Crash Bandicoot

"Great platformer + Cheap Price = Must Have!!!"

My Review of Crash Bandicoot. . .

Crash Bandicoot is an action/platformer that was developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment of America. It was made in 1996 and is the first of the Crash Bandicoot game series.

Graphics
Crash Bandicoot was made in 1996, so don’t expect any of the flashy, detailed graphics that are normally found in today’s games. However, in comparison to the graphics of the games back in 1996, I find Crash Bandicoot to have quite good graphics. All of the movies (there is only one true movie in the game, the rest are just small cut scene animations) are done in the real time engine (the graphics in the movies have the real time game graphics) so they are nothing spectacular graphically. However, Crash Bandicoot has some of the better graphics in its day. The backdrops for some of the lvls are simply stunning (such as the Neo Cortex boss battle and the Sunset Vista/Lost City backdrops). They were beautifully done and make you stop playing (for just half a sec) so that you can look at them and their beauty. The environments that Crash has to journey through are no slouch in the graphics department either. From the jungles to the temples to the factories to everywhere else Crash must journey to, the environments have clearly had some attention paid to them. You can see the lush greenery of the jungles, the watery. . .water of the rivers, the toxic green bubbly toxic stuff of the toxic waste dump, etc. etc. etc. The only drawback is that some of the things in the environment are blocky, but this game was made in 1996, so that is to be expected. Crash himself and the other characters in the game have good animations, there are no complaints there. They are also very colorful. However, this seems to be the weakest part in the graphics department for the blockiness of the characters seems to really stand out, but then again I pay more attention to the characters anyways. Overall, Crash Bandicoot is a colorful game w/ some great environments and backdrops, but also w/ some prevalent blockiness throughout the game. However, this game was also made in 1996, so developers couldn’t do then what they can do now.
Total Graphics Rating: 7.5/10 (good)

Sound
Music
To be frank, Crash Bandicoot has great music. I know that some people complained about the music being repetitive, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the music was repetitive b/c the music fit the theme of the lvl that you were on. For instance, each island has a central theme pretty much (I dunno the central theme of the 2nd island) and the music in each lvl of that island fits in w/ whatever lvl you are on. Like in the jungle lvls you have more of an upbeat kind of music w/ drums and stuff. In the factory lvls you have more of a techno, futurized (is that even a word?) kind of music. There were small differences to the music too, but in general it was basically the same for the same type of setting. Yet, the music definitely ties in w/ your surroundings. Not only that, there were some real catchy tunes too (such as the main theme). Overall, I give Crash Bandicoot a 8/10 (great) for music.
Sound FX
Crash Bandicoot had all of the sound FX that you would expect for it to have. You have your jumping whoosh sound, boxes breaking sound, spin spinny sound etc. etc. etc. All of the sound FX were on par w/ what you would expect, however, it doesn’t go above and beyond the call of duty and grab your attention. You don’t go ‘wow, what great sound FX.’ Instead, you might have to consciously pay attention to them for them for you to notice them, and when you do notice them you go ‘oh, whatever. . .no wonder why I didn’t notice them.’ The few sound FX that are actually good (such as Crash going ‘whoa’ when he dies) don’t make up for the rest of the horribly average ones. Overall, Crash Bandicoot gets a 5/10 (mediocre) for sound FX.
Total Sound Rating: 7.5/10 (good)

Storyline
Frankly, Crash Bandicoot does not have a very strong storyline. The only time were you really are exposed to the story is: in the game booklet, the intro movie, and after you defeat Cortex or see the alternate ending. However, platforming greats before this game (any Mario game for ex.) have gotten away w/ having little or no storyline also. Crash Bandicoot’s storyline goes like this (don’t worry I’m not ‘spoiling’ anything it is all in the booklet). . .Dr. Neo Cortex and his sidekick Dr. N. Brio are on a mission to create an army of super animals to take over the world. They put Crash through the ‘Cortex Vortex’ trying to make him the leader of their army, however Crash is deemed a ‘failure.’ Crash then escapes/is kicked out (the game booklet and game intro movie conflict) and must journey back to the island to stop Cortex, not only from world domination, but from experimenting on Crash’s female bandicoot friend. So, basically Crash Bandicoot’s storyline is one big cliché. I, at no point in the game, was compelled to keep played as a result of the storyline (it was the gameplay that kept me going).
Total Storyline Rating: 4/10 (poor)

Gameplay
Controls
The Crash Bandicoot controls are very simple and effective. You move w/ the directional buttons, the X button is for jumping, the O/square buttons are used for spinning, and the triangle button is for viewing ur number of lives and wampa fruit. These controls resemble that of a classic platformer (again such as Mario) in their simplicity. There are no elaborate button combinations that you need to memorize, you can master the controls within 5 seconds of playing the game. I feel that this ‘simple’ control scheme was not only b/c it was trying to emulate platforming classics (Mario) but b/c there were not very many platforming games (if any) that had elaborate control schemes at this time. Not only are the controls simple, but that are also quite responsive. There were very few times were I found myself pressing a button and having nothing happen, or having to wait a while for something to happen. Overall, I was quite happy w/ these controls. I loved the return to simplicity and they were quite responsive. So, Crash Bandicoot gets a 9.5/10 (superb) for controls.
Challenge
Overall, I felt that Crash Bandicoot had a great challenge lvl. If you just try to beat all of the lvls and bosses in Crash Bandicoot w/o trying to get 100% completion, then I feel as if the game can be relatively easy (there are still some tough stages though). This is great for new or younger games. They won’t get frustrated w/ an overly hard platformer. However, for us older gamers, we can strive for 100% completion. This is much, much harder (you must break every box in a lvl w/o losing a life) and can be very challenging and sometimes frustrating. One bad thing though, I felt that the bosses were way too easy. I feel as if Crash Bandicoot, while not having two different modes of difficulty, can still appeal to new and old gamers alike w/ its challenge. Thus Crash Bandicoot gets a 8/10 (great) for challenge.
Level Design
I thought that Crash Bandicoot had some great and innovative lvl designs, while at the same time, it didn’t. You see some stages actually redefined the platforming genre w/ having you run into or away from the screen. I felt that this was highly innovative. However, you will find that in some places you will revert back to the old 2D style of platforming play. That isn’t to say that those places aren’t fun. . .they just lack the innovation of other lvls. I would like to state that from start to finish Crash Bandicoot had great overall lvl designs. They started out w/ easier ones and progressed to harder ones (as most games do). They also kept everything fresh w/ new environments, new enemies, and new obstacles. They also kept you involved w/ the old lvls by way of secret colored gems that you must find, which opened up previously unattainable areas. I have many great things to say such as innovative lvls (the running from bolder stages and hog riding stages were my favorites) and great enemies. However, in some of the lvls running away from the screen I did have a very small amount of depth perception problems. Overall, Crash Bandicoot receives a 8.5 (great) for lvl design.
Play Time
Honestly, I was not able to play Crash Bandicoot continuously (as I am a busy person). So, I had to play it in small bits and pieces. So, as the game doesn’t record your time spent playing I cannot give you an absolute numerical value for my total play time. However, I do estimate that it would take an average gamer anywhere from 1-2 weeks of regular playing to complete 100%. I was personally disappointed in the lack of lvls. I would have been happy to have 50. . .but there was only about 32 I believe. Too bad it didn’t go like Mario and have many, many lvls. . .but oh well. Anyways, I give Crash Bandicoot a 6.5/10 (fair) for play time.
Total Gameplay Rating: 9/10 (superb)

Fun Factor
Crash Bandicoot was a great, fun game to play. That is the basic statement that I have to make in this category. Crash Bandicoot had some fun-filled, challenging lvls that just hooked you into liking them and replaying them. There is no multi-player or kool gimmick. . .but nonetheless Crash Bandicoot is still fun to play.
Total Fun Factor Rating: 8/10 (great)

Replay Value
After you finish Crash Bandicoot you can go back and try to break all the boxes in a lvl and finish it in one life. Then you can get 100% completion and the alternate ending. But other then that there is no real reason to keep playing Crash Bandicoot. Well, actually there is. . .it is fun to play once in a while (especially the hog riding and running away from bolders stages). Crash Bandicoot being fun is the reason to replay this game.
Replay Value: Moderately Low

Recommendation
I would recommend Crash Bandicoot to anyone. . .not just platform genre maniacs. It is great fun to play for anyone. Also, the current price is under $20 I believe (in my area anyways).
Recommendation: Buy!!!

Overall
Overall, Crash Bandicoot accomplished for me exactly what I wanted it to. It let me play a game that I could just pop in at any time, play for small or large amounts or time, and have a lot of fun doing it. I wanted a game that didn’t make me get into an involved story or interesting character (that would require a lot of non-playing/dialogue time). I wanted a game that I could just play w/o interruptions. Crash Bandicoot is that game.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (great)

All Review material discussed in this game can be found within the first 5 min of gameplay, the back of the box, or inside the included manual.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/03, Updated 01/27/03