Crash Bandicoot

"The first game of the awesome series, Crash Bandicoot still is a fun game today."

This game was my very first game, when I began my gaming hobby 10 years ago. Just to say how well it takes time, I still sometimes play it, and it still is as fun as always. You all know how screwed up the Crash series is nowadays, so I wanted to do this review for nostalgia. Now, let's begin this review.

Playing this game is super fun. It's a 3d platformer, and you get to ride with a hog, run away from boulders, beat fun bosses, and many other stuff. The enviroments change rapidly, and there is very little repetition. The controls are solid, but when this game was released, analog sticks didn't exist yet. Controlling Crash with the D-pad isn't too difficult, but some parts require precise jumping, and you may do some mistakes. But that's usually not a problem. One thing that is kinda weak is the saving system. In most levels, you can find 3 head icons with Crash's girlfriend, Tawna, on them. You have to find all these heads, so you get to a bonus round. The bad thing is, this is the only way to save the game. If you had last saved 5 levels ago and it's game over, you just have to beat all those levels ago.

You can also save when you get a gem. Getting a gem in Crash 1 is way more difficult than in 2 or 3, because to get the gem you have to break all the boxes AND not die once. This makes getting gems very hard in some levels. In some levels, you also have to go get a gem in some of the later levels to be able to get the gem. The levels are also more difficult in general than the later games. The bosses are easy, though.

Otherwise, playing the game is easy. Crash can do nothing but run, jump and spin. Unlike the later games Crash won't get any upgrades in the game. The storyline is told pretty badly and is pretty simple, and Crash runs through Lost Cities, Temples and laboratories without any reason why he's there, but I doubt anyone cares. Level design anyhow is pretty awesome. The music and sounds are awesome too, the music always fits the levels atmosphere nicely and is catchy. Just listen to the main theme. The cartoony graphics can still stand up today, Crash moves smoothly and the levels look very nice.

Overall, this 1996 game is a brilliant game for its time, and it's still very good today. If you haven't played it, get it somehow, it's worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/09

Game Release: Crash Bandicoot (Platinum) (EU, March 1998)