Ok here’s my take from someone who hasn’t played them in probably close to 2 decades, didn’t actually own them but just played with a friend who owned it. But I did love the series at least enough that I still have impressions of my feels from over 20 years ago.

I remember loving playing Twisted Metal 2. I can remember sitting in front of the TV plating the single and multiplayer. I can’t remember the specifics of much more beyond very basic mechanics but there is a very positive emotion. My memory of Twisted Metal 3 is just disappointment and blandness.

I didn’t get much time with either game but I remember having the choice between them and choosing 2 over 3 consistently.

If a large chunk of people are in a similar situation as me, only vague limited impressions from long ago, give their opinions you their opinion over more than a decade you build a very negative image.

Throw in people just discovering the games and being told 2 is good and 3 is bad. They then compare maybe minutes of the gameplay before deciding which to play and reinforce the narrative. You can end up with a fan base with an unjustly harsh view.

I can honestly see 3 being just kind of mediocre and just being judged awful because of how good 2 was.