Ok so now I have a couple of 'features' that I'm happily running on my blog even though probably nobody reads it [yes that's a joke so laugh damn it!]. Starting from today I am going to list my top ten games one at a time. I'm not going to make any promises - I'll do it when I can! Believe me this is the hardest thing for me to do: listing only 10 excellent games is not an easy feat since I've probably played a bazillion of quality titles. Please note that I'll probably list more than one game in a specific position, to make things easier.
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Enough ranting and on to my list. Here's my #10: The Crash Bandicoot [PS1] Series
What made it so great?
Simple, honest to God, platforming is what made the Crash Bandicoot series one of Sony's prime PS1 games between 1997 and 2000. It's no secret that Crash was Sony's unofficial PS1 mascot to rival Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic. Naughty Dog, the then third party developer, did an excellent job to create a character people actually liked and that had attitude - something that the Big N's Mario seriously lacked.
The first Crash Bandicoot was a masterpiece in itself. It was a serious of levels one afte the other with no actual plot; simply keep on beating levels and you'll arrive at the end where you can meet your nemesis N-Cortex. The simplicity worked because Crash didn't need a complex storyline at all. If it did it would have hindered the tight gameplay it is renowned for.
Crash Bandicoot 2 is my least favourite of the three. The way you moved around as well as the levels weren't up to standards that the first CB set. It is still a PS1 classic but it is far from the best platformer. I even found some of the levels annoying!
The golden apple of the CB series is the third one; Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. All of it was pure gold. The levels were varied to unprecedented levels, new characters that were introduced actually worked (I'm looking at YOU Sonic) as well as the implementation of special powers. Crash could now double-jump, triple-spin and even shoot apples from a bazooka!! These power-ups were so cleverly implemented that some even wondered how Crash could exist without them! The game sold so many copies and was so highly regarded that Sony took the plunge and bought the company that made it, Naughty Dog!
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I know that there are other CB games on the PS1 but one of them deserves a better place in the list and that is why I didn't include it here. Crash Bash, is a pitiful excuse from an unknow company to make money off the CB series after Naughty Dog sold the lincenses to them so that they could focus on their new PS2 Jak & Daxter series.
Roo
2 comments:
I absolutely LOVED Crash Bandicoot, in fact Warped was the first PS1 game I ever bought. Definitely a classic.
That's why it's here C. Red! Absolute classics. Wait for the rest, they're even better!
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