Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
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Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alex the Devilechidna on Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:23 am
Well, this is my first shot at doing a game review, so here goes... ^^'
I recently completed Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans for the Xbox 360. Now, when I play a game, I have 6 components that I tend to look at: Gameplay, Graphics, Music, Vocals, Storyline, and Difficulty. A quick thing about me is that I am NOT a graphics hound. xD You can throw me a good Genesis game, anyday, compared to HD PS3 games.
Anywho, I'll start with the storyline:
Storyline; 4/10
The game starts out with a peaceful day on Wumpa Island, resident home to Crash and his family and friends. The peace is cut short when a large airship hovers up above. The creator of the ship and antagonist, Dr. Neo Cortex, is back with a vengeance. Cortex is planning to work on a giant robot creation to destroy Wumpa Island, but he needs Coco, Crash's sister, for her smarts and mechanics. Aku Aku, a witch doctor whose spirit is inside a mask, figures he can stop any evil forces with his magic, but is captured by Cortex. Crunch attempts to attack as well, but is frozen by a ray gun and deemed immobile. Coco is captured as well. Thinking quickly, Crash hurls the invention Coco was working on at the ship, and knocks Aku Aku's crate as it was being airlifted over the jungle. Going to retrieve Aku Aku, Crash still has to save Coco as well. On the quest, Crash and Aku Aku will discover that Dr. Neo Cortex and Aku Aku's brother, Uka Uka, are working together to steal the power source known as "Mojo", from Wumpa Island and use it to create mutated, mind-controlled creatures, much like Crash, who broke free of mind-control. Cortex plots on building a robot named the Doominator, to destroy Wumpa Island and take over the world. But has numerous failures along the way thanks to Crash. Uka Uka, who is also a spirit in a mask, uses his dark magic to help create the mutants, but eventually derides Cortex for his failures. Uka Uka then replaces Cortex with his niece, Nina Cortex. With the captured Coco, Nina brainwashes her to begin construction on the Doominator. Crash faces many antagonists, like Tiny Tiger and Dr. N. Gin, two cohorts of Dr. Neo Cortex. Eventually, Crash and Aku Aku face Nina(in her robot) inside the Doominator. The Doominator is destroyed during the fight, and is dropped from being airlifted onto Wumpa Island, but just misses the Bandicoots' home. Cortex and his niece escape, which he praises her for her betrayal and also swears to be more evil in the future.
Of any and all past Crash Bandicoot games, there is usually a consistent, well-developed theme in each game. This one, tends to break the pattern of the others. I believe Radical Entertainment tried to make the storyline very simple to follow, but instead, it also became mediocre. I dislike the amount of antagonists used in the game, because each has a different motif, and this makes it near impossible to figure out what the REAL antagonist is trying to do and what their significance is as far as the game. Most Crash games are pretty consistent, but this one was a bit disappointing.
Gameplay; 8/10
CotT's gameplay is fairly easy to understand and achieve on the first go. The game's sole gameplay types are platforming and combat. There are 20 levels(called episodes; which the title usually references something of pop culture), 4 each to 5 sets of areas. Each episode has simple terrains, that Crash can achieve on his own, and some have difficult terrains, which he may need some assistance. Part of Crash's combat gameplay includes "jacking" and controlling various "Titans", which are mutant creatures created by Cortex's "Mojo" and Uka Uka's magic. The "Titans" have 3 types; medium-sized, hands-on creatures that are best at combat and fighting other Titans; large-sized, tough creatures that take a lot of damage and can knock away other threats, but are usually slow; lastly, are the sleek, archer creatures that can shoot at targets from long distances, but have horrible strength. Also throughout each set of levels, are minions that are hired or created by the various antagonists, such as Ratnicians(Cortex), Koo-Alas(Tiny Tiger), Doom Monkeys(N. Gin), Voodoo Bunnies(Uka Uka), and Brat Girls(Nina). The minions tend to be weaker compared to the Titans, and can easily be taken out. At the end of each episode, 3 factors are used to determine whether you achieve a bronze, silver, or gold voodoo doll. Minion Master; is when you are able to take out ALL minions in the level; Combat King; is when you make a chain of combo moves against a Titan or a minion; and Spybots; which are harmless spy robots that are found in all levels, 3 each. There are bonus levels(in each ep.) called "Mojo rooms", in which a certain objective must be completed to earn a "Mojo" voodoo doll. Another feature is to find the "Concept Art" voodoo doll in every ep, the Concept Art can be viewed from the level select. While the game continues from the place you last left off, you can still go back and play older levels, a factor used in previous Crash games. Co-op action can also be achieved if one has another controller and chooses to enter the game, as "Carbon Crash", a clone of the protagonist.
Graphics; 9/10
The graphics for Crash of the Titans is truly one of the stronger points for this game, definitely exceeding the previous games in that department. Cutscenes and other transitions use the same animation, so that there's a continuity between game graphics. The smooth design also gives Crash a more modern, refreshed feel. So this aspect was definitely something to praise in this game.
Music; 9/10
The musical score for CotT was another excellent piece in the game. I felt the music captured the originality of the past Crash games; with the wild, tribal-like music. The music is one of the fun parts of the game, especially when it changes depending on the situation, definitely like that. If it not for the quirky dialogue, I'd say the music is probably my favorite thing about this game.
Vocals; 3/10
(Closest vid I could find of most charrie voices)
One of the more disappointing points of this game, were the VAs. Of most video game series(i.e. Mario, Sonic), they tend to keep their VAs for a long time, until replacing them, whereas Sony tends to replace their VAs frequently. Though, of most Crash VAs I've heard, this seems to be the bunch that I can't quite grip very well. Especially Crash. Crash's VA, Jess Harnell, just doesn't sound as wild and crazy, as the somewhat absent-minded Crash should. Most long-time fans say Harnell's portrayal makes Crash sound like a "retarded baby". As for others, like Dr. N. Gin and Dr. Cortex, their voices are fairly believable. Many VAs were trying to reference real people, such as Mr. T, Mike Tyson, etc. While the voices leave a bit to be desired, I did love the absolutely quirky dialogue that was provided for certain characters within the game. Often, if not too close, it's possible to eavesdrop on the minions' conversations and hear the different things they have to say. Radical Entertainment has said they got as much dialogue in for the characters as they could, so that there were no repetitive lines said.
Difficulty; 5/10
While this Crash game is probably one of the shortest, despite being 20 episodes long... what deciphers the length for this one is the inconsistent level difficulty. Some levels are easy to complete and achieve a perfect score, while others are outrageously hard, usually for ONE person. And to show this inconsistency, while ep. 5 may be very easy, ep. 10 will be horribly difficult, and then ep. 14 will be super easy. Because of the unbalanced difficulty level, I'd say this game is nowhere near solo-friendly. Most bosses, and levels, would usually require some definite co-op to successfully complete. I wish the levels had more balance, using the traditionally easiest-to-hardest, instead of throwing one off every few levels.
Overall; 7/10
While I'm not gonna say CotT is a bad game, I can't say it's a good game either. I'm so used to the original Crash Bandicoot, being grown up around it. Even though this game was sort of a way to try and modernize Crash Bandicoot, it's just not meant to be done sometimes. I realize that the rights to Crash were sold to a different company, and thus explains why there is such a change. I like Crash a lot, and find it a bit hard to believe that they can't decide on any one design for him. Above, shows his design in Crash Twinsanity(left), probably his best design IMO, while on the right is the most recent Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant. Because I'm such a character freak, I guess I'm sort of picky when it comes to design. ^^' I will praise CotT for entertaining me on those days when I was too lazy to plug in the Gamecube and too lazy to change the 360 disc. xD I've read that Crash Bandicoot: MoM tends to exceed CotT, so I guess I'll have to give that one a try. Critics tend to be very hard on most games, even longtime fans(unless they approve), but I think a lot of fans lost it when Crash first spoke(his first word is "Pancakes", though he's said "Uh-oh" and "Wow" in past games before that.). I try not to be a harsh critic, especially since I'm not very picky. ^^' Ah well, this game was alright, and I should hope to try MoM at some point.
I recently completed Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans for the Xbox 360. Now, when I play a game, I have 6 components that I tend to look at: Gameplay, Graphics, Music, Vocals, Storyline, and Difficulty. A quick thing about me is that I am NOT a graphics hound. xD You can throw me a good Genesis game, anyday, compared to HD PS3 games.
Anywho, I'll start with the storyline:
Storyline; 4/10
The game starts out with a peaceful day on Wumpa Island, resident home to Crash and his family and friends. The peace is cut short when a large airship hovers up above. The creator of the ship and antagonist, Dr. Neo Cortex, is back with a vengeance. Cortex is planning to work on a giant robot creation to destroy Wumpa Island, but he needs Coco, Crash's sister, for her smarts and mechanics. Aku Aku, a witch doctor whose spirit is inside a mask, figures he can stop any evil forces with his magic, but is captured by Cortex. Crunch attempts to attack as well, but is frozen by a ray gun and deemed immobile. Coco is captured as well. Thinking quickly, Crash hurls the invention Coco was working on at the ship, and knocks Aku Aku's crate as it was being airlifted over the jungle. Going to retrieve Aku Aku, Crash still has to save Coco as well. On the quest, Crash and Aku Aku will discover that Dr. Neo Cortex and Aku Aku's brother, Uka Uka, are working together to steal the power source known as "Mojo", from Wumpa Island and use it to create mutated, mind-controlled creatures, much like Crash, who broke free of mind-control. Cortex plots on building a robot named the Doominator, to destroy Wumpa Island and take over the world. But has numerous failures along the way thanks to Crash. Uka Uka, who is also a spirit in a mask, uses his dark magic to help create the mutants, but eventually derides Cortex for his failures. Uka Uka then replaces Cortex with his niece, Nina Cortex. With the captured Coco, Nina brainwashes her to begin construction on the Doominator. Crash faces many antagonists, like Tiny Tiger and Dr. N. Gin, two cohorts of Dr. Neo Cortex. Eventually, Crash and Aku Aku face Nina(in her robot) inside the Doominator. The Doominator is destroyed during the fight, and is dropped from being airlifted onto Wumpa Island, but just misses the Bandicoots' home. Cortex and his niece escape, which he praises her for her betrayal and also swears to be more evil in the future.
Of any and all past Crash Bandicoot games, there is usually a consistent, well-developed theme in each game. This one, tends to break the pattern of the others. I believe Radical Entertainment tried to make the storyline very simple to follow, but instead, it also became mediocre. I dislike the amount of antagonists used in the game, because each has a different motif, and this makes it near impossible to figure out what the REAL antagonist is trying to do and what their significance is as far as the game. Most Crash games are pretty consistent, but this one was a bit disappointing.
Gameplay; 8/10
CotT's gameplay is fairly easy to understand and achieve on the first go. The game's sole gameplay types are platforming and combat. There are 20 levels(called episodes; which the title usually references something of pop culture), 4 each to 5 sets of areas. Each episode has simple terrains, that Crash can achieve on his own, and some have difficult terrains, which he may need some assistance. Part of Crash's combat gameplay includes "jacking" and controlling various "Titans", which are mutant creatures created by Cortex's "Mojo" and Uka Uka's magic. The "Titans" have 3 types; medium-sized, hands-on creatures that are best at combat and fighting other Titans; large-sized, tough creatures that take a lot of damage and can knock away other threats, but are usually slow; lastly, are the sleek, archer creatures that can shoot at targets from long distances, but have horrible strength. Also throughout each set of levels, are minions that are hired or created by the various antagonists, such as Ratnicians(Cortex), Koo-Alas(Tiny Tiger), Doom Monkeys(N. Gin), Voodoo Bunnies(Uka Uka), and Brat Girls(Nina). The minions tend to be weaker compared to the Titans, and can easily be taken out. At the end of each episode, 3 factors are used to determine whether you achieve a bronze, silver, or gold voodoo doll. Minion Master; is when you are able to take out ALL minions in the level; Combat King; is when you make a chain of combo moves against a Titan or a minion; and Spybots; which are harmless spy robots that are found in all levels, 3 each. There are bonus levels(in each ep.) called "Mojo rooms", in which a certain objective must be completed to earn a "Mojo" voodoo doll. Another feature is to find the "Concept Art" voodoo doll in every ep, the Concept Art can be viewed from the level select. While the game continues from the place you last left off, you can still go back and play older levels, a factor used in previous Crash games. Co-op action can also be achieved if one has another controller and chooses to enter the game, as "Carbon Crash", a clone of the protagonist.
Graphics; 9/10
The graphics for Crash of the Titans is truly one of the stronger points for this game, definitely exceeding the previous games in that department. Cutscenes and other transitions use the same animation, so that there's a continuity between game graphics. The smooth design also gives Crash a more modern, refreshed feel. So this aspect was definitely something to praise in this game.
Music; 9/10
The musical score for CotT was another excellent piece in the game. I felt the music captured the originality of the past Crash games; with the wild, tribal-like music. The music is one of the fun parts of the game, especially when it changes depending on the situation, definitely like that. If it not for the quirky dialogue, I'd say the music is probably my favorite thing about this game.
Vocals; 3/10
(Closest vid I could find of most charrie voices)
One of the more disappointing points of this game, were the VAs. Of most video game series(i.e. Mario, Sonic), they tend to keep their VAs for a long time, until replacing them, whereas Sony tends to replace their VAs frequently. Though, of most Crash VAs I've heard, this seems to be the bunch that I can't quite grip very well. Especially Crash. Crash's VA, Jess Harnell, just doesn't sound as wild and crazy, as the somewhat absent-minded Crash should. Most long-time fans say Harnell's portrayal makes Crash sound like a "retarded baby". As for others, like Dr. N. Gin and Dr. Cortex, their voices are fairly believable. Many VAs were trying to reference real people, such as Mr. T, Mike Tyson, etc. While the voices leave a bit to be desired, I did love the absolutely quirky dialogue that was provided for certain characters within the game. Often, if not too close, it's possible to eavesdrop on the minions' conversations and hear the different things they have to say. Radical Entertainment has said they got as much dialogue in for the characters as they could, so that there were no repetitive lines said.
Difficulty; 5/10
While this Crash game is probably one of the shortest, despite being 20 episodes long... what deciphers the length for this one is the inconsistent level difficulty. Some levels are easy to complete and achieve a perfect score, while others are outrageously hard, usually for ONE person. And to show this inconsistency, while ep. 5 may be very easy, ep. 10 will be horribly difficult, and then ep. 14 will be super easy. Because of the unbalanced difficulty level, I'd say this game is nowhere near solo-friendly. Most bosses, and levels, would usually require some definite co-op to successfully complete. I wish the levels had more balance, using the traditionally easiest-to-hardest, instead of throwing one off every few levels.
Overall; 7/10
While I'm not gonna say CotT is a bad game, I can't say it's a good game either. I'm so used to the original Crash Bandicoot, being grown up around it. Even though this game was sort of a way to try and modernize Crash Bandicoot, it's just not meant to be done sometimes. I realize that the rights to Crash were sold to a different company, and thus explains why there is such a change. I like Crash a lot, and find it a bit hard to believe that they can't decide on any one design for him. Above, shows his design in Crash Twinsanity(left), probably his best design IMO, while on the right is the most recent Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant. Because I'm such a character freak, I guess I'm sort of picky when it comes to design. ^^' I will praise CotT for entertaining me on those days when I was too lazy to plug in the Gamecube and too lazy to change the 360 disc. xD I've read that Crash Bandicoot: MoM tends to exceed CotT, so I guess I'll have to give that one a try. Critics tend to be very hard on most games, even longtime fans(unless they approve), but I think a lot of fans lost it when Crash first spoke(his first word is "Pancakes", though he's said "Uh-oh" and "Wow" in past games before that.). I try not to be a harsh critic, especially since I'm not very picky. ^^' Ah well, this game was alright, and I should hope to try MoM at some point.
Last edited by Alex the Devilechidna on Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:28 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Credit goes to VayneCoyote. ^^
Credit goes to Nayik the Hedgefox for this sweet gif. <3
~ Alex"I don't care if Sonic's skinny. I don't care if Sonic has green eyes. He's still Sonic in heart and in speed. And that's all that should matter."
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Unionhack on Fri Aug 12, 2011 3:28 pm
You've NEVER done a review before? It surely doesn't show, hun. XD Great job for your very first one.
I myself have only played one Crash game (can't remember which one), but I assume his glory days are over, no?
I myself have only played one Crash game (can't remember which one), but I assume his glory days are over, no?
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alex the Devilechidna on Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:00 pm
Unionhack wrote:You've NEVER done a review before? It surely doesn't show, hun. XD Great job for your very first one.
I myself have only played one Crash game (can't remember which one), but I assume his glory days are over, no?
Thanks. ^^' And I should think so, yes. You should SEE the flamers of the new Crash. xD A bit melodramatic, I'd say.
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Credit goes to VayneCoyote. ^^ Credit goes to Nayik the Hedgefox for this sweet gif. <3~ Alex"I don't care if Sonic's skinny. I don't care if Sonic has green eyes. He's still Sonic in heart and in speed. And that's all that should matter."
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Unionhack on Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:11 pm
On the video of Crash saying 'Pancakes', someone commented "I feel like my childhood was just punched in the face."
I lol'd.
I lol'd.
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alex the Devilechidna on Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:33 pm
Unionhack wrote:On the video of Crash saying 'Pancakes', someone commented "I feel like my childhood was just punched in the face."
I lol'd.
I saw. xD I can quite relate, but on a less dramatic level.
_________________
Credit goes to VayneCoyote. ^^ Credit goes to Nayik the Hedgefox for this sweet gif. <3~ Alex"I don't care if Sonic's skinny. I don't care if Sonic has green eyes. He's still Sonic in heart and in speed. And that's all that should matter."
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alli the Hedgehog on Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:54 pm
Very good review. I liked it ^^. The grade for the voice acting was totally deserved XD
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alex the Devilechidna on Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:33 pm
Alli the Hedgehog wrote:Very good review. I liked it ^^. The grade for the voice acting was totally deserved XD
I flipped out when I heard Tiny, and his mock Mike Tyson voice. I died a little inside. xD I know it's for the purpose of a joke, being that he's a big guy with a tiny voice, but come on now. xDDD
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Credit goes to VayneCoyote. ^^ Credit goes to Nayik the Hedgefox for this sweet gif. <3~ Alex"I don't care if Sonic's skinny. I don't care if Sonic has green eyes. He's still Sonic in heart and in speed. And that's all that should matter."
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alli the Hedgehog on Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:57 pm
The only voices I like are for the Ratnicians XD
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alex the Devilechidna on Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:00 am
Alli the Hedgehog wrote:The only voices I like are for the Ratnicians XD
"He makes me feel very unagile doing all that!" "You'd think he was an Italian plumber or something." "You'd think he was a fast, blue hedgehog or something." "You silly person!" <3 I love dem too. xD
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Credit goes to VayneCoyote. ^^ Credit goes to Nayik the Hedgefox for this sweet gif. <3~ Alex"I don't care if Sonic's skinny. I don't care if Sonic has green eyes. He's still Sonic in heart and in speed. And that's all that should matter."
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Re: Crash Bandicoot: Crash of the Titans
by Alli the Hedgehog on Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:19 am
I swear Quinton Flynn does one of their voices XD
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