For months, Sony insisted that Crash Bandicoot was NOT their new
mascot. For months, Naughty Dog Software insisted that Crash Bandicoot
isn’t Sony’s answer to Super Mario 64. For months they went so far as
to say that the games are completely different and shouldn’t be
compared. But the comparison is irresistible. Crash may not offer the
graphical smoothness or versatility of Mario’s vast new world, but its
brilliantly colorful and complex jungle environments boast true
diversity of shape and texture - kind of a tiki room Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari. Look beyond the pretty pixels, however, and Crash weighs in
at only slightly above average.
The graphics may be 3-D, but gameplay is flat as roadkill on a
four-lane highway. Forget about plot: in most levels, Crash simply
marches along a linear path, spinning into enemies and smashing crates
filled with fruits. Collect 100 pieces of fruit and you get an extra
life - a “tribute” to Mario? Several levels are side-view jump-fests,
as seen on 16-bit machines dozens of times before. Rumor has it that
the game’s most interesting feature - hidden gems that are revealed by
executing levels flawlessly - was added only at the behest of a Sony
producer, not the Naughty Dog team. Naughty Dog also claims that Crash
was originally a nonlinear game, but found that restricting gameplay to
a tight path made it more exciting. (The pace of Crash IS more exciting
than Super Mario 64 most of the time, simply because the action comes
nonstop.)
Players may enjoy Crash Bandicoot purely as a test of jumping
abilities. And make no mistake: jumping is key. Crash executes every
type of jump ever seen in a platform game: short jumps, long jumps,
short AND long jumps, quick jumps, jumps onto icy ledges, jumps onto
tiny ledges, and so on. Players looking for an old-school platform game
with uncanny visual effects will certainly find it here. However, for
players who want a true nonlinear 3-D run-and-jump game, snag Sony’s
highly underrated (and now budget-priced) Jumping Flash! or Eidos
Interactive’s Tomb Raider.
Download Crash Bandicoot part 1:
http://rapidshare.com/files/159857991/Crash_Bandicoot.part1.rar
Download Crash Bandicoot part 2:
http://rapidshare.com/files/160044960/Crash_Bandicoot.part2.rar
Download Crash Bandicoot part 3:
http://rapidshare.com/files/159855586/Crash_Bandicoot.part3.rar
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