Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)

Missed out on these originally as was more of a N64 player back in the 90's but perfect time now with this three in one pack. The platforming can be challenging but very rewarding especially in the first 2 games, 'Warped' is a lot more lenient in the difficulty department. Everything looks crisp and colourful from the character models to the environments. Boss fights are awesome, with each one being unique In both look and strategy. They've done a great job in breathing new life into Crash and I am definitely on board from here on in.

The game looks great, and is charming and all... but I think I'm physically incapable of beating it, no matter what I do.

Played until the crumbling suspension bridge in Crash 1. Brick wall.

Played until the Bee-Having swarms-of-bees level in Crash 2. Another brick wall.

I'm not cut out for this awkward-3D-perspective, exact pixel perfect platforming while dodging insta-kill enemies at the same time.

I never owned the PS1. Without any nostalgia to prop ole' Crash up, onto the "will not finish" pile he goes (and I suspect Crash 4 will also be a hard pass)...

When the N. Sane Trilogy came out, it had already been 19 years since Crash Bandicoot: Warped, the most recent beloved mainline Crash game. And since I was born after the trilogy, I played the trilogy. "100%ed" both 2 & 3. I already made reviews of these games individually in my statuses for this game so these will be shortened.

Crash Bandicoot

I don't hate Crash 1. I think it's an OK game. There are things that I don't like such as 100% completion. But I really like how the main collectibles for completion, the boxes, play a role in platforming. This is the only game of the 3 that I haven't completed and I feel like I don't want to.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

This is most likely my favorite game of the trilogy. I think the main reason why I loved Crash 2 is because I jumped right off the first game and I could see a ton of differences like the more fast paced level design and new moveset. I found the controls to be more snappy and tight. Variety in levels stuck to corridor based box breaking. If you didn't like Crash 1 for it's platforming, skip it and play this one instead. It's a huge improvement over 1.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped

There are things that I love more here than in 2, but in my opinion. Crash Warped is the more flawed game of the latter two, but there are things that Warped does better like the platforming levels and the presentation.

The N. Sane Trilogy as remakes

Visually, the games look pretty good, but I am not really a fan of Crash's design. Sure, he looks like a goof, but a cartoony design doesn't jive well with realistic textures. And there are cases where the lighting is really bad. You can really see it in Crash 2 in the warp rooms. Although I'm sad that Vicarious Visions has been merged, I'm glad that Toys for Bob got to carry the torch for Crash. I really like what TFB had to offer when Crash 4 was shown. To me, after Crash 4, N. Sane looks dated in comparison. 4's Crash looks much better. The controls in 1 feel inconsistent. Mainly, due to the oval shaped hitbox that Crash has. For tight, and precise platforming, especually in Crash 1, the slipping on edges doesn't work well woth it. I didn't have much of an issue with 2 & 3

After playing the trilogy. I'm now a fan. Can't wait for Crash 4 now that I have it preordered on the Switch, but I'll wait for it to come to PC as well.

N. SANE TRILOGY RATING: 7.5/10

I used to play Crash 2 back in the day quite a lot and when I saw this on the switch I had to play it! Turns out the series is a great platformer, but with a lot of bs, you have to put up with.

The first game is impossibly hard. Not due to difficulty, mostly, but due to the insane weird controls and hitboxes, the frustration was huge. That sky turtle level is a nightmare.

Game two, the graphics have a huge bump in quality, control gets fixed and the gameplay is way more accessible. Fun but not insanely impossible, my personal favorite of the three.

The third game, the graphics improved even more and we see a lot of variety in level design and mini-games. The gameplay is not as taxing and the game is a breeze.

As a fan of platformers, this bundle was a ton of fun and brought back some memories. I wouldn't call this series a must-play, or essential, but it does bring some fun to the genre with cool characters. No judgment if you skip the first one.

I was really excited for this, and it even was one of the reasons why I considered buying a PS4. Oh boy. I played Crash Bandicoot 2 & 3 at friends house, when I was between 6 and 9. We loved it back then, and I always looked back at it with great love and nostalgia.

Now finally it arrived on the Nintendo Switch, and I bought a physical copy on release day. The fantastic animations blew me away from the start, but I soon realized that gameplay-wise, the first game was quite different from the latter two. It was incredibly challenging, but not in the good way. Crash 1 is fucking frustrating, and the challenge mostly comes from its wonky controls, weird ass perspectives and shitty hitboxes. Most of my deaths resulted from:

• Crash moving to fast or too slow in the air
• Falling into pits that can only be crossed if you jump at the last possible moment
• Misjudging my distance to hazards due to depth perception
• Being close to hazards but not actually touch them (especially on boss fights)

These things are not fun, designed challenges, but infuriating bullshit, probably resulting from the fact that these games were some of the first steps in the 3D space. I don't think the devs handled it particularly very well back then. The game just felt like a mess, with a few fine spots here and there. I really wanted to fully play each game in order, so I forced myself through this, in anticipation of the rest of the Trilogy.

Sadly it only got better by a little bit. There were no more completely ridiculously hard levels, but plenty of frustrating ones. I definitely had more fun with the second and third game, but the stupid levels inbetween the O.K. ones never stopped coming. Some levels had pretty interesting designs, visually and gameplay-wise, but I was never really wowed.

What I liked most about these games are the characters and their fun animations, they got a few good grins out of me. Also, there are few really cool locations with fun gameplay, like the medieval, persian and egyptian levels in Crash 3. But I really don't see why anyone who's not wildly nostalgic for these titles should play this Trilogy, at best I can mildly recommend the the third game.

It's a wonder how some games retain a sense of quality, fun, and difficulty years after their release. Much like the original Super Mario Bros, there's something about Crash Bandicoot that, regardless of its vehicular faults, could be resold and would capture audience's hearts. But how?

N Sane Trilogy is remade with the kind of love that I wish most remakes were made with. Completely redone graphics (making the boss fights at least FEEL more intense), more modern designs like auto-saves and being able to redo bonus stages, and even including content cut from the original game as DLC. This is the definitive way to play the trilogy.

However, there are some differences that may lead people back to the original version. The collision is a little less boxy and the physics at times are a little too realistic (Jetski levels), but none of it is actually buggy.

All in all, if you ever had a favorite in Crash 1, 2, or 3, this is the game for you. If you want to see what everyone's talking about when they say Crash Bandicoot, this is just the shiny coat of paint to bring it back into the limelight.

“Crash, Crash, Crash. Why must you always muck in my mud?” -Doctor Neo Cortex, Crash Bandicoot: Warped

This may not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me but I am a huge sucker for hype and am often more excited for video game trailers for unreleased games than I am when I actually hold said game in my hand. So when Shawn Layden walked onto the stage at the PlayStation Experience in 2015 wearing a Crash Bandicoot t-shirt I was stoked. The internet blew up in an intoxicating mix of excitement and despair. What started as incredible hype slowly depleted as nothing was announced throughout the show. The shirt had to mean something though, right?

Unexpectedly our next taste of Crash Bandicoot came in the form of a mini game included in Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End. Crash is incorporated into the game superbly in a way that many people would find themselves able to relate to. The two main characters shared a meal together as they engaged in sporadic conversation that flowed in waves and felt natural. They then started to play a Crash Bandicoot level together; commenting on it as they progressed towards the end.

When the inevitable announcement arrived it was met with excitement from many. People who hadn’t played games in years were pre-ordering the game for a taste of the nostalgic experience they had as a child. It was during this period that I decided to pre-order the game to be safe. I’m glad that I did as it ended up selling out Australia-wide in only a few days. Overseas it sold exceptionally well too as it topped many of the charts and even outsold Horizon Zero Dawn.

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy consists of three full games – Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Upon loading up the game you are greeted by a menu screen that lets you choose which game you want to start with. You have the freedom to play them in any order you wish but personally I prefer to play my games canonically so I started with the original.

All three games are platform games and for the most part the levels are standard platform fare. There are two themed levels that shake the formula up in an interesting way. The first are levels that have you running towards the camera unable to see upcoming hazards as a large boulder or dinosaur speeds towards you at a menacing pace. The second has the player mount one of three animals; a hog, polar bear or tiger depending on the level. Once mounted you move through the level at speed, unable to stop and must make sure you don’t hit any enemy or obstacle in your path.

The remastered versions of the game look absolutely stunning. The graphics have a more realistic feel to them whilst still maintaining the vivid and varied environments throughout the three games’ unique levels. It’s hard not to notice little details throughout the game such as the way the water glistens, the lighting and importantly Crash’s character model. Graphical enhancement is not where the changes end though as there are numerous mechanical changes too. The most beneficial change is the save system which consists of both an auto-save feature and the option to manually save between levels. This is a fantastic step forward from the archaic system of the original game.

Click here for the full review... https://thewellredmage.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy/