Review - CRASH BANDICOOT N.SANE TRILOGY - Triple Woah!
If you were born in the 80s/90s, this is a dream come true. Are we exaggerating?
Not that much, considering how much this crazy marsupial entertained us in the mid-90s on the legendary PS1, in three timeless 3D platformers called "Crash Bandicoot", "Crash Bandicoot 2 - Cortex Strikes Back", and "Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped", here all bundled in an all-in-one collection, with fully upgraded graphics, and remixed OSTs!
| Store | Platform | OVERALL RATING: 91% |
| Buy it on Amazon Buy on Steam |
PC |
+ THE POSITIVE
-THIS is how you remake a game!(well, three games)- Graphic upgrade is fantastic - Environments are very diverse - 3D Platforming at its finest - Varied gameplay with lots of different challenges - OST remixes are perfect - Good replayability and PERFECT for speedrunning!
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THE NEGATIVE
- Too many loading times!- Some levels were unfairly hard in the original games, and nothing has been done to improve this aspect |
| Buy it on Amazon | PS4 | |
| Buy it on Amazon | Xbox One | |
| Buy it on Amazon | Switch |
THE LEGEND IS COMING BACK!Crash Bandicoot was the (unofficial?) mascot of the PS1 in the mid-to-late 90s, back when mascots could still be cute colorful furries.
While it never got as popular as Mario or Sonic (my personal opinion? I think it's because the gameplay was TOO diverse, while Sonic and Mario were way more straight-forward back then. Oh yeah, and also the name is too long. lol), it still spawned several sequels during the last two decades, on GBA, DS, PS2, etc!
But here, we're dealing only about the first "trilogy" of games which were released on the PS1 in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Most of you weren't even born. Not even your parents.
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| Check out didyouknowgaming, it's super cool! |
Instead of Robotnik, you have to deal with "Dr. Neo Cortex", who seem to suffer from a severe case of jaundice, and also has an evil plan of conquering the world, kidnapping all sorts of animals to genetically manipulate them, and making them obey as his own private army.
Yaaaawn... Been there, done that.
One big difference: Unlike Sonic, Crash is not asexual and does have a girlfriend, named Tawna Bandicoot!
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| Tawna and Crash!💖 |
This game is the most "classic" one of the three. It's a rather fast-paced "run and jump" 3D platformer, containing no less than 33 levels, all upgraded with the shiny HD treatment!
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| Why wouldn't the crab share his dinner?..... Because he's shellfish. |
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997) - Same, but better
Containing around the same amount of re-imagined levels (32), this sequel still features almost the same characters, and this time, Crash will be abducted by Dr.Neo Cortex, tricking him into thinking that he actually wants to save the world. (a classic move...)
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| Say hello to Coco Bandicoot! (by Ben Hickling) |
This game is more beautiful and colorful, has more side-characters, and gameplay is more diverse in general.
An important change: Crash's sister, Coco Bandicoot, joins the saga, and will warn Crash about Cortex true plans!
Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998) - A forgiving mini-game fest
This time, Crash travels through space and time, in no less than 37 relentless levels! This game is the one featuring the most "mini-games", making it a very playful territory, so you'll dive, ride a motorbike in simple but fun races, team-up with a baby T-rex and even fly an airplane in the insanely fun "mad bombers" level!
TIP!
How to unlock Coco Bandicoot?
One of the best new additions to N.Sane Trilogy is the possibility to play Coco in all three games. But how to unlock her?Just beat the first boss in Crash 1 & 2 (Papu Papu, Ripper Roo - no need to do this this Crash 3). A time machine will appear on the map. Access it, and from there on, simply tap R2 on the map screen to switch characters.
Unfortunately, not every stage will support Coco - such as the Hog levels - but she will otherwise control the same as Crash does. You'll also need to play as her in order to unlock certain Trophies.
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| Get through the entire level without crashing into anything, while also breaking all of the crates you see! By the way, what do you call a Tiger using a copy machine? A copycat. I swear, this is the last joke in this review. |
There are also a multitude of new additions, like a decent variety of fun weapons to use against your enemies, like the "Fruit Bazooka"!
Finally, you will also encounter new bosses like Uka Uka, N. Tropy and the rather disappointing Dingodile.
Now, let's check how all of this plays!
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| Crash: "the best curve on a girl is her smile... Just kidding! Look at that ass!" |
Note!
You also get two new levels!- "Stormy Ascent", which isn't exactly new, actually, but was an "unreleased" level from Crash Bandicoot 1, and is now one of the most challenging levels of this collection. Avoid spikes, birds, and lab assistants while climbing a tower thanks to moving platforms!
- "Future Tense", - which is much easier(imho) - taking place in "Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped" futuristic setting, in which you'll have to dodge rockets and robots while ascending a huge skyscraper!
GAMEPLAY - A LESSON OF REMASTERING 😎 👍
The good news? It feels like the good old Crash Bandicoot games. The experience is still as good as before!
The GREAT news? Although the developers did their best to not alter the core experience, they still managed to implement improved controls, while preserving the original gameplay. (Although you'll need time to get used to it. Keep reading!)
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| It's so cold outside I just keyed someone's car with my nipples. |
Additionally, you get:
- a modern save system
- leaderboards for speed runners
- 60 FPS! (PC only??)
Every change and improvement respects the originals, and all your favorite mechanics from the old games are back. The core gameplay of Crash Bandicoot still consists in jumping, sliding, and ground pounding your way through tough-as-nails platforming levels.
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| Beware of the sinking lilypads! |
On some obstacle-riddled islands, you'll be barrelling through tropical jungles, smashing countless crates, risking your life in the most exotic locations! From the electrified waters of an eel-infested sewer, to a wild tiger ride on the great wall, not even mentioning the Indiana-jones-inspired rolling boulder levels, the N.Sane Trilogy has it all. You cannot get bored, as every level is completely different from the other!
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| Tip: it seems obvious, but AVOID the other drivers! As long as you don't crash into anything and you stay on the road, you should be able to win. Make sure you use every turbo pad, but watch out for the tight corners near the end of the stage as well as the pits. DO NOT get off the road because you will slow down! |
A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE, THOUGH!!
Now, Crash uses the jumping physics of "Crash Bandicoot 3" in ALL THREE GAMES!
This can be considered a godsend or a calamity, depending on what were your favorite Bandicoot games, and how you learned to play them... Maybe you'll have to "unlearn" your muscle memory about this...
TIP!
To help you with precise jumps, keep a close look at your shadow, as it will give you a
clear hint of where you will land. Very helpful especially for moving platforms! |
| The cute but insane Ripper Roo boss! Time your jumps on the TNT boxes to make them explode next to him! |
For example, you might experience difficulties in Crash Bandicoot 1 & 2, in the levels which rely heavily on very precise jumping, like "The high road", which is partly responsible for my premature hair loss. (this, and the "Bloody Swamp" level in Kid Chameleon)
Additionally, the platforms' hit detection has been slightly altered in the remakes. It might seem like nitpicking, but edges of platforms are curved instead of being flat, which will make you slip off or trip a couple of times, and die miserably after your next jump.
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| Jump on the egg and you'll get to ride "Eggipus Rex", a baby T-rex! |
TIP!
Try to remember to hold X whenever you fall, as it will allow you
to get a shift to any platform, avoiding a certain death!The games have always been about extremely precise jumping skills, though, and as long as you're okay with one-hit deaths, you won't mind taking this stroll down memory lane. Also, the vast majority of levels are accessible even to newcomers, and if you're used to the controls already, will offer quite a relaxing casual entertainment. (many disagree with this statement)
All in all, a very amusing -and large!- collection of platforming challenges, spread over more than a hundred levels, packed in a single coherent and polished mega-game, overflowing with nostalgia!
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| Ancient Egypt is a lot like internet. People write on walls and worship cats. |
GRAPHICS - LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER! 😍
The new HD art is great and perfectly transcribes the character designs and levels Naughty Dog created in the 90s. The whole trilogy feels now like one coherent mega-game, while still preserving the good old style and tone which we loved so much in the first games! (THANK YOU. I really didn't want to see a "re-imagining", I prefer a true remaster, personally!)
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| Plot twist: These apples are in fact floating severed heads of Chernobyl inhabitants. How do I know? Click here. |
While not qualifying as photo-realistic graphics, sometimes, the game almost looks like some little clay figures put in a real "cartoonish" environment!
Speaking of which, say bye-bye to the low-poly characters of the early days of 3D consoles, and let's have a warm welcome to HD-textured and realistic-looking Crash Bandicoot, with all of the other creatures of his kingdom, all freshly upgraded!
VERY interesting video showing a comparison of the original Crash Bandicoot VS N.Sane Trilogy =>
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Jarrell: There's a ground! You just use mirrors and shit to make it look like there's no ground!
[he drops a coin and listens... and listens...] Jarrell: There's no ground in here! |
MUSIC & SFX - INFINITELY BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL 😊 🎧
The soundtrack is completely remastered, and unlike the graphics, some of the tracks aren't easily recognizable, which we consider to be a GOOD thing, as the original OSTs sound a bit outdated and flat nowadays(many PS1 games used very basic soundfonts, which seemed to be the case in the Crash Bandicoot games).
The new orchestration perfectly represents the jumping energy of our jovial marsupial, using lots of swinging tribal rhythms, mixed with islander instruments and also some jazz-sounding horns to spice things up!
You can listen to the full trilogy OST on Youtube =>
For those who are nostalgic, you can still listen here to the original Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2, and Crash Bandicoot 3 OSTs.
As for the funny SFX, it's been completely remastered, but still sounds like the good old original sounds! Steps are much more realistic, boxes explosions are more "percussive", and last but not least, all voices have been re-recorded by new actors(unless we're wrong, none of the original actors are present?), and overall, they do sound more convincing, a very rare thing in games!
RATING BOX
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VERSION TESTED: 1.0
Publisher:
Developer:
Release Date:
29 June, 2018
Genre: Platformer
Single-player
Difficulty:
Crash Bandicoot 1: Hard Crash Bandicoot 2: Normal Crash Bandicoot 3: Easy
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| GRAPHICS: 97% | |||||||||||
| The original 3D low-poly games feel undamaged by the extreme HD treatment. Despite the beautiful HD textures and models, you get the feeling of re-discovering the game like you're in the 90s again! |
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| MUSIC: 92% | |||||||||||
| Greatly improved in every way possible, the high-energy remixes sound much more appropriate for such a fast-moving platformer! I hope you like tribal drums! | |||||||||||
| SOUNDS: 94% | |||||||||||
| The cartoonish(although some sounds realistic) SFX have been completely remastered as well as the voices, and everything sounds very clear and much better than the originals! | |||||||||||
| GAMEPLAY: 89% | |||||||||||
| Extremely diverse and challenging, N.Sane Trilogy offers a very large gameplay time and will entertain you for years(like the original games). Too bad some levels rely too much on the outdated "trial & error" gameplay. | |||||||||||
| OVERALL RATING: 91% | |||||||||||
| As a remaster, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is flawless. The work they did on this is astounding, and a model to follow for any future remasters. These charming games were never perfect in the first place, and some unfair levels might annoy you, while some mini-games will bore you(looking at you, Warped!), but overall, it's still a very enjoyable experience which defined 3D platforming in the mid-to-late 90s, and which is still as fun in 2018! |
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