Game Review #2: Crash Bandicoot: N-sane Trilogy (part 1) · 3:21am Jul 11th, 2017
So for this game in particular, I am splitting it into three different parts for the three different games in the game. (hints why it’s called the N-sane Trilogy)
I have four different characteristics I judge a game by. The first is the overall look of the characters and the character animations. How they look from today’s graphics or if they actually portray the character correctly through their animations. The second thing I look at is the look of the game and objects in the game, if they look like they are supposed to and how the setting and the characters relate. Third, I go through and listen to sounds, such as huffs/grunts or ambiance and music. Lastly, I look at an overall gameplay point. Does the game control well? Are the controls easily explained?
Each of these categories will have a score between one and ten. The overall score will tell you how much I recommend you play it. So, let me get started.
My opening comments, I have played the original Crash Bandicoot games and I do remember how they played and looked like. When I heard this game was being released, I knew this game would either be really great and everybody will love it, or it was going to be terrible and become a meme.
First, let’s look at Crash’s player model.
He very much resembles his past counterpart. Even in the intro to the game, it showed the old polygonal Crash jumping into a machine that gives him less corners and edges. You can actually see that it looks like fur on his body and it’s not too realistic to where it looks grotesque. The animations they gave for his death sequences and his movements reference his polygonal counterpart. To give an example, when he falls into a pit, you hear the crash but then his tennis shoe are the thing that bounces back up after he dies. Another is, when he touches a bad guy, he turns into an angel and flaps up off screen. The cut scenes have that old kinda feel to them, but they are kinda retextured. All of the enemies in the game are easily recognizable from each other and have distinct coloration. It’s all very bright and colorful like the older game was.
Overall in the characters and animations, I would rate it a ten. The fact that they went back and looked at how the old game was animated and how each character looked and enhancing on that without changing anything is remarkable.
Next, let’s talk about the setting. The actual setting of the game, so far that I have played, consists of the same stages as the original. The different stage types such as side scrolling, riding on animal from said location, platforming through said location and being chased by something. Each one is from a different perspective, so you see the location and objects differently. Some of the objects actually confused me. There was a part in the early stages where it was side scrolling and you were trying to make your way up a wall. There was a torch of sorts jutting out from the wall that would light up on occasions. I thought, “It is, of course, burning, so I should not touch it.” Well, come to find out, I had to bounce on it to get to another platform. Some holes appear like you can jump over them but you can’t. A very big deal of it is the perspective that Crash has. The camera on him does not move so you are stuck wherever he is. Some objects are understandable for the location, but they really could have thought of something else. For example, there was a stage where you were trying to go down a river without touching the water. There were moving leaves that would move back in forth like a moving platform when they could have used a turtle which would be more logical for the movements the leaf was making.
Overall, I give stage design an eight. They did pretty well sticking to the kinds of designs that the older ones had, but lacked in adding something fresh or cool.
Third point is sounds. Overall this game doesn’t have an entire orchestra for their soundtrack. Basic sounds and music is all this game really needs and it has got them. I wish they would have made a bit better of a soundtrack for the basic background music, because even at max volume on SFX I still could not hear the music well enough to blend it into the gameplay.
Overall, I would give sounds and solid six. There are good sound effects in the game but the music really needed some work. If you want me to get involved in a game even more than the graphics, it’s the sound design.
Last, but not least, gameplay. If you have not seen or heard a review for the gameplay of this game, you are in for a treat. This game has texturing errors. This game has input lag. This game just has shitty controls in general. For a game on the PS4, this game is bad. Let’s start with the texturing errors. The reason I didn’t put this in the second category is because this does not happen with every single one of the same objects. I will randomly walk through an area and get bombarded with several texture errors that catch my eye immediately. They start giving me a headache because it flashes colors. Next, the input lag. This is a game where it does not have severe input lag but there is input lag on everything you can do. Enough said. Lastly, let’s talk about the controls. The game doesn’t tell you how to move or jump but some of that doesn’t matter. If you are playing this while trying to be completely covered up, you can’t. Your controller has to be directly pointed at the PS4 sensor at all times that you press a button or move a stick. If you don’t, Crash will move about without your help and end up getting you killed. One thing that I can say about the gameplay that is cool, you can switch between Crash and his sister, Coco. I have not played as Coco yet because of the fact that I am still getting used to the way Crash behaves.
Overall, I will kindly give this point a three. I had three game over sequences in one level because Crash would move when I wasn’t touching the stick and walk off the edge.
A good game that is well made would get a forty out of adding up all three of these categories. This part of the game gets a twenty-seven. This game I would not recomend to buy. Borrow it from a friend, get a cheap copy on Ebay, rent it, but do not pay full price for this game or don't buy it at all. Honestly, when playing it today to review it, I had to remove myself from the game or I was going to throw the controller out the window. Its an okay game but really needs an update to improve controls and then maybe I will reconsider my standpoint.
I really wanna actually play it because i loved crash on psone.