugs and caterpillars while he himself is a bug in a garden, not having anything else to do.

[@bigumst3019]

Sweet tooth's cutscene after defeating minion starts with sweet tooth waking up

[@Poleskeris]

You seem to cover my childhood favourites, subbed!

[@torque8899]

We never got any of the cutscenes in the uk. They removed them all, I only played twisted metal for the lore. Biggest robbery in gaming history.

[@jankarieben1071]

Wow this seems like an incredibly late realization video, but at least it finally got done! This franchise was an mind-frakk from the first entry, thanks for taking the time to link the first game to black!

[@sentientcardboarddumpster7900]

We need a proper revival of Twisted Metal. Black gives me such nostalgia

[@crislouise2509]

I like to think that sweet tooth won a twisted metal tournament and his wish for the next one to be held in his mind. His mind warping and twisted everyone in it to his image. It can also explain some characters like the younger brother being imagined by sweet tooth and since they're in his head they're able to join in that chaos to. The "we" minion used in his sentence could also refer to all the contestants along with himself.

[@abigails4088]

~watching you notice mid-rant that Sweet Tooth was diagnosed with Insomnia~ It's worth noting that Sweet Tooth has always been known to have the mental health alphabet in his dossier...but as the games went on it was played less for laughs. It really feels like they may have made the first game's character as a lark, but he has become one defining element of the entire series from start to finish. They really did pour a lot of love and appreciation into these games.

[@Psychonaut165]

I remember playing the original twisted metal as a kid and me and all my friends were very convinced that dark tooth was an un-lockable character. We played that game for hours and scoured the internet trying to find out how to play as him.

[@xx7secondsxx]

You got an immediate like on the minion codes! Marcus kane!!!a Gawddamn Cabbie from TM1 that was set up as sweet tooths dad in the game!!! Mindblowing! It's been over 29 years since I 1st played TM2. Blew my mind!

[@carloscanales3183]

In Twisted Metal 2’s character select screen, the bio for Roadkill/ Marcus Kane actually does acknowledge that the player is playing a video game.

[@TBP]

I remembered that being established somewhere in that game, I guess I missed that. Thanks

[@youtubedeletesmychannels2329]

That game cover as thumbnail is iconic. I remember wanting that mask as a kid not the twisted metal ps3 one strictly that one that resembled the cover. Shame we don’t have more twisted metal games anymore.

[@Altegore]

Damn, that's pretty wild... I grew up on Twisted Metal and never considered this. Nicely done. 👏

[@cannolisquid5921]

This was an excellent and really thought provoking look into a series that should really be brought back. I really enjoyed this! I remember playing Twisted Metal 1 & 2 as a kid and I never got Black (probably because it was easier to talk my parents into the Teen ESRB rating and the M rating was a pretty hard sell for a kid...) and I used to love it. After that, I think Head On came out and the series fell off my radar. The piece about Minion was super interesting, he was my favorite to play in TM2. Although in TM2, Minion was just a demon that had his powers stolen by Calypso. I wonder how that can tie into this theory.... I can't wait to watch all of your other TM content :D

[@deconstructingnarcissism3062]

Biggest mindfuck of the entire game when I first found that out. I know 2001 was technically a horrible time but I wish I could be a kid again back then. I wss blown away as a kid getting this game when it first came out.

[@nevasoba5953]

this game bring back memories. one of my absolute favorites from the Era. I am old enough that I was playing as a teenager . we would play for hours it bc it was so much fun.

[@official386g3]

I couldn't imagine getting blown up and coming back every year in this universe just to repeat it over and over again

[@alexanderdowning5655]

This twist has always made me wonder if Twisted Metal: Black is a retelling of the first Twisted Metal. When you fight Minion in the first one the game says that Minion was the winner of last year's contest, in Black they say the same thing.

[@seths.8135]

I’ve always interpreted that what Minion is saying in Black is that he is in fact Roadkill from Twisted Metal 2. I love this game series, I have played it since I was a kid and thought the lore behind it was deep and fascinating for a car combat game. See the ending of Roadkill in TM2 is he wakes up in the hospital and is told he was involved in a car accident. He along with everyone else who was involved in the accident was stuck in a coma and he’s the only one that’s regain consciousness. In some of the games in the series there’s a character called Grasshopper who you find out is Calypso’ daughter. It’s hinted that she was ill and possibly already dead and is something Calypso shows remorse about. My theory, is what Roadkill is told at the end of TM2 is really what happened. I think Calypso caused the highway accident rushing his daughter to the hospital and is what caused all the contestants to be trapped in this fever dream. Because it was a car accident, I feel like that explains why it’s a car combat competition. And Marcus Kane suffers from schizophrenia or MPD so being trapped in this state is what brought Sweet Tooth out. Even the underline of Roadkill’s character is he’s suffering from amnesia and wants to know the truth, and throughout the series he’s usually the more sympathetic character. So it makes sense to me that Minion’s cipher in Black isn’t anything threatening or dark but is very self aware and letting you know who he is. Calypso is in charge because he is the one who caused it to happen therefore he’s seen as this god like high power figure, but there are a few moments where he shows that he is also trapped in this nightmare. And all the characters are just the way the people in the accident view themselves. Minion’s hidden message was to tell you that he’s not a bad man he just has a bad side to his personality and hinting back to Roadkill’s ending in TM2. By the way, this is the theory I got when I played Black and decrypted Minion’s message all them years ago. It’s great to see that this game is still enjoyed and people still get lost in the hidden story line. Sorry for the long type, thanks for making this video.

[@Girrrrrrrr]

Wow this theory sounds really plausable. Great read!!!!!!

[@anthonydiaz8701]

Another factor that also gives it away is that minion character select screen is after sweet tooth

[@georgeparker555]

Had to watch this video twice lol the story is so intriguing and there is endless possibilities of what is really happening. Funny thing is I was watching a video with David jaffe and he said he wrote that minion dialogue last minute and didn’t put much thought into it. He also stated that each game is a stand alone and don’t connect.

[@Ashterothi]

It is both. "How he sees the world" is a reference to his view on the world as a whole, a dark and twisted place. In his fantasy about the world he dreams of a tournement and we are all inside that fantasy.

[@cosmicsoul8042]

Wow, this is a very good video well put together. I think this is all happening in Sweet Tooths head, and it only makes sense because of how dark the game is in almost every aspect.