Who is that? Allergic to bees, genetically modified eastern Bandicoot whose females have eight nipples, and is the main character of a gaming franchise that has sold 34 million copies to date and has appeared on seven different platforms? Willy the Wombat? Ha, you were close. That was just a working title for the first game. Actually, we are talking about Crash Bandicoot. The orange cute creature that smashed crates and collected apples that for some reason were in those crates. Sony's kids accepted him as a deviant version of Super Mario, something we will always talk about whenever we think of PlayStation. All the aunts in the arcades loved him. Women still play him today. For us older folks, he is becoming more and more fleeting, we are glad he exists, but we don't experience him too much. Although, I wouldn't mind trying to get 104% in Crash 3 again. Ah, how proud I was the first time. I think that to this day it’s the only thing in life I have completed over 100%. Now someone told me, ''well Zlatko, 100% is the maximum... you know, that game is broken, it tricked you''. I'm not so sure about that. Just today I heard a guy tell his girlfriend that he loves her 150% less now. Bad news for that girl, in any case. But for me, it’s just a sign that someone else believes in breaking mathematical laws. Over 100% is hard to achieve in any game. Few allow you to do that. Crash and the team from Naughty Dog have always been full of crazy ideas and simply quirky. A team of just ten people created that little masterpiece of a game called Crash Bandicoot. Ten lunatics came together and did it with style, in a friendly atmosphere, slowly and surely. In the end, they got a whole franchise from which they earned a lot. The Naughty Dog period is to this day the best period and the only true one in Crash's history. With the emergence of PlayStation 2, that team, which has now significantly increased (with a core of more or less the complete original lineup), took on the creation of a new arcade that was supposed to bring with it some new standards and have even greater success than Crash. And so it was, Jak and Daxter are a big hit whose popularity does not decline, and they continue to amaze with some innovative solutions within a genre that has long been played out. Nintendo games are not the only ones defending the honor of arcades. The Crash games after that somewhat lost themselves in those innovations and ended up with mediocre success, but still good enough success to keep trying and to remain competitive in the market even in 2007. Your dear LNL author used various issues of the Croatian deceased magazine ''PSX'', the British magazine ''Official PlayStation Magazine'', a small article about Crash games by Andy Hartup, and of course, the inevitable Wikipedia while writing these articles. Also, through conversations with fellow gamers, I came up with some form of an article that I hope will be clear and easy to read for everyone. This goes out to all the aunts from the arcades, love you G0L3M.
HOW MANY OF THOSE CREATURES ARE THERE?
I decided not to write too much about some titles that are really overshadowed by everything that has been released for larger consoles. These titles didn't bring too many new things, they just had a different name for Gameboy, DS, PSP, and other handheld consoles. When we take away those hybrids that managed to succeed in the market just enough in a decent quantity, we are left with 10 pieces. Including Crash Titans, recently announced, and now reviewed on your and our LNL. Some versions of the game are only available in Japan, some for the European market are just mini copies of the Playstation versions, and so on. Let's immediately start with a chronological order and a brief description of these 10 selected titles, which form the basis of Crash gameology.
Crash Bandicoot
The first Crash game, simply titled Crash Bandicoot, was released in 1996 exclusively for the Sony Playstation console. Yes, yes, so much time has already passed. The producers took advantage of the new console for a bit of experimentation within platform arcade games and, in the end, with a lot of luck or without luck, achieved very good results and positive reactions from audiences of all ages. A large number of thematically different levels, bonus tracks, and various secrets and playable elements that do not belong to an integrated whole were a real refreshment at that time and a worthy replacement for Super Mario that was running on Nintendo 64.
The story takes us to small islands in southeastern Australia ruled by the evil scientist Doctor Neo Cortex. With the help of his colleagues and assistants, he develops the Evolvo Ray, which they use to evolve various animals on those islands, causing great pollution. One of their experiments was the bandicoot animal - Crash. After using the ray on Crash, satisfied with the result, they wanted to conduct further experiments on him, through which Cortex would have complete control over Crash, but Crash manages to escape. During his captivity, he became close to Tawna, a female bandicoot who is still trapped by Cortex, and Crash decides to save her while also cleaning the islands of the various toxins that were the product of those experiments and ultimately defeat Neo Cortex. Interestingly, Tawna, whom he eventually manages to save, never appears again in the Crash series until the release of the party game Crash Boom Bang for Nintendo DS. The reason was that Tawna dumped Crash for Pinstripe, but later the developers from Naughty Dog said that Tawna's appearance contained too much sexual appeal that was not appropriate for Crash's youngest players. Also, the very fact about Crash's creation using the Evolvo Ray is not mentioned much, and many players are unaware of how Crash came to be, as well as all the other villains and his friends. However, the screenwriters did not explain this much later, nor did they pay attention to some facts from the first Crash, so everything became quite trivial.
The game itself received very good reviews in all magazines. Ratings ranged between 75 and 90 percent, and it's interesting to mention the negative reviews from Gamespot's review, which called the game "repetitive, boring, and barely average" and rated it 6.8/10.
A recognizable part of the game was the Aku Aku mask, which was a great help to Crash both mentally and physically, but it only gained more variety and personality in later installments. Of course, there are also Crash's spinning moves and interesting bosses like the psychotic Ripper Roo and the mobster Pinstripe.
Crash turned out to be a solid game with a good foundation for the future, but it hasn't become popular enough yet compared to how popular it will be in a year.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
The sequel was released at the end of 1997 and abandoned some concepts that were unnecessary, such as the level completion display in the form of a map. Naughty Dog instead "invented" warp rooms containing various doors that allow entry into specific levels of the game. Each warp room had 5 levels, and a boss when you completed all five. After that, you move on to a new warp room with another 5 levels and a new boss, and so on. This progression formula became an instant classic that was later adopted by some other platforming games, though not as successfully. The simplified way of completing the game and the ability to save the game after each level (instead of after completing the bonus level in the first game) delighted the indifferent and attracted different populations to casually play this "sweet orange creature." The simplicity, the great fun of breaking crates and mindlessly collecting apples, and the interesting and funny dialogues contributed to the addictive gameplay that followed, leading to great popularity and an unstoppable Crash mania. The masters at Naughty Dog knew to strike while the iron was hot, so in just under 300 days, we got...
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
The third game about the lovable Crash brought a lot of new elements that kept the freshness and interest of all the already well-formed groups of Crash Bandicoot fans. The story begins where it left off in the second part. So, after the final battle with Dr. Neo Cortex and his assistant Dr. N. Brio, who tried to destroy Cortex and his space station using a laser powered by 42 gems that Crash collected in the second part, as a result, an ancient monument was hit from which an unknown dark being was released. This being turned out to be Aku Aku's brother Uka Uka, the evil darker mask who, disappointed by Cortex's failed attempts to conquer the world, calls upon N. Tropy, a character who can manipulate time with his time twister. The time twister has now actually become a new hub containing levels in different time periods and locations. The goal is to find all the crystals with which they will manage to conquer the world, but unlike previous attempts, they will now be collected in the original time of their creation. Crash and his sister Coco, along with the good mask Aku Aku, go into the time twister to collect those crystals and prevent Neo and the crew from abusing them.
As for the game itself, this is by far the best, most popular, and most playable sequel in the Crash series. Too many innovations have been introduced in just one year. From new level designs located in different time periods, to a greater number of levels, another playable character (Coco, Crash's sister), to levels that consist of driving a specific vehicle and new rewards you receive after defeating a boss. These rewards are actually new abilities that Crash receives, and the most interesting and striking is definitely the bazooka that fires apples.
Many still consider this sequel the best arcade game of all time, or one of the best platformers. Definitely one of the unforgettable PlayStation classics that is still enjoyed today, or at least fondly remembered. The great success with critics and audiences marked the golden age of the Crash series. This was the last Crash of that type for PlayStation produced by the original Naughty Dog team. With the emergence of the PlayStation 2 console, the team moved on to new challenges and projects, and other companies took over Crash. However, the last game from Naughty Dog was something completely different, and somewhat a logical progression of such games.
Crash Team Racing
The last game developed by Naughty Dog was an arcade racer featuring most of the characters from the Crash series up to that point, along with some new ones, of course. It was released in 1999, again exclusively for PlayStation. Despite the change in style and genre, it achieved great success and delighted most fans. The ability to jump into the cart and a wide selection of weapons, interesting boss races, and an incredibly addictive multiplayer game, which is actually the main reason for its success, allowed the Naughty Dog team to leave with a bang and to this day we lament some later mistakes that are a product of their departure. All the tracks you race on in the game are nothing compared to the final track and the final opponent, Nitros Oxide, a crazy alien who travels from planet to planet claiming to be the fastest in the universe, and by holding these tournaments, he further tests that claim. If you defeat him, Oxide will leave Earth and leave your entire team in peace... But if you lose, it's all over. At least that's what he says. CTR is yet another classic from the Naughty Dog workshop; they turned a small orange furry rodent into a gaming icon and went their own way, working on new projects, specifically the well-known series Jak and Daxter. But what happens to Crash after that?
Crash Bash
Oh yes, here we already start to delve into some nonsense. So, the first game of the new century, released in November 2000, was also (deep breath): the first game not developed by Naughty Dog, the last installment on the PlayStation console, the last exclusive for the PlayStation console, and the first Crash game in the party genre. You know the party genre - lots of mini-games of different themes, best played with 4 players, tends to get boring quickly, etc. Eurocom, a branch of Sony Computer Entertainment, took matters into their own hands and went with the party genre to maintain Crash's popularity.
The idea is quite simple - to create the craziest mini-games, make as many as possible, and delight all ages with fun multiplayer. Of course, Crash's strong point in any genre is the Adventure mode, which here was packed with bosses and special missions that involve collecting gems, crystals, etc. The story is even simpler than usual, but despite its simplicity, it is very funny and entertaining. Aku Aku and Uka Uka are arguing about which side is stronger, the good side or the evil side. After a few months of arguing, they decide to settle it by calling their friends who will represent the warring sides and determine the winner through a series of different disciplines. Aku Aku calls Crash and his sister Coco, while Uka Uka brings Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. Nitrus Brio, Tiny Tiger, Koala Kong, Dingodile, and Rilla Roo. Aku Aku complains that he invited too many, but Uka Uka disagrees. In the end, Uka Uka gives two from his team to the good side to keep everything balanced - Tiny Tiger and Dingodile. Already, Crash fans have a foundation for a good laugh, and the games will keep them engaged just until they complete all the levels and bosses. Multiplayer depends only on you, having a multitap, and your friends.
Crash Bash received mixed and divided reviews. Ratings ranged from 70 to 90%, with certain magazines still considering it one of the biggest hits for the Playstation console. An important piece of information is that the game has sold 1.1 million copies to this day.
In the end, Eurocom managed to escape with their heads intact, however you look at it.
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
At the end of 2001, right on time as always, the first Crash game for Playstation 2 in the original genre was released. Fans expected a lot, the developers did too, but out of fear of messing too much with the original Crash platform arcade formula, we got just that - a familiar Crash game with no courage in any context or aspect of the game. This was the main criticism for Travellers Tales, who did not take advantage of the new console and create something good, new, and millennial like the game Jak and Daxter was at that time. Oh, what irony.
The Wrath of Cortex sold over 1.7 million copies, but although this ultimately made Crash Bandicoot one of the most successful commercial games of the 21st century, expectations for sales were much higher. The game was also released for Xbox and Gamecube and received ratings between 60 and 80% everywhere, with no one giving it too much credit precisely because of its predictability, underutilized new techniques, and lack of the original humor that characterized the adventure or story mode of the game, which does not need further description as it was, as I mentioned, the same.
Crash Nitro Kart
It is obvious that creating a good platformer and realizing all ideas takes much more time. While everyone was waiting, 2002 passed without a major Crash title on the three leading global gaming consoles. Then the sequel to Crash Team Racing happened for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. Vicarious Visions decided to create a worthy sequel and achieve excellent marketing success. Emperor Velo XXVII is the most powerful driver in the galaxy and has heard of Oxide's defeat and the new worthy drivers on Earth. He comes down, captures Crash, Coco, Cortex, and others, and puts them in an arena where, after various battles, tournaments, and races, the winner will fight against the emperor and only then free and save his friends and planet. It is interesting to note that this title was the first Crash game released for N-Gage. Progression in the game is already known to everyone, as are the bosses and multiplayer options. Everyone had a great time with this new karting game, both because of the old glory and the new and better look on new and better consoles.
Crash Twinsanity
September 2004 brought us a new project that had been planned even before The Wrath of Cortex game. Travellers Tales gathered the courage to embark on a light deconstruction and reconstruction of the platform arcade that Crash had represented until then. An adventure was created without linear movement through levels, and Neo Cortex was a playable character alongside Crash. Humor returned in full glory, both due to the joint moves of Crash and Cortex and the constant bickering that ran through the game. As for the story, Neo and Crash simply had to team up to prevent a greater evil, and this plot unfolds through the first few levels, which are actually a battle between the two of them in a comic style full of humor and inarticulate sounds where you control both of them in certain parts of the level. The repetitiveness and ordinariness that characterized several recent Crash games finally disappeared. Despite all this, the game was quite confusing; we sometimes got lost in the controls, and at times it was too difficult purely due to the lack of some basic information and similar issues. All of these were flaws that most could overlook, but the shortness of the game itself and the excessive competition at the time (Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank...) which were again two steps ahead of Crash were the reason for only average ratings and relatively moderate sales. The team at Travellers Tales had to stop looking at other games and buy most of the cool ideas and innovations from them, take a step back, and come up with something much better.
Crash Tag Team Racing
No, while they figure that out, the producers at Radical Entertainment started working on the third Crash carting game. This one had "Tag" in the title, which actually marked the biggest innovation, the ability to merge your car with an opponent's, where one would control the new combined vehicle while the other shot at opponents. A really nice idea that only comes to life in multiplayer mode. Playing the story mode was a bit different than usual in such a game. Namely, Crash moved freely through the levels and completed small tasks "on foot" in the form of a platformer, finding rooms with tracks where he would race, buying additional characters, equipment, and bonuses to enjoy later. I personally found the game quite unnecessarily mixed with different elements and rather boring, especially after breaking the tradition of having bosses after a certain number of completed races. The racing principle was less dynamic than in the last two installments, and some characters were no longer interesting at all. The story was looser than usual, and the characters we knew from before were practically unrecognizable in their character, the graphics were average, the gameplay average, and the idea barely innovative. I don't know what more to say, Tag Team Racing faced more discontent than praise, resulting in poor ratings, low earnings, and a significant decrease in the popularity of Crash's character and work. Everyone lost hope; Crash games on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube were sinking in the mud of mediocrity, and there was no way out.
After some other editions of the game for various handheld consoles that aren't worth mentioning too much, and we didn't, in 2007 a real glimmer of hope finally appeared for the return of Crash and his magical and playable world.
Crash of the Titans
The game evidently developed for at least two and a half years, and for good reason. It was released on a large number of platforms (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance), among which it did not feel the consequences of conversion, bugs, or problems with the sound and/or controls of the main character. Throughout the game, you will encounter 15 different enemies of enormous sizes that you can "ride," each of which has its unique advantages, disadvantages, and special abilities. These abilities will be very important for solving certain puzzles or obstacles on some levels. If we go back to 1998 and the third installment of Crash, we can get a great example of how it went.
Crash knows he has to keep up with other arcade games, so he did a bit of training while on vacation. Now some abilities that were barely noticeable before (hanging on vines, using springboards, nonlinear movement...) are gaining importance and better execution. Crash will be able to explore every inch of every level in an even better and less clumsy way than in Crash Tag Team Racing, which combined racing and arcade adventure, but unfortunately not too appealing.
You can read the rest of the impressions in the review of Crash Of the Titans, also on LNL. All we can say here is that Crash has successfully returned and thrilled everyone. From solid to high ratings in all reputable magazines and gaming e-zines to fans who are anything but disappointed.
More interesting characters from Crash games
Throughout the 10 Crash games we decided to focus on, about 20 original characters have passed, some of which have become part of our household as action figures or plush toys, some have ended up on our room walls as posters, and some in notebooks when we drew them. It depends on what each person prefers... maybe you have none of that, nor did you do any of it, but certainly some characters have remained in your fond memory, and you still wonder from sequel to sequel whether they will appear and in what way. Some you may have even despised. Besides Crash, Coco, and Neo Cortex, maybe some of these were among them:
Tiny Tiger
- one of Cortex's minions. He is significantly strong but very unintelligent, and in most cases, he refers to himself in the third person. His favorite weapon is a spear. He first appeared in the second Crash game as the third boss. He appears as a playable character in Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart, and Crash Bash.
Doctor Nefarious Tropy aka N.Tropy
-the master of time, a mystical character and representative of the plot in Crash 3. The smartest of the entire team of evil doctors, much calmer and more intelligent than Cortex, which is supported by his elegant British accent. N. Tropy is the master of relic races in Crash carting games, he is always the one with the fastest time on a track (we really wonder why). He appears in a few other installments in episodic roles and constantly jumps from Cortex's clan to Nitrus Brio and vice versa.
Pinstripe Potoroo
-the boss from the first Crash game. He is dressed in a mafia suit and his favorite weapon is the Tommy Gun. After the events of the first part, he moved to Chicago and became the owner of a waste disposal company where he remained until the events in Crash Team Racing, where he was one of the bosses and demanded money as compensation for helping Crash save the world. In the end, he is defeated and forced by the team to defend the Earth, and after the tournament, he became a successful used car salesman.
Beloved characters include, just to mention, Ripper Roo, Dingodile, Evil Crash, etc. You can find information about all other characters on the official pages of each individual installment.
We would now stop with the character descriptions and use the rest of the text to talk a bit about Crash games as a classic. More specifically, about the appearance and mention of Crash's character and deeds in popular culture.
Crash in popular culture
As we have already mentioned, Crash Bandicoot games have slowly but surely reached cult status among gamers around the world, leading to numerous references and appearances of Crash in popular culture. In most cases, this has occurred in series and films focused on younger audiences. One of the more famous appearances is in The Simpsons, in the episode where Lisa stays home and doesn't go to school because she has the flu, and out of boredom, she takes Bart's games and becomes addicted to the game Dash Dingo, which by its title and appearance alludes to the Crash series. The main antagonist appears in the form of a hologram in the Warp room, which irresistibly resembles the environment in Crash's games. Dash reminded of Crash as well as the game system and the tasks given to him by the hologram. In hit series such as Friends, Angel, O.C., and Dawson's Creek, we have seen at least one of the main characters playing one of the Crash series installments. Crash has also been mentioned in other games. For instance, in Goldeneye 007 for Nintendo 64, there was an engraved image of Crash on the wall of a captive, on some torture device. Ironically, the team from Naughty Dog stated that it was their best game in an interview many years ago.
End of the retrospective
With this, we would conclude the Crash retrospective. Crash certainly deserved this, as confirmed by the latest game, and the LNL team felt the need (primarily I) to dedicate a small part to him. We hope you are satisfied and that this information will serve you at some point in your life, in the form of work, as historical facts, just for fun and to enrich your knowledge, or as material for some pleasant coffee.
Retrospective originally published in 2008 on the portal Lock ‘n’ Load.
Author: G@$O
