Crash Bandicoot was one of the very first games I ever played on PlayStation. The N. Sane Trilogy was why I bought a PS4 back in June 2017. But will people bite for a brand new game? I think so. Many have wanted a new release for a long time. Ignoring mobile phone games, there hasn't been a new game in 12 years. Enter Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Playful words for multiple reasons. Time will come at the start of October for PS4 and Xbox One.
There was a leak not too long ago about the game and today, June 22, Activision put out a trailer. This is a sequel, but it's a follow up to Warped. If you got the true ending to Warped, you might have an idea on what they are doing. From the trailer, Cortex has had time to make plans to defeat his nemesis. Crash and Coco are ready and set to foil whatever bad deeds the scientist has. The designs are a little different on the characters, but not completely altered like a Crash of the Titans or Mind Over Mutant.
Looking at gameplay, it looks like it would be a bit more fast paced. Stuff from the original trilogy like riding on a vehicle in the water. Futuristic levels. Creative boss fights against bad guys like Dr. N Gin. It's taking what made the 90s games great and going with notion of not needing to tweak it for specific reasons. If I'm guessing, it's going to at least 30 levels. Secret ones. Time trials. Variety of worlds to go through. I do have some concern. I'm curious as to whether it will be like Twinsanity (I don't think it will) in being a bit open world or be like the original trilogy. The length I'm wondering, but that's more of a nitpick. Ultimately, I would like to see how much original stuff is brought into this release.
All that in mind, I am very interested. It will be the first time where I can experience an original new release as an adult for this series. We do need to see more of these. Hopefully, the release date is not bad considering the potential releases of PS5 and Xbox Series X around mid-late November. Hell, I could see this coming to those systems. Kind of surprised no Switch version, but I do think there will be one. Maybe release a month or two later around Christmas. Toys for Bob has done ports to the system. But this should be an exciting time to fully revive the bandicoot, especially as he reaches 25 years old next year.
Showing posts with label crash bandicoot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crash bandicoot. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Easiest and Hardest YouTube Videos I've Done
I've kept the same YouTube channel for over seven years. Quite a bit of videos I'm pretty happy about. A bit of others that could have been better. Some might think it's that easy, but it's not. If you're very familiar and really good, it can be. For something a little different, I'll talk some of the easiest and hardest games I've done into videos, starting with easy.
Medal of Honor (1999): This was fun to do. Going through the levels at a good pace. Showcasing my approach to playing it and the run and gun feel in some of the areas. Probably one of my proudest playthroughs.
Sonic and Knuckles: These are a little complex with doing both characters and getting the Emeralds. After that, it was simply finding the path to the bosses and gaining lots of rings. It was always great to look at the level design and see the strengths and weaknesses to who you were playing as. Sonic 3 and Knuckles is one I would want to do at some point in the future.
Altered Beast: It's a very simple game. A lot of it is memorization, but I don't think it's necessary. Even an average person could get through it with such ease. The only blemish I had in the video was the fourth level and losing some health. Other than that, it was a perfect run. It's one game I would like to come back to and showcase the difficulties.
Now to hard:
Crash Bandicoot: You don't get to go back to the bonus rounds. One chance and that's it. Some of the later levels are really tough and getting a perfect run of a level is next to impossible at points. You can't die if you reach a checkpoint either. Fun game to play, not fun to do videos of. The second and third game would be a bit easier to record if I want to do videos of them.
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose: This was done on hard, but doing it on normal for a practice run was not great, either. The health system sucks. I would argue the football level was not the best designed and the Star Wars parody level was not designed well. Add in that the hard difficulty has visual graphics in the end credits (which was a dumb move), and it's one of the tougher playthroughs I've done for videos. Great game, but one you need to have a lot of memory of knowing when to jump, attack, and whatever else.
Driver: Even if you don't record, undercover can be very brutal. The cops are the main gripe and they will usually determine if you will succeed or fail a mission. Pursuit missions don't leave you with much time. Some of the time limits are a bit ridiculous. You don't know how long these missions will last. And the late missions are a huge hassle. I've been on the fence of doing Driver 2, but I think if I were to come back to this, I would do the driving games, training, and show the cheats off for it. There's more to Driver than its undercover.
Three easy and three hard games I've done videos of. Maybe I'll do more in the future, but they will not be common blogs. Happy reading.
Medal of Honor (1999): This was fun to do. Going through the levels at a good pace. Showcasing my approach to playing it and the run and gun feel in some of the areas. Probably one of my proudest playthroughs.
Sonic and Knuckles: These are a little complex with doing both characters and getting the Emeralds. After that, it was simply finding the path to the bosses and gaining lots of rings. It was always great to look at the level design and see the strengths and weaknesses to who you were playing as. Sonic 3 and Knuckles is one I would want to do at some point in the future.
Altered Beast: It's a very simple game. A lot of it is memorization, but I don't think it's necessary. Even an average person could get through it with such ease. The only blemish I had in the video was the fourth level and losing some health. Other than that, it was a perfect run. It's one game I would like to come back to and showcase the difficulties.
Now to hard:
Crash Bandicoot: You don't get to go back to the bonus rounds. One chance and that's it. Some of the later levels are really tough and getting a perfect run of a level is next to impossible at points. You can't die if you reach a checkpoint either. Fun game to play, not fun to do videos of. The second and third game would be a bit easier to record if I want to do videos of them.
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose: This was done on hard, but doing it on normal for a practice run was not great, either. The health system sucks. I would argue the football level was not the best designed and the Star Wars parody level was not designed well. Add in that the hard difficulty has visual graphics in the end credits (which was a dumb move), and it's one of the tougher playthroughs I've done for videos. Great game, but one you need to have a lot of memory of knowing when to jump, attack, and whatever else.
Driver: Even if you don't record, undercover can be very brutal. The cops are the main gripe and they will usually determine if you will succeed or fail a mission. Pursuit missions don't leave you with much time. Some of the time limits are a bit ridiculous. You don't know how long these missions will last. And the late missions are a huge hassle. I've been on the fence of doing Driver 2, but I think if I were to come back to this, I would do the driving games, training, and show the cheats off for it. There's more to Driver than its undercover.
Three easy and three hard games I've done videos of. Maybe I'll do more in the future, but they will not be common blogs. Happy reading.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Ten Years of Game Collecting
Before I begin, I would like to do a quick thanks. This year has been very strong for the blog, which has over ten thousand views and seems likely to reach 15 thousand by the end of the year. Now, let's end August with a quick story.
It wasn't until August of 2009 that I started to get more into older games. While I did enjoy playing PS2 and PSP, I would go back to the Genesis, SNES. Sometimes, the Game Boy Color. One day, I decided go to this local used game store that carried a decent amount of systems and games. And this was before game collecting became a big commodity to many. Please note that unlike most, I actually play my games.
For about 15 dollars I got five games. On the Genesis, I got Joe Montana Football, Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing, and Jurassic Park. Later on, I did get complete versions in the box with manuals for the first two games, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of them. Jurassic Park was okay. On the SNES, I was starving for sports games and went with NHL 96. Now these days, I love a lot of the 16-bit NHL games, but this was the first one I played that wasn't the first one on Genesis. A lot of fun and a game to go to sleep to, especially the following spring in 2010.
The last one was for PlayStation and this was before the series became double digit prices. That was the original Crash Bandicoot. I had all the games as a kid, but scratched them badly before starting to care for the game cases and discs when my family got a PS2 in 2003. Now these days, I have all but the second game for that system, and all of them work. At the time, this was the only one I didn't beat and to go through it as a teenager and get 100 percent was very nice. To do something I couldn't do back then, which was one of my very first PlayStation games back in 1997-98. To get it before prices spiked on it, I will cherish my copy.
That wraps up my story. Over the last ten years, I have gotten many systems and games, though I have slowed down a little bit where I'm not constantly buying games 24/7. What were the games that got you into collecting?
It wasn't until August of 2009 that I started to get more into older games. While I did enjoy playing PS2 and PSP, I would go back to the Genesis, SNES. Sometimes, the Game Boy Color. One day, I decided go to this local used game store that carried a decent amount of systems and games. And this was before game collecting became a big commodity to many. Please note that unlike most, I actually play my games.
For about 15 dollars I got five games. On the Genesis, I got Joe Montana Football, Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing, and Jurassic Park. Later on, I did get complete versions in the box with manuals for the first two games, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of them. Jurassic Park was okay. On the SNES, I was starving for sports games and went with NHL 96. Now these days, I love a lot of the 16-bit NHL games, but this was the first one I played that wasn't the first one on Genesis. A lot of fun and a game to go to sleep to, especially the following spring in 2010.
The last one was for PlayStation and this was before the series became double digit prices. That was the original Crash Bandicoot. I had all the games as a kid, but scratched them badly before starting to care for the game cases and discs when my family got a PS2 in 2003. Now these days, I have all but the second game for that system, and all of them work. At the time, this was the only one I didn't beat and to go through it as a teenager and get 100 percent was very nice. To do something I couldn't do back then, which was one of my very first PlayStation games back in 1997-98. To get it before prices spiked on it, I will cherish my copy.
That wraps up my story. Over the last ten years, I have gotten many systems and games, though I have slowed down a little bit where I'm not constantly buying games 24/7. What were the games that got you into collecting?
Friday, January 25, 2019
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
I wish this game would come out now, but alas,we'll have to wait. There was a rumor floating around this week of a Crash Team Racing game. Of course, speculation comes into play and it became true. A remaster of the game is slated for late June on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
The original was the last Naughty Dog game for the original PlayStation way back in the fall of 1999. To a number of people, this is better than Mario Kart. The single player feels well done. There's nothing cheap about it. It's fair. No bullshit weapons that bombard you at the last second. An adventure mode similar to Diddy Kong Racing. Tournaments and split screen racing. It did everything right. Only thing that it doesn't have over Mario Kart is multiplayer, but the single player is more than satisfying.
I think it's a bit of a shocker that CTR is coming back. How it will handle 90s designs for the modern day will be a question in itself. With N. Sane Trilogy, outside of some controls for the first game, it played rather well. But this isn't a platformer. If it can perform good speeds on your own, the multiplayer and the new online mode, I'll be pleased. Until then, get hyped. When June comes, I'm definitely getting a copy.
The original was the last Naughty Dog game for the original PlayStation way back in the fall of 1999. To a number of people, this is better than Mario Kart. The single player feels well done. There's nothing cheap about it. It's fair. No bullshit weapons that bombard you at the last second. An adventure mode similar to Diddy Kong Racing. Tournaments and split screen racing. It did everything right. Only thing that it doesn't have over Mario Kart is multiplayer, but the single player is more than satisfying.
I think it's a bit of a shocker that CTR is coming back. How it will handle 90s designs for the modern day will be a question in itself. With N. Sane Trilogy, outside of some controls for the first game, it played rather well. But this isn't a platformer. If it can perform good speeds on your own, the multiplayer and the new online mode, I'll be pleased. Until then, get hyped. When June comes, I'm definitely getting a copy.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Spyro Reignited: More 32-bit Interest?
The last 24 to 48 hours has been an interesting one if you are into gaming. If you grew up in the 90s, odds are you are familiar with Spyro the Dragon. It was one of the reasons to get an original PlayStation back in late 1998. Much like Crash Bandicoot, the original trilogy is about as beloved as most other games from that era. Some have wondered if it seemed inevitable that there would be a remastered set following N. Sane Trilogy last year. That's put to rest with Reignited coming out in September for PS4 and Xbox One.
Whether you want to call it a leak or not, this will excite a lot of people. Judging by the trailer for this, Spyro is getting the same kind of makeover like Crash. I'd like to say it looks a lot better, but it's a matter of what will be seen when it comes out. Activision is at the helm of this with development by Toys for Bob, who have made Skylanders. If it's anything like N. Sane Trilogy, that will mean a few things. One is that it will be the same games you remembered playing in the late 90s and early 2000s. Two might be additional content, meaning some cut levels that never made it into the game if there is any. Three could the possibility of seeing if new interest in the franchise will spark a demand for new games.
At the moment, there is no plan for a Switch or PC release. N. Sane Trilogy is set for Nintendo's hybrid in July along with the PC and Xbox One, with Toys for Bob developing the former. It would be nice to see beyond Mario and Sonic other platformers onto the system, but depends on what the sales expectations Activision wants from Crash. This should be a no brainer to bring it over, but the stigma associated with Nintendo home systems since 1996 will leave companies with a bit of concern.
Could this make companies really interested in the 32/64-bit era? Maybe. There is a bit of games that will make you want a remaster or remake of. It could bring back certain franchises, but that's just an idea that seems more of a fantasy. Either way, Spyro should be another huge hit for this generation. If it's anywhere like N. Sane Trilogy, it will score well critically and commercially.
Whether you want to call it a leak or not, this will excite a lot of people. Judging by the trailer for this, Spyro is getting the same kind of makeover like Crash. I'd like to say it looks a lot better, but it's a matter of what will be seen when it comes out. Activision is at the helm of this with development by Toys for Bob, who have made Skylanders. If it's anything like N. Sane Trilogy, that will mean a few things. One is that it will be the same games you remembered playing in the late 90s and early 2000s. Two might be additional content, meaning some cut levels that never made it into the game if there is any. Three could the possibility of seeing if new interest in the franchise will spark a demand for new games.
At the moment, there is no plan for a Switch or PC release. N. Sane Trilogy is set for Nintendo's hybrid in July along with the PC and Xbox One, with Toys for Bob developing the former. It would be nice to see beyond Mario and Sonic other platformers onto the system, but depends on what the sales expectations Activision wants from Crash. This should be a no brainer to bring it over, but the stigma associated with Nintendo home systems since 1996 will leave companies with a bit of concern.
Could this make companies really interested in the 32/64-bit era? Maybe. There is a bit of games that will make you want a remaster or remake of. It could bring back certain franchises, but that's just an idea that seems more of a fantasy. Either way, Spyro should be another huge hit for this generation. If it's anywhere like N. Sane Trilogy, it will score well critically and commercially.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy (PS4) Review
The first time I played Crash Bandicoot was the first two games around late 1997, early 1998. They were also some of the very first titles I played on the original PlayStation. Last month, I bought a PlayStation 4 and the main reason was to get Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, which has been out for a little over three weeks at the time of this blog. If you love the original trilogy, this is one to pick up. You're going to get a lot of bang for your buck with what Vicarious Visions and Activision were able to do.
Playing as the title character, Crash must outwit the sinister Dr. Neo Cortex in order to save a female bandicoot in the first. He must help save the world with the scientist in the second game... or so he thinks. Then, he must keep the space time continuum from falling apart because of Cortex in the third game.
Vicarious Visions rebuilt this game from the ground up. When you look at the graphics, it is beyond amazing of what they were able to do. While I do think it's not pushing PS4 hardware to its limits, there is more than enough power to show off the various lands and jungles compared to the 32-bit originals. (which were great looking for their time period) There's better lighting, smoother animations. It's the little things that help this game out.
On the other hand, N-Sane Trilogy's audio, while decent, doesn't feel the same. Like the graphics, the music is all re-done. They capture the level themes well, but the ambiance is not like it was on the original PlayStation. Sound effects are cleaner and clearer. The voice acting is not its strongest suit on either version, but there is more emotion on this one than the original. Your mileage will vary on this part.
As far as playing the games go, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy is the exact same games as what was seen from 1996 though 98. There are a few minor changes, but it's still what you remember them as. You break boxes and once you get all of them, you collect a gem at the end of a level. Crystals would become the main requirement starting with the second, but both are equally important. These are not small games, as they each contain over 30 levels. None of the boxes have changed so there are still good ones like Aku-Aku masks, and the bad ones like TNT crates. Wumpa fruit is still there for Crash to get and collect extra lives.
With the first two games, there are a few additional things added in. The first one now requires you to complete the bonus levels, which can be done at anytime and not just a one time thing. Saving is easy as it is like the other two where you save at any time when you are on the level map screen. Time trials are now given in the first and second one and the goal is the same. Get through a level quickly to get a time relic. For the second game on its own, boss fights now have their own entry in a warp room rather than going up another warp room, giving it a similarity to what the third game did. All three games allow the choice of playing as the sister, Coco. She doesn't have anything unique, but you're not forced into using her.
Are these games perfect, though? No. Each has their own issues, but let's begin with the first game, which has the biggest problem out of any of the trilogy. As mentioned earlier, Vicarious Visions did the game from scratch, but the difficulty feels a lot higher than even the original. While it fixed the save mechanic and the way of collecting most gems (some levels require beating them without dying to earn a colored gem), the jumping is nerve racking. You either slip off an edge or barely make it onto a platform. This has a lot of precise platforming and it gets very uncomfortable after losing many lives in certain levels. It's not impossible, but with practice, it shouldn't be a huge issue. You'll still lose lives, but not as much.
The second game feels a lot more fluid in jumping. There are a few times where timing jumps are a problem, but it's not a big headache compared to the first. It's still a difficult game in certain levels. My only complaints are some backtracking and the time trials feeling a little cheap in a few of the levels as if the time requirements are too strict. For the third game, there's not much to complain. Some small nitpicks are a few levels feeling more difficult than the PlayStation original and some of the backtracking. With that in mind, this is still a very solid remastering of games that most people grew up and loved in the mid to late 90s.
You're going to sink some time into this. This can be from 20 to 40 hours, especially if you want to go after those platinum times in time trial mode. Trophy support is for all three games. If you're looking for a fun game, definitely get Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy. Hopefully it brings a new audience to the marsupial and the franchise continues on with new entries.
Score 8 out of 10
Playing as the title character, Crash must outwit the sinister Dr. Neo Cortex in order to save a female bandicoot in the first. He must help save the world with the scientist in the second game... or so he thinks. Then, he must keep the space time continuum from falling apart because of Cortex in the third game.
Vicarious Visions rebuilt this game from the ground up. When you look at the graphics, it is beyond amazing of what they were able to do. While I do think it's not pushing PS4 hardware to its limits, there is more than enough power to show off the various lands and jungles compared to the 32-bit originals. (which were great looking for their time period) There's better lighting, smoother animations. It's the little things that help this game out.
On the other hand, N-Sane Trilogy's audio, while decent, doesn't feel the same. Like the graphics, the music is all re-done. They capture the level themes well, but the ambiance is not like it was on the original PlayStation. Sound effects are cleaner and clearer. The voice acting is not its strongest suit on either version, but there is more emotion on this one than the original. Your mileage will vary on this part.
As far as playing the games go, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy is the exact same games as what was seen from 1996 though 98. There are a few minor changes, but it's still what you remember them as. You break boxes and once you get all of them, you collect a gem at the end of a level. Crystals would become the main requirement starting with the second, but both are equally important. These are not small games, as they each contain over 30 levels. None of the boxes have changed so there are still good ones like Aku-Aku masks, and the bad ones like TNT crates. Wumpa fruit is still there for Crash to get and collect extra lives.
With the first two games, there are a few additional things added in. The first one now requires you to complete the bonus levels, which can be done at anytime and not just a one time thing. Saving is easy as it is like the other two where you save at any time when you are on the level map screen. Time trials are now given in the first and second one and the goal is the same. Get through a level quickly to get a time relic. For the second game on its own, boss fights now have their own entry in a warp room rather than going up another warp room, giving it a similarity to what the third game did. All three games allow the choice of playing as the sister, Coco. She doesn't have anything unique, but you're not forced into using her.
Are these games perfect, though? No. Each has their own issues, but let's begin with the first game, which has the biggest problem out of any of the trilogy. As mentioned earlier, Vicarious Visions did the game from scratch, but the difficulty feels a lot higher than even the original. While it fixed the save mechanic and the way of collecting most gems (some levels require beating them without dying to earn a colored gem), the jumping is nerve racking. You either slip off an edge or barely make it onto a platform. This has a lot of precise platforming and it gets very uncomfortable after losing many lives in certain levels. It's not impossible, but with practice, it shouldn't be a huge issue. You'll still lose lives, but not as much.
The second game feels a lot more fluid in jumping. There are a few times where timing jumps are a problem, but it's not a big headache compared to the first. It's still a difficult game in certain levels. My only complaints are some backtracking and the time trials feeling a little cheap in a few of the levels as if the time requirements are too strict. For the third game, there's not much to complain. Some small nitpicks are a few levels feeling more difficult than the PlayStation original and some of the backtracking. With that in mind, this is still a very solid remastering of games that most people grew up and loved in the mid to late 90s.
You're going to sink some time into this. This can be from 20 to 40 hours, especially if you want to go after those platinum times in time trial mode. Trophy support is for all three games. If you're looking for a fun game, definitely get Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy. Hopefully it brings a new audience to the marsupial and the franchise continues on with new entries.
Score 8 out of 10
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Channel Trailer 2017
I run a YouTube channel and have done videos for the last four years. This is a new channel trailer for anybody looking for videos on games. I'll explain more in a later blog.
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