Crash Bandicoot

[Shrooblord]

You did that too? Hah that's hilarious! When I was younger, I got stuck on the swinging Rhino Pirates too. They kept coming out of nowhere, man (even though they have very distinct visual cues )!

[Rayfist]

Twinsanity's problem is that it's on the borderline of being TOO difficult.

Somebody get this guy to play one of those Japanese bullet hell shooters.

[OCG]

Crash 1 is way harder Crash game and yeah, Roles should play one of those Touhou games

[rolesfamily]

NO NOTHING HARDER!!!!!!! Twinsanity caused me enough childhood video game pain, and it's still hard to this day! Oh baby!

[Rayfist]

I'm not sure how Twinsanity is hard, but if ya say so mate.

Anyways I'm thinking of doing a Twinsanity playthrough via PCSX2 if any of ya would like to join.

[rolesfamily]

I'm not sure how Twinsanity is hard, but if ya say so mate.

Anyways I'm thinking of doing a Twinsanity playthrough via PCSX2 if any of ya would like to join.

Haha the bits that spring to mind:

The bit where you're rolling with Cortex up that thing being chased by the massive drill and you have to hit the crystals - I'm sorry but that's far too hard for a 2nd level end

Jumping up the bear traps

The academy of evil bit where it goes dark and you and see bugger all when jumping on platforms/dodgy floor

The academy of evil where the bus is chasing you on the blimp

[Bradandez]

Venturing into late 2004, I remember getting my first console. The Original Xbox and getting some fun games such as Burnout 3, the Incredibles, and Spider-Man 2. Sometime later, my dad bought me another game which I had no idea he did. That game was Crash Twinsanity. If it wasn’t for this game, I wouldn’t created most of my art! To state, no I haven’t played the other games in the series, so don’t go on how the other games are WAY BETTER. With that covered, let’s get started! This is…

Bradandez’s Raving Rants & Reviews #2: Crash Twinsanity: Twinsane in the Membrane!

First thing I want to start on is the story this time. This game is my ideal of how a platformer should tell its story. It has both in-game cutscenes and rendered cutscenes which can really get the game going. Anyways, I loved the story in this game. it’s just great. I don’t want to go into detail since most of you know it. So let’s dive into the characters. You members may not know but I hate silent protagonists. They don’t have personalities or any traits. There’s that “Oh but it’s up to the player!” No, it can work some people but not for me. But there’s an exception and it’s good ol’ Crash Bandicoot. This is a silent protagonist I fucking ADORE! Crash is mute through the entire game but his actions are what make his character. Crash is wacky with anything he does. Be it from his moves to his idle animations. Dr. Cortex is by far my favorite in this game. They’ve written him so well, like his dialogue is fantastic and always leaves me laughing. His character is just so memorable and I hope that they keep it if they ever make another Crash game, if they ever… if they ever… if they ever… whyamirepeatingthischinchillasareweirdtheyhavenonecks…
Nina was ehh… her design was cool but unlike Crash, she barely did anything. The Evil Twins were great villains too. They have a motive and their own backstory on why they’re evil and why they want to kill Cortex. The side characters were a neat touch, even if they had little scrrentime. This game is hilarious and I love it.
Off to the presentation, this game is GORGEOUS (for a 6th Gen game)! I cannot put it in just one sentence, so off we go now to separate parts. First off the look of the characters, they are absolutely the best looking design out of the whole series. It’s the perfect look from them. And the voice acting is unbelievably good! The worlds are just brimmed in detail. I could just look at the worlds for minutes and just examine it. The cutscenes look excellent on the original Xbox! Moving onto the soundtrack and my God, this has to be one of my favorite soundtracks of all time! Each track is fits it own level perfectly and kind of goes with the player’s action. And might I say it is somewhat, atmospheric? Mostly in the N. Sanity Island and the Academy of Evil levels. I was very impressed when I discovered the whole soundtrack was done with only voices and the band, Spiralmouth, did a fan-fucking-tastic job making it. The presentation is top notch and it shows. (But fuck, why couldn’t they fix the unskippable in-game cutscenes?)

The gameplay is another thing I love about this game. For starters, the open world gameplay is something I praise because I’m one for exploring video game worlds. It’s varied since we have 5 playable characters (well 3 characters and 2 styles). But I digress; Crash is obviously the best to control. I love to control this wacky fuzzball and his moves are great. Cortex is actually fun for me. I heard that many people don’t like to play as Cortex, and I can see why. But for me, I don’t have this problem and love his play style. Also the small touch when Cortex is out of ammo is fucking great. Nina was good but it’s a shame we couldn’t have more levels with her. Now onto the styles of the game. The Twin system is by far one of my favorite game mechanics of all time. I really enjoyed the moves and the animations for them are very fluid. And there’s even levels based off the Twin system that play way different! Rollerbrawl? A spinning ball of fist and fury! The Doc Amok? An escort mission that keeps you on your toes! Humiliskate? A total fuckin’ badass snowboard mechanic that’s so damn fun! And Mecha-Bandicoot was so badass but fuck, we only had one section with it. This leads to my criticism…

All the cut content for Crash Twinsanity. There a buttload of cut content and it was such a shame. This game had the potential to be way longer! There was going to be more levels, more Twin levels, other tracks, more enemies, and Coco was going to be a playable character! I hate it when games are pushed out just for money. Also the glitches were a big problem for those who encountered them. I never experienced one and will keep it that way.

Well that’s my praising review on Crash Twinsanity. My favorite game on the Original Xbox and one of my favorite games of all time. This is kinda referred to be the last good Crash, but I disagree. There may be a day when our marsupial mascot comes back and hopefully it has some elements from this game.

I’m Bradandez and I like things other people don’t!

[Shrooblord]

Hey Brad, gotta say I agree with you on all positive points. Mind though that your review didn't seem very reviewy - you listed near to none of the game's bad sides, if you consider it to have any. That's my only comment on your review.
And HELL yes Spiralmouth is amazing.

And Roles, the bus level for me was hardest. Why? Not because it was hard - I remember very well that I was pretty good at it on the old Xbox -, but because the X360 makes the game lag out so much it becomes almost impossible to time things correctly. xD

[Bradandez]

Yeah, I kind of rushed it but I still don't have much complaints with this game.

[Embryonic Hoodbrain]

I'm a pretty big fan of Crash, though I have yet to play the Radical games. I'd rank them like this:

#7. Crash Bash
#6. Crash Nitro Kart
#5. Crash Bandicoot
#4. Crash Twinsanity
#3. Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
#2. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
#1. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (which I just 104% not too long ago. Screw the last 1%, my bones aren't tough enough. Also, I haven't played Crash Team Racing yet, so shame on me. I plan on getting it on PSN soon, so I'll give an update later)

[Bzzit]

A word of advice: Don't play the Radical games.

Nice list! I'd rank them as so:

10: Mutant games
9: Crash Tag Team Racing
8: Crash Bash
7: Crash Bandicoot
6: Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
5: Crash Nitro Kart
4: Crash Twinsanity
3: Crash Team Racing
2: Crash Bandicoot: Warped
1: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

[Rayfist]

Hm... let me think
1.) Crash Bandicoot 2 Master race
2.) Crash Bandicoot Warped
3.) Crash Team Racing (my top 3 is the same as Bzzit)
4.) Crash Bandicoot
5.) Crash Twinsanity
6.) Crash Bandicoot: WoC
7.) Crash Bandicoot the Huge Adventure (GBA)
8.) Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
A lot of the other Crash games I just didn't like. Hated Tag Team Racing, hated Bash, and I hated the Mutant games. Haven't played Nitro Kart yet though, looks fun!

[Bradandez]

My list:

1) Crash Twinsanity
2) ...

And that's about it.

[Bzzit]

Hm... let me think
1.) Crash Bandicoot 2 Master race
2.) Crash Bandicoot Warped
3.) Crash Team Racing (my top 3 is the same as Bzzit)

It's always great to see someone else agree about Crash 2 being the best! I personally like it slightly more so than 3, as it's a lot more focused on pure platforming, rather than cramming a multitude of vehicle missions in; when they do show up, they are integrated well and don't overshadow any of the platforming in my opinion. The chase sections - some of my favourite sections in the series - are better in 2 as well; nothing can top begin chased by a gigantic adult Polar bear whilst riding on a Polar bear cub! I also like the level themes and designs better in 2, the snow worlds being my favourite in the entire series.

[Rayfist]

I loved Crash 2, it's always the first Crash game that comes to mind often. The environments were beautiful and lush, it just blew games like Mario 64 out of the water for me. Sure the gameplay was linear, but it had a good challenge which made up for it.

1) Crash Twinsanity
2) ...

And that's about it.

The fuck? Why haven't you played the originals?

[Embryonic Hoodbrain]

Hm... let me think
1.) Crash Bandicoot 2 Master race
2.) Crash Bandicoot Warped
3.) Crash Team Racing (my top 3 is the same as Bzzit)

It's always great to see someone else agree about Crash 2 being the best! I personally like it slightly more so than 3, as it's a lot more focused on pure platforming, rather than cramming a multitude of vehicle missions in; when they do show up, they are integrated well and don't overshadow any of the platforming in my opinion. The chase sections - some of my favourite sections in the series - are better in 2 as well; nothing can top begin chased by a gigantic adult Polar bear whilst riding on a Polar bear cub! I also like the level themes and designs better in 2, the snow worlds being my favourite in the entire series.

2 is pretty amazing. For a while it was also my favorite, but after binging Crash 3 for every gem, and diving into the time trials, I grew an even bigger appreciation for this game. Plus, I enjoy the Dualshock support, multitude of new ways to die, the wider variety of level themes, and music more in 3, though it's missing some of the best parts of 2, such as the difficulty and snowy bee levels, which were always my favorites.

[Bzzit]

One thing I definitely prefer about 3 is the boss battles. The Cortex fight is a joke in 2, whereas his fight in 3 is one of, if not the best boss fight in the series.

[Embryonic Hoodbrain]

One thing I definitely prefer about 3 is the boss battles. The Cortex fight is a joke in 2, whereas his fight in 3 is one of, if not the best boss fight in the series.

Definitely. I swear I must have missed something after I beat Cortex for the first time in 2. It feels unfinished (the boss, not the game), which is weird considering it's a Naughty Dog game.

[Rayfist]

I was hoping for a much cooler finale boss once you get all the gems, but nope, it's the same thing as when you don't have gems. Regardless, the 100% ending is pretty fucking awesome.

[rolesfamily]

1. Crash 3
2. CTR
3. Crash Bash
4. Crash 2
5. Crash Twinsanity
6. Crash 1