Twisted Metal: Black Tier list for Easy Mode Speedrunning

[@Wicked_Fox]

I did not know about the d pad trick for crazy 8. I knew about mashing L2 when using his special attack though, cause I like reading old game manuals, and it mentioned that in blacks manual. Thanks for mentioning that!!!

[@dollmask2390]

There is so much to the game not many people know because you have to look at old manuals or google it, even more things to make the game seem harder than it is.

[@cooltroubleman8352]

Went through the game as brimstone the other day, can confirm it was a living hell

[@dollmask2390]

He is the worst car to run as during normal or 100% runs, Bro-stone got done super dirty

[@cooltroubleman8352]

@@dollmask2390 it could’ve been so cool, I think reading the wiki I saw that in tmb online his special tracking was way better, too bad that wasn’t in the base game

[@CarmineKar98K]

You have my respect sir for not only dedicating to one of my Favorite games in my beloved Series of games but for having such skill in this that you not only blew me away but also showed me there's quicker ways to go about this game though with that being said I will openly admit that I'll probably just be playing like normal as I don't think I quite meet your caliber 😅

[@dollmask2390]

As long as you give it your best shot and test how fast you can beat the game with any car. I just want to give tech, recommendations, and information so people can play to the best of their ability knowing just how much power they have at their disposal. Even if you don't get a great time just trying once is enough!

[@BeaverBotics2]

Great tier list overall. I'm not really into speed running, but it's really neat to see opinions on various aspects of the game, along with the statistics and tactics that go with them. Side note: Warthog, despite his flaws, is my favorite vehicle in the game and probably the whole series, due to his design, cool looking (if hard to use) special, and just how good he feels to drive, so it's really nice to see him get some love and to hear that he's a solid car overall in speed running.

[@dollmask2390]

Warthog is the best to speedrun with actually in almost every category, he is just more perfected for Hard Mode due to very little other cars being able to kill other cars as fast as he can. There are for sure a lot of cars that don't get the love they deserve but I try to ensure that every one can have a spotlight sooner or later.

[@DollarStoreEggman]

I agree with you when you say spectre is slept on. Even in casual play, Spectre is a beast. Also, your vid made it into my recommended and you have gained your 20th sub

[@dollmask2390]

Her special makes any game mode much easier without having to chase the AI all over the map and with its quick respawns means you can deal out so much consistent damage. And thanks!

[@Viviana088]

I'm glad specter is getting love in black. Super underrated and really good considering how brutal tm:b is if you go head on

[@corydavis4649]

hey man i love the video! i used to be friends with a guy jay anderson who speedran the twisted metal series a long time ago. im glad to see that the scene is still getting the love that it deserves

[@dollmask2390]

Glad to hear it! Most of those who speedrun Twisted Metal usually do so with the older games, especially 2. The scene isn't as popular as others but hopefully someday there will be a bit of competition being added every once and a while.

[@lee0567]

Sweet video! Good tier list!

[@dollmask2390]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[@lee0567]

Do you speed run any of the other twisted metal games as well!?

[@dollmask2390]

Currently only black but I have been wanting to try Head On since it has a similar feel

[@mcpiece123]

Good list! Though I would say WH is S given he can use other weapons while his special is running. And his special is a pretty short duration damage over time in comparison to Outlaw. Both those aspects make him a level above Outlaw IMO. I will be making more WR attempts sometime in the future when time permits. It has been nice receiving emails telling me someone has beaten my records. There really wasn't much speedrun action in the TMB scene.

[@dollmask2390]

The one person I fear could actually beat me with relative ease lol. I know that Warthog does insane damage with his special but for me the easy bots are so finicky that using it to full duration seems like a struggle more times than not. Entirely opinion of course but Outlaw seems a better choice for people who don't play as aggressively and like a more ranged approach which a lot of people seem to take up as a playstyle early on so I put him higher for that regard.

[@mcpiece123]

@@dollmask2390 haha thanks. Your runs are really well done so I'm not sure it will be easy! Absolutely fair points about Outlaw. For a newer player I would agree he may be more accessible.

[@lordraiden1038]

I’m primarily a hard speed runner so there’s probably some intricacies on the lower difficulties I’m unaware of, but I think you’re underselling Manslaughter to a great extent. Yes he is slow and he controls about as well as a Tonka truck, but with his size also comes great advantages. He can easily trap AI cars close to him, and his DPS is insane on the lower difficulties to where you can kill even Minion in roughly 5 seconds if you get close to him. You mentioned his ramming ability and it’s a massive plus on Skyscrapers and Highway Loop as you stated. You can clear both of those stages in roughly 2 minutes if you know how to properly position yourself. His armor allows for you to get into mosh pits of up to 3 or more cars and come out on top if you have enough weapons stocked up which can really net you some big time saves. You mentioned his special regeneration being slow so I did the no enemy glitch on challenge mode and timed him along with every other character, and his special comes back every 30 seconds which is tied for the fastest regen in the game along with like 6 other cars. Personally I think he could be a candidate for best character to get the highest optimal time with on this and Medium. Other than that the rest of this list looks pretty legit man. Makes me consider where I would place characters in a Hard run tier list. Sorry for the paragraph I just find this stuff fascinating and I can tend to ramble on too lol. Thank you for the video it’s good to see people out there growing the community. PS We all loathe Axel.

[@dollmask2390]

I did make the mistake of playing Manslaughter on Skyscrapers which is a large map with little combat happening at times which during those slow points of just collecting weapons time feels like its dragging on so when I look over at my weapons bay multiple times and see no special I just automatically assumed slow cooldown. Manslaughter is a great car but the AI tends to be in a "Run The Fuck Away" mode most of the game unless you one shot them/cc them over and over until they die making hitting his special very finicky unless you trap them upside down or in a corner. Not trying to say your points are bad but the AI on easy are FRUSTRATINGLY squirrely making his special and ramming potential all over the place. It honestly seems that I am chasing more than fighting in easy mode so I generally favor the faster and more maneuverable cars. Also for hard mode Manslaughter is without a doubt A+ if not S tier, he absolutely demolishes everything in his way and survives every hit he is given.

[@lordraiden1038]

@@dollmask2390 Well I can definitely see your point about people evading you all the time. Maining Warthog, the entire point of the character is to get the AI to stop spazzing out so you can nuke their lifebar with the flamethrower. Still his handling is great so you can make sharp turns and get back on target which you can’t say for Manslaughter. Maybe I’ll try some runs on the lower difficulties so I can attempt to put my theories to task and see if they can be proven. Oh, and I definitely agree Manslaughter can cook on Hard. Other than Minion and Hog you’d be hard pressed to find someone else that can clear the game as fast as he can.

[@mkarg5012]

Nice tier list! You sound infuriated with axel lol What do you think of Dollface's designs? Which one is your favorite?

[@poughkeepsieblue]

Spectre is great if you know how to keep moving. Hes not a tank, but hes a damage dog for sure.

[@poughkeepsieblue]

She... i meant she.

[@dollmask2390]

I got confused at that lol, she is for sure underrated in a lot of people's eyes but I am glad that more people are starting to see her power, on easy she is without a doubt one of the best cars to use.

[@sweetpepino1907]

7:02 Man you gotta put up a spoiler alert or something when you decide to just play Brimstone's ending! Nah but seriously great video

[@xXItzERRONBLACK]

In Skilled Hands 🙌 Brimstone can be very enjoyable 👍🏻

[@Riggs_The_Roadie]

Can't just post the tier list in the thumbnail dude! Gotta make people watch the video to find out. In all seriousness though, this is a cool video. Love Twisted Metal and hearing people talk about it. It's nice to see it through a different lens than the general history or lore bits.

[@dollmask2390]

Funnily enough that was just the automated thumbnail youtube gave so I just went with it lol, I admit I suck with lore so gameplay is the part I focus on the most and with trying to speedrun it there are a lot of little tricks I've picked up or seen from others and I want everyone to know them so they can have more fun with the game than believe it's unbeatable!

[@VictorGoldfeld]

spectre and brimstone are my fav in this game, always thought brimstone had a decent balance of armor and speed, interesting to see the car so low

[@dollmask2390]

He is fun to play but the horrible tracking of his special and the downtime between each hit really stacks up leaving speedrunning as him just awful.

[@JuggrnautWraith13]

I swear I remember Brimstone being so much better when I played as a kid. Then again, my PS2 was messed up in the sense that I was never able to unlock Minion, even though I met the requirement, so maybe it messed up the characters a bit 😅 Now, I can’t stand him. Love the car design, love the idea of the special, but execution of everything is just wrong. Shadow would be an A tier character for me, but that’s just in general. I haven’t tried speed running, but I could see it being a slower run, as she’s pretty average stats. The hearse lured me in as a kid, so it could also be that I made myself learn how to excel with her lol. Axel I love the design and concept, wish they had stayed with the story line of it being his son rather than his wife, but his stats and special are soooo underwhelming. When I see him, Roadkill, and Warthog on the map, they become my main target because of how infuriating they are! Darkside I wish her special was stronger. I wish it was easier to carry out the T-Slide bonus. You really have to be completely sideways and hitting them with basically the whole side, from my experience. Could be a player issue though. Roadkill I had NO idea about the switching weapons and saving the special! I’ve been playing it since it came out and never knew this! Wild. Thank you!! Brb, gonna go truly dominate the game with Roadkill. Crazy 8 I feel is an accurate representation of No Face being a boxer. He’s very much a quick dodge and strike vehicle. When you figure out his special secrets, he becomes a very much slept on car. Extremely impressed with your Richochet Bank Shot ability! Subbing to watch more of your TM content. I would love to see more tier lists and longer explanation videos! Subscriber 213!

[@drummerdude476]

This game is so hard it’s unreal lol, may have to pick it up again after this tho lol

[@dollmask2390]

I always recommend playing the game either for the first time or after a while or not playing it, after the learning curve or learning more strategies to kill the enemies it gets really fun!

[@m4yh3myt]

"Kinda harped a few people into speedrunning" What noooo. lol Axel best character what do you mean!!! jkjk all my friends hate axel while speedrunning. BUT Terry on the other hand absolute legend.

[@dollmask2390]

Terry is a god damn Menace and you know it, also you should probably change the bio of your Kick Mr. "6th place in speedrunning." lol

[@m4yh3myt]

@@dollmask2390 lol and true I should

[@schizoclownva]

Speedrunning is a THING in this game???? 💀

[@dollmask2390]

It is, it isn't too popular or ran too often but it is definitely interesting to see just how fast this game can be beaten with the right skill-set!

[@BEHEMOTH_MANSLAUGHTER]

I think it's cool you speedeun this RNG beast. I love it and I love the online even more, ima manslaughter main.

[@dollmask2390]

I can figure with the name and picture lol, It is just a game I've been playing for years and thought speedrunning would be a fun way to do it. How wrong I was now that the luck is very important in getting a better time lol.

[@BEHEMOTH_MANSLAUGHTER]

@@dollmask2390 I've been running the game on all the difficulties to see how fast of a time I can get, I got 22mins on easy and 25 on medium. But Lordraiden 18mins is fast, I bet though if RNG is on your side and you plan out all your weapon routes and combos to kill the AI quick you could possibly get it's down to about 15 or 16mins on easy.

[@wolfgangbergstrom6224]

Brimstones car is an El Camino which in real life is a great performance bargain but in the game is rubbish.

[@Alex_Magnum]

Crazy 8 special damage sucks. I dont know how you deal damage at all with him

[@dollmask2390]

His damage can be insane but it is difficult to control your car if you try and move while spamming L2. If you get the max charge and keep them in range you can nuke 50% of a small/medium cars HP

[@Alex_Magnum]

@@dollmask2390 oh I just looked up in the manual and didn't knew you had tap L2. No wonder damage was bad.

[@dollmask2390]

Thankfully almost every special is fairly easy to use without having to be too difficult. The only spam specials are Crazy 8 and Outlaw with his missiles.@@Alex_Magnum

[@planetzrp1776]

shame this game isnt online