Electronic Gaming Monthly's Top 12 Crash Bandicoot Games

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (PlayStation 2)

#12

“The tunnel-chase gameplay in Wrath of Cortex wears thin very quickly, and I especially despise levels -- in any game -- where you're running away from something, toward the camera. (If you're supposed to be playing as the character, how come you're not looking at the path ahead of you?) I have to admit that Wrath of Cortex has a few fun bits, namely levels where Crash is in a hamster ball, but it can't completely tear itself from the frustrating shackles of its limited perspective, one-hit kills and a silly amount of pits to fall into. If I see another unavoidable stack of Nitro boxes, I'm going to break something. In my opinion, Crash Team Racing is the only good game in this series.” (4.5 out of 10)

Crash Tag Team Racing (GCN, PS2 & Xbox)

#11

“If you press buttons during the loading screen, the game will belch and/or fart. This clued me in to the fact that Crash is meant to be a baby game. So, I asked my inner 8-year-old what she thought of the game. She rolled her eyes and said, “it sucks.” And then went to play Burnout Revenge. What they've done is mash together a platform/coin-collecting game with a plodding kart-combat racer, then grafted on some escaped-from-a-cell-phone minigames. It's a Frankensteinian mess. Even a really dumb youngling wouldn't enjoy its repeating cycle of racing, chatting and fetching. Despite popular opinion, most kids have an attention span that last longer than a sound bite, but not when you offer them nonsense like this.” (4.5 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (Xbox)

#10

“When I loaded up Wrath of Cortex for Xbox, I thought back to the miserable time I had with the PS2 version: The long load times, lackluster graphics and been-there, done-that gameplay. Thankfully, two of those issues have been fixed on Xbox. The inexcusably long load times are gone, and the graphics have been given an extra layer of polish. Crash now has fur, and the improved lighting and water effects give his coat some extra shine. I'll be the first to admit this is the best Crash has ever looked. But save for a few additions to Wrath of Cortex, like some cool hamster-ball levels, it's almost identical to its predecessors. Other platform games like Sonic and Mario have evolved over time, why can't Crash? At this point in his illustrious career, the Bandicoot needs to go in a completely different direction or be put to sleep for good.” (5 out of 10)

Crash Nitro Kart (PS2, GCN & Xbox)

#9

“The unflavored yogurt of the kart-racing set, Crash Nitro Kart has its heart in the right place. Sadly, said heart is stillborn. Powered by the charismatic Crash Bandicoot and featuring a solid multiplayer mode, Crash Nitro Kart takes few chances; it's as generic in look as it is in feel. Crash Nitro Kart offers standard weapons, predictably themed tracks with lots of jumps but few hairpin curves to challenge drivers, and a toned-down difficulty level to keep frustrating losses to a minimum. Oh, and what's with the lamest unlockable ever: The ability to rewatch cut-scenes.” (5.7 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (Game Boy Advance)

#8

“Back on the PlayStation, this marsupial ran the show, but now that he's showing up on a console with games like Super Mario Advance 2 and Sonic, his mediocrity crashes the party. By combining boring gameplay, derivative level design and a remarkably short quest, Vicarious Visions has transformed Crash into just another ho-hum platformer. Even Crash's trademark graphical splendor has been toned down to merely average. The occasional pseudo-3D stage looks hot, but the side-scrolling sections are nothing special. Also, any game that heaps on the extra lives to balance out the endless one-hit deaths becomes quickly tiresome. You can do better.” (5.8 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (GameCube)

#7

“Nobody's more burnt on Crash than this chica. So imagine my (groan) delight when that bippity-boppity intro music fired up on my TV. As I nestled my rump comfortably into the sofa in preparation for the notoriously long load times, I asked myself: ‘Why am I doing this?' But even before the first snore of the evening bore itself from my nostrils, level one was ready. Ha! Perhaps Traveler's Tales finally got load-times right? We'll see about that. This stubborn girl wasn't convinced yet, even as she discovered how much more forgiving Crash was on the GameCube. Not only did I not have the desire to smash the disc into a zillion pieces, I actually found the game somewhat enjoyable. Yes, Wrath on the GameCube is more polished here than on the PS2, but some things never change. Despite some clever approaches to level design, it still lacks any real innovation to its simple platform roots, making it an ideal candidate for little kids. But with Super Mario Sunshine out now, it's tough to recommend this game to any age group.” (6 out of 10)

Crash Bash (PlayStation)

#6

“Crash Bash doesn't have the firepower to pose a serious threat to Mario Party, but it's not a total loss either. Some of the mini-games are forced and a bit awkward to control – partly due to the chunky graphics but also the design. Most involve one objective (the way it should be), but an excessive amount of power-ups and general chaos make it tough concentrate on the task at hand. Still, others, like the four-way variation on Pong, are great. These particular contests keep the action clean and simple and aren't muddied by too much commotion. Overall, Crash Bash isn't a bad multiplayer game, but a one-night rental may be all you need to get your fill.” (6 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (Game Boy Advance)

#5

“Like most GBA editions of an established console franchise, Crash 2 only attempts to recreate the popular formula of its big brothers, and in many respects, it succeeds. This wee Bandicoot has all the moves you expect, plus a few more you learn along the way, with great animation and decent control throughout. Other modes mix things up, but don't fare so well – odd physics make some Monkey Ball-style levels even more tedious, and 3D stages with Coco flying through space are sloppy. Other disappointments include a lack of variety in the side-scrolling levels, tacked-on multiplayer and an overall short ‘n easy quest. Then again, plenty of hard-to-find secrets await; and this is a GBA game after all. Younger gamers won't be disappointed.” (6.5 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot (PlayStation)

#4

“Crash Bandicoot is an excellent all-around title. It has it all: Lots of levels, great animation, variety and most importantly, fun. The game borrows a lot from many titles from the past, like Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario and Taz. Crash takes the best elements from all of these. The levels change all the time, so one minute, you're playing a side-scroller, the next, a forward scroller. The enemies were a bit too easy to kill for the most part, since you can just spin your way through them. My biggest gripe is Crash's handling. His jumps are too slow and inaccurate. You might find yourself missing a narrow platform once in a while.” (8.4 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PlayStation)

#3

“I'm always hearing around the office, ‘I didn't like the first one, but Crash 2 is awesome!' I don't get it. To me, Crash 2 is fundamentally the same as the original. Not to say that that's bad, however; I liked the first one a lot. A few cool extras are in the sequel, namely vehicles, new Bosses, great FMV and better level design (although some sections are repetitive). Crash 2 is a great piece of work, but it's not exactly a brand-new playing experience.” (8.5 out of 10)

Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PlayStation)

#2

“I don't know what else to say – Crash Warped is awesome. The first Crash was OK, and Crash 2 was excellent, but Warped is easily the best of the bunch. The gameplay has been polished to near-perfection, and the graphics are incredible. The new free-roaming levels are very well-done, and the game has the same kooky atmosphere that made the first two games so enjoyable. It's classic platform action, but it's done right.” (9.1 out of 10)

CTR: Crash Team Racing (PlayStation)

#1

“Is Crash Team Racing an unabashed Mario Kart copy-cat? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Heck no. Actually, CTR swipes the best tricks of the original Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing. Where else are you gonna find that kind of fun on the PlayStation? Control is perfect, allowing lots of finesse. Most tracks are superbly designed. If you spent hours with friends playin' Mario Kart, this is your new addiction.” (9.5 out of 10)