Crashing the Game Awards

 

            Hello. I wanted to get this out before tonight since there seems to be something Crash Bandicoot related showing up at the game awards tonight. I’ve been seeing “Wumpa League” floating around and that it was supposedly hinted at during the credits of Crash 4 but I’m not really finding anything through Google. Usually I have a list of points I want to hit on but I’m just kind of rambling in this one so. I had a vacation from work recently and kind of did all I wanted at the beginning and towards the end I was like “I’ll try to do all the things in Crash 4.” I always figure something to do towards the end of my vacations and then forget what I wanted to do once I get to my days off but luckly I happen to have another vacation soon so I know what I’ll be doing.

            I’ve been in love with the Crash Bandicoot series since it started back on the PlayStation. I remember going to the local rental store and there was a demo for Crash and I kept dying on the very first crab. I just didn’t understand, I didn’t know the controls, it was also probably the first time I saw something in a 3D environment like this. But once I got it for myself I was in love. All us kids in the neighborhood would play together, take turns, try to do everything, it was good times. I really loved and still love CTR. I didn’t have Nintendo things at the time so I never played Mario Karts but CTR was fantastic. I read recently that Naughty Dog wanted to get away from Crash and thought CTR and the introduction of N. Oxide would be enough to make people uninterested in the franchise but it had the opposite effect. After Naughty Dog there was Crash Bash which I kind of like, I’m still kind of hoping for a second one and then there was a game more like the originals with Crunch. I don’t remember it that well but I do remember that it didn’t quite have the same feel as the originals.

            I think Toys For Bob, Beenox and everyone else involved has done a real good job with Crash 4, CTR and even the Spyro remake. Crash 4 is very much deserving of the number 4. It feels like the old games with new gimmicks. I always liked CTR and after playing Mario Kart 8 so much and playing CTR when it came out it was such a difference. Mario Kart is much more approachable, it’s easier. CTR is very much more skill based I’d say. You have to time your power slides not just watch your spark color, if you have a homing missile you have to time your item drop or drop your item and drive really straight not just hold your item behind you and short cuts are actually useful and useable by anyone and not just someone who’s in the middle to back of the pack and needs a speed mushroom. I love the some of the characters and costumes they have in CTR and Crash 4 for that matter but in CTR the costumes aren’t just for aesthetics, they have different win animations. I also love that they put in a crate for a character. Just a crate, and when it wins first place it just sits there on the podium and the second and third place characters are just so mad or depressed that they lost to this box. They could’ve made the box be goofy and bounce around or spin or something but no, it just sits there and I’m so glad it does. They added a few Spyro characters to CTR and I was hoping they’d just keep going. If there’s a CTR2 then I hope to see more Spyro characters. Honestly playing Crash 4 I’m just like “they could totally have Spyro in this game too.” I truly hope these teams make a new Spyro the Dragon game as well. I think they could do really well with it.

            In the original 4 games I did all the things. If I remember right the games had 100%, 101%, 105% and 106% in that order. What I liked about Crash 3 and CTR was if you got all the time boxes in the relic time trials they would shave some time off your overall time so it made getting the platinum’s more manageable. I did not like in the N. Sanity remakes how they handled the relic races. Not only did they take away the time saver system of getting every box but made it so there was no wiggle room during the race. You have to be pixel perfect and if you spun a box when you should’ve jumped on it, too bad, that just cost you your relic. Crash 4 is the same way and in order to move faster you have to spin right after a spin. That’s too frustrating for me. I’m currently working on getting all the gems and relics and such in Crash 4 but I have no desire to go through and try to platinum everything or get those perfect relics or whatever they are. Just collecting everything will be enough for me.

One thing I’ve noticed when watching YouTube videos for finding hidden gems or boxes is the guy I watch is playing on a PS5 and god damn does Crash look good on it. Like it looks fine on the Switch and there are really great looking games on the Switch, like Mario Kart, but it’s still noticeable when you look at anything else handling the game. I don’t like double dipping for games, I do it sometimes but lately I’m just waiting for things to come out on PC. Monster Hunter Rise has been on Steam for a few months but now it’s going on everything and it’s just like “must be nice.”

Anyway, I think that’s roughly everything I wanted to say. Hopefully I’m not disappointed in whatever is announced tonight. I mean, I don’t know, I don’t think I will, if it’s something dumb I don’t think it’ll bother me. I would just like either Crash 5, CTR2 or a Spyro game. If it’s something else and it seems interesting fine, if it doesn’t interest me, no big deal. I just hope Activision let’s these guys keep developing these games, I hope they say their value. And similarly, hopefully if Xbox gets a hold of Activision they continue to invest in these games. Where are the Xbox games though? They keep acquiring studios but then nothing happens unless they were already working on a game before Xbox nabbed them. Where’s Hellblade 2? Where? Okay, bye bye, hope for fun news tonight.

         @AztecSauce