PRODUCED BY: Naughty Dog / Universal Interactive Studios
DEVELOPED BY: Naughty Dog
GENRE: Action / Adventure
PLATFORM: PlayStation
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1996
The marsupial clone of Mario, the mammal twin of Sonic, it's him: CRASH! Okay, this was the first game for a series of more than 14 games, and my favorite video game series after Mario. But, why is Crash so cool? See below:
STORY: 7.5
Crash is a bandicoot
mutated by the evil scientists Neo Cortex and Nitrus Brio in an attempt
to create an army of mutant animals so they can rule the world. The experiment
fails because Crash doesn't get evil, and he runs of Cortex's castle but
leaves behind his girlfriend, Tawna, who is also mutated and locked for
observation in the castle. Now Crash must return to the castle, save his
girlfriend, and defeat the scientists. Nothing very new, it's the same
"damsel in distress" scheme of the Mario series. So, that explains the
7.5 note above.
GAMEPLAY: 9.5
After Crash runs
of the castle, he shipwrecks io the N. Sanity Island, the first of the
three Wumpa Islands where the game takes place. There, you'll find many
of the elements of the game, which are recreations of the Mario elements).
For example, the Wumpa fruits, fruits that have quite a resemblance to
an apple mixed up with a peach, are the same thing as the coins of Mario;
the ? crates are the ? Blocks; the striped boxes, which you keep jumping
on until they break up, is the same thing as those blocks Mario hits to
get coins until they´re empty. Crash finds a voodoo mask named Aku
Aku who follows Crash to defeat Cortex and stop the pollution he´s
causing in the archipelago, and if you collect three of those masks, you´ll
gain temporary invincibility, looking like the Power Stars. There are the
characters mugs that send you to bonus levels if you collect three of the
same (that is new), and if you break all the boxes in a level and arrive
to its end without dying, you´ll win a gem (new too). There are many
good things in Crash, but the devoted fans of Mario had this since 1985!
But, another thing that Mario didn´t have: secret levels. These are
only unlocked if you collect a gem on the frontier of a secret course.
Cool!
GRAPHICS: 10!
The graphics
are very, very good, giving a special look on the native sculptures scattered
by the islands and baring a resemblance to the Disney/Pixar movies. One
of the many good points on the Crash series.
MUSIC: 10!
Another good
point. The music is made by the band Mutato Muzika, formed by Mark Mothersbaugh
and Josh Mancell (they contribute a lot to cartoons and other video games).
It´s very nice music they do! My favorite one is the first boss battle.
FUN FACTOR!: 10!
The bandicoot
is a very funny fellow, just like the crazy bosses: a fat aboriginal (Papu
Papu), a crazy kangaroo in a straitjacket who lives in a waterfall (Ripper
Roo), a muscle-bound koala (Koala Kong), a potoroo dressed in a Mafia outfit
(Pinstripe Potoroo), and finally, Doctors N. Brio and Cortex. Prepare to
laugh a lot!
FINAL NOTE: 9,5
The game is full
of good and bad points, but it's only the first game of the series; many
things will be improved in later games. Nonetheless, it´s a very
funny game, so PLAY IT!!!
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