Crash Twinsanity

"Puts A Twist On The Classic Crash Formula"

When Crash Twinsanity was released in 2004, it was well over 3 years since the last main Bandicoot Adventure: Wrath of Cortex. Wrath of Cortex was not as well-received as the first three PS-One entries, and was disliked by fans for the addition of characters like the elementals and Crunch(More-so the elementals as Crunch seems to have grown on everyone). 3 years later, what does Twinsanity bring to the fold?

Booting up the game, you see that Cortex and Uka Uka are still frozen from the ending of Wrath of Cortex. I give props to the developers for continuity, and it serves to foreshadow Twinsanity's comedic atmosphere. From the first cutscene you see Twinsanity's humor in action.

Gameplay seems reminiscent of previous Crash titles, with the main difference being you aren't restricted to a "Warp Room" and given sets of 5 levels. The level formula is a'lot more progressive, as you aren't interrupted by having to go back to a warp room. In fact, the entire process is seamless. You start out on a main level that comprises 3 smaller levels and a boss. You start out on one portion of the main level, then through a couple of in-game cutscenes you are directed to the first level. After beating the first level, you're usually treated to a mini-boss battle which is often less difficult than the main boss, save for maybe one exception in World 3. The goal of the game is to collect crystals, though you barely even have to worry about them since the game gives to you for normal game progression.

The soundtrack is a breath of fresh air for the Crash Bandicoot series. The band Spiralmouth is responsible for every single musical piece in this game, and most songs fit the situation well. I wish they were used for more Crash games, but sadly it seems they were abandoned post-Tag Team Racing.

All in all, Crash Twinsanity is still not as good as the originals, but the game feels like a breath of fresh air, and holds up well on its own right. In my opinion, it's under-rated. If you have to choose a version, get the Xbox version. Though I feel in this case, the version really doesn't matter too much since both systems have their fair share of platformers. The PS2 version has a higher number of competitors though. Xbox just has Psychonauts to deal with, though I'd recommend to get both those titles.

Scores~
PS2 Version - 7.75/10
Xbox Version - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/14/09

Game Release: Crash Twinsanity (US, 09/28/04)