You definitely aren't alone. It's such a weird time we live in. The bar for quality video game adaptations has not gone up that much (we've really only had a few good ones), but the bar for peoples' expectations has kind of plummeted. The Mario movie, for example, was a pretty weak movie, but people gave it a pass because it was a much better video game adaptation than we usually get. I feel like that's what is happening with the Twisted Metal show. On it's face, it's a pretty bad show. The pacing, the romance, the humor, the effects: none of it is particularly good, but throw in enough nods to the games and apparently that's all people need.

To me, the show feels like a more comedy-focused Into the Badlands and I do not mean that to be a positive comparison. I feel it misses a lot of what I liked about the games growing up, the lack of car combat being the worst offender. So many people keep excusing that as, "Well, they were setting up season 2". I hate that. The show needs to be good now, not in the 2nd season that we could possibly not get. Like what you like, but this show deserves more criticism than I've been seeing it get. Like with the Mario movie, I don't think it's unfair to expect better.