Music you are listening to now! ***Please post track title***

[The Jonster]

Wow, I actually wasn't aware of this one! Real nice stuff! Here, I'll share the other part of the Flying Battery that I have.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Flying Battery Zone 2

[Master]

Indeed, you can actually get a glimpse at what could've been the intended level order of Sonic 3 before it got split up into Sonic 3 & Knuckles, if you go into the Level Select screen on Sonic 3 standalone:



I don't know what the official title of it is, but I think most probably know it as the Warthog Run music.

[The Jonster]

Oh interesting, it looks like there were supposed to be 2 zones for Hidden Palace and Sky Sanctuary in Sonic 3 as well. Although not sure where "Emerald Altar" fits in....maybe that was supposed to be part of the ending sequence when the Master Emerald was returned?

Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Sky Sanctuary Zone

[RayGamer99]

Oh interesting, it looks like there were supposed to be 2 zones for Hidden Palace and Sky Sanctuary in Sonic 3 as well. Although not sure where "Emerald Altar" fits in....maybe that was supposed to be part of the ending sequence when the Master Emerald was returned?

Really? I never knew that! I'd assume the "Emerald Altar" is that place in Hidden Palace Zone where the Master and Super Emeralds are. I know that the Altar is seen in greater detail in the games from Sonic Adventure onwards, so maybe that area was supposed to be featured more prominently in S3&K?

I don't know what the official title of it is, but I think most probably know it as the Warthog Run music.

Not bad, but when I hear "Warthog Run", I think of this song:

Rayman Raving Rabbids - The Warthog Race 1

[The Jonster]

Oh, you are going racing? What will you race with? Will you be using the shoe kart?


Also Sonic Adventure? I'd be more than happy to share my piece on Sonic Adventure since I love that game. Here, a musical piece where the Altar is located.

Sonic Adventure - Mystic Ruins

[RayGamer99]

Oh, you are going racing? What will you race with? Will you be using the shoe kart?

Not quite, I was thinking more along the lines of a snowboard race.

Rayman 3 - Snowboard Race

Say... speaking of skiing, anyone up for a... SNOWBOARD RACE?

And so, we’ve come full circle.

[The Jonster]

Like a moon!!! Which shines a light over the moonlit swamps.

[PluMGMK]

CMAT – I Don't Really Care For You

[The Jonster]

Now, to listen to an Angel Island tune

Angel Island Zone 2 - Sonic Advance

[Mortamon Saturn]

Crash Twinsanity - Mecha-Bandicoot

[Master]

Meet your new hydraulically-operated, Twin Brother! MECHA BANDICOOT

Ahh memories. One day I'll acquire Twinsanity again and actually finish it...one day.

Blackout City - Anamanaguchi

[RayGamer99]

Like a moon!!! Which shines a light over the moonlit swamps.

You know, some say being on the moon is like being on another world!

Rayman Legends - Another World (Soundtrack Ver.)

Meet your new hydraulically-operated, Twin Brother! MECHA BANDICOOT

I haven't played Twinsanity yet, but I might one day. I hear that it's pretty good, even if it's rough around the edges.

Speaking of mechanical doppelgängers...

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Metal Sonic

Even if Sonic 4 wasn't a great game - in fact, most folks say it was a bad game - I have memories of playing it on mobile when I was younger, and this theme still stands out as the best song in the game.

[Mortamon Saturn]

Meet your new hydraulically-operated, Twin Brother! MECHA BANDICOOT

Ahh memories. One day I'll acquire Twinsanity again and actually finish it...one day.

"Surprised to see me, Crash? Like the fleas in your fur, I keep coming back!"

I haven't played it in like a decade, and yet I always felt that itch to come back to it! As much as I loved it, I'll admit it was a struggle to beat it to 100% as a kid...
I've been hoping to get my hands on a Xbox copy for years so I could replay it on a more "modern" console... Yes, even knowing it wouldn't be worth it as this version has very laggy emulation issues on 360.

I haven't played Twinsanity yet, but I might one day. I hear that it's pretty good, even if it's rough around the edges.

It's mostly that they couldn't finish it properly due to running out of time as there were many publisher shenanigans with Crash back then. There are even some self-aware 4th wall break jokes in the game about that or about Wrath of Cortex's lack of success!
Still a very solid experience in my eyes, it may be a bit broken and the gameplay isn't exactly Crash's best, but it's nowhere near a Sonic 2006 or anything that bad. Very good game in many regards, arguably the series' best humour, a kickass unique soundtrack by Spiralmouth, and quite a fresh take on the franchise after the original formula was getting kind of exhausted by WoC!
If you can get over some of its more difficult bits or learn how to get around some of its jank (like taking damage from touching a specific boss when it's already dead, or having to go through an entire level again if you approach the wrong area... ), it's quite worth it!


Here's another gem from the same game! (Make sure to collect it for 101% completion! )

[RayGamer99]

It's mostly that they couldn't finish it properly due to running out of time as there were many publisher shenanigans with Crash back then. There are even some self-aware 4th wall break jokes in the game about that or about Wrath of Cortex's lack of success!

"Come now, as we explore a new dimension! ...It should have been two new dimensions, but we... ran out of time."

Here's another gem from the same game! (Make sure to collect it for 101% completion! )

I don't know if I should bop along to that or plug my ears...

Anyway, on the topic of hidden gems in Crash games... (don't worry, you don't have to avoid any crates to collect this one )

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! - Snow Go

[Master]

Crash Twinsanity felt very much like the evolution of the series that was still familiar, its probably as far as it could've gone without starting to look like Jak and Daxter xD

I haven't played Crash 4, and I know it too tried to evolve the formula, but from what I've seen it's stayed closer to the traditional linear style. It's interesting to see how much potential the formula still has...shame the series seems to love getting iced.

Since we're talking Crash...
Worm Chase, Crash Twinsanity - Spiralmouth

[The Jonster]

Like a moon!!! Which shines a light over the moonlit swamps.

You know, some say being on the moon is like being on another world!

Rayman Legends - Another World (Soundtrack Ver.)

Another world????? Are you like, lost in thought or something???

[Greengoop]

Simple Plan- Perfect

Code: Select all

Hey Dad look at me
Think back and talk to me
Did I grow up according to plan?
And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?
But it hurts when you disapprove all along

And now I try hard to make it
I just want to make you proud
I'm never gonna be good enough for you
I can't pretend that I'm alright
And you can't change me

'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect

I try not to think about the pain I feel inside
Did you know you used to be my hero?
All the days you spent with me
Now seem so far away
And it feels like you don't care anymore

And now I try hard to make it
I just want to make you proud
I'm never gonna be good enough for you
I can't stand another fight
And nothing's alright

'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Nothing’s gonna change the things that you said
And nothing's gonna make this right again
Please don't turn your back
I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you
But you don't understand

'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect

'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect

[Mortamon Saturn]

I haven't played Crash 4, and I know it too tried to evolve the formula, but from what I've seen it's stayed closer to the traditional linear style. It's interesting to see how much potential the formula still has...shame the series seems to love getting iced.

Since we're talking Crash...
Worm Chase, Crash Twinsanity - Spiralmouth

I did Crash 4 and it can be best summarized as a modernized Crash 3 with Crash 1's map and sense of challenge, rail grinding, multiple playable characters like Twinsanity (plus a similar tone), and with the idea of the four elemental masks from WoC being essentially rebooted into gameplay gimmicks for Crash (flipping gravity, slowing down time, etc.).
And yeah, we can blame Activision Blizzard for putting the series back in the fridge after an already dead mobile endless runner/micro-transaction simulator and an unappealing live service multiplayer spin-off... I'm still waiting for them to release Spyro and Metal Arms out of their dungeon

4 could have easily been the best Crash in my eyes just by its gameplay, if it didn't obsess so much about being even harder than Crash 1 and by turning the satisfying completion aspect of the series into the most tedious repetitive chore conceivable and with the worst hidden crate placement ever... which would be sorta fine if all of the levels weren't so loooooong and if they didn't make you replay them all like 10 times because of the ridiculous objectives and the mandatory N.verted versions + recycled halves in the alternate timeline stages!
...Anyway, I think everyone already knows Caddicarus did a perfect job at explaining everything wrong (and everything right) with this polished diamond of hate!

Still... "I do like Death Metal."
Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time - Stage Dive

[RayGamer99]

And yeah, we can blame Activision Blizzard for putting the series back in the fridge after an already dead mobile endless runner/micro-transaction simulator and an unappealing live service multiplayer spin-off...

Personally I liked Rumble and really wish it had more time for new content…

I'm still waiting for them to release Spyro and Metal Arms out of their dungeon

Microsoft has so many great IPs locked up in their inactivity dungeon; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Metal Arms (whatever that is), Banjo-Kazooie, Conker (never played it, but I’ve heard it’s pretty good), etc…

4 could have easily been the best Crash in my eyes just by its gameplay, if it didn't obsess so much about being even harder than Crash 1 and by turning the satisfying completion aspect of the series into the most tedious repetitive chore conceivable and with the worst hidden crate placement ever... which would be sorta fine if all of the levels weren't so loooooong and if they didn't make you replay them all like 10 times because of the ridiculous objectives and the mandatory N.verted versions + recycled halves in the alternate timeline stages!

I wish the alternate timeline stages were just full levels dedicated to alternate-Tawna, Dingodile, and Cortex rather than just small segments. There was so much potential with those characters that was never tapped into in the final game.
On the completion side, as someone who 100%’d Crash 4 (but didn’t 106% it because I’m not insane), I can say that most of the time I could get all of the gems in one or two playthroughs of a level. Though Toxic Tunnels, Cortex Castle, and that last Flashback Tape still haunt my memories…

Anyhow, here’s an unused theme of my personal favorite Crash character (which I was ecstatic to play as in Rumble)!

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time - Ripper Roo (Unused)

[Mortamon Saturn]

I'm still waiting for them to release Spyro and Metal Arms out of their dungeon

Microsoft has so many great IPs locked up in their inactivity dungeon; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Metal Arms (whatever that is), Banjo-Kazooie, Conker (never played it, but I’ve heard it’s pretty good), etc…

Yup...
As for Metal Arms Glitch in The System, it's often described as "Halo meets Ratchet & Clank", and it's the textbook definition of an underrated gem! With extremely good game mechanics, a world of robots with some very cool lore and aesthetics (the Morbot region... ), hilarious characters, a fun adventure with a great sense of progress through the many upgrades and items + secrets you can find, and creative weapons that have yet to be seen in any other game for many of them!

You could sneak on enemy robots to take control of them and use all of their unique movesets (ranging from a heavy mech with gatling guns for hands+a rocket launcher to big flying drones with laser beams... or to badass Bionicle-looking guys with a big axe! ), turn them to your side with a recruit grenade... or dismember them in such detail that you could transform them into either a sentient pair of legs or into a torso stuck forever as a glorified turret/camera!
All of this in either the amazing campaign mode or in multiplayer (with optional bots for the latter)! Very fun stuff!
...And yes, I love it so much that I could talk about it all day!

So, why do such an awesome sounding game never took off? Tragically, the publisher decided to be a d1ck and did nothing to market it or support it... We were even meant to have a trilogy, but the company got acquired by Blizzard and the studio was killed off by being sent to the Starcraft Ghost mines... only for the latter to not even happen, so thank you for nothing Blizzard!
So since 2003, all we got was a digital port of the Xbox version on 360 (still no Xbox One or Series...), plus a semi-functioning Windows build shared by an anonymous person some years ago, and that's it... So there's that or emulation for anyone who ever wants to give it a try (GameCube version is probably the easiest to emulate, but Xbox has the best graphics by far, and there's the uglier PS2 version which has an extra multiplayer map).

Anyway, here's some of its kickass music before I start writing three more pages about how great and amazing it is!

Metal Arms - Mil Attack

This one in particular gives me some TimeSplitters vibes!

I wish the alternate timeline stages were just full levels dedicated to alternate-Tawna, Dingodile, and Cortex rather than just small segments. There was so much potential with those characters that was never tapped into in the final game.
On the completion side, as someone who 100%’d Crash 4 (but didn’t 106% it because I’m not insane), I can say that most of the time I could get all of the gems in one or two playthroughs of a level. Though Toxic Tunnels, Cortex Castle, and that last Flashback Tape still haunt my memories…

Personally I liked Rumble and really wish it had more time for new content…

Shame that it ended up being such a mixed bag when so much of the game is genuinely great! If we ever get a Crash 5, let's hope that they'll learn from their mistakes so it can become the best sequel in the entire series!
And seriously, congrats on the 100%! I'm not brave enough to even attempt just that!
Also sad we didn't actually get Ripper Roo as a boss in 4...

I have yet to actually try Team Rumble, but I've never been so uninterested about a Crash game before despite even playing Crash Bash... But hey, can't be worse than Boom Bang (which I regret buying despite getting it at like 3€! ), so I'll definitely get to it when it'll be extra cheap.