Ten days. In a mere ten days we will be treated to one of the greatest revivals in recent gaming memory. It's been seven long years since a Crash game was released (no, I do not count Skylanders at all), and it's been nine years since a core Crash game was released. Now I realize that a remaster may not be considered a true revival, but for me this comeback means a lot.
Sorry. I don't have Photoshop, but you get the idea.
Way back when I was but a wee lad I was lucky enough to be given a PlayStation. The original PlayStation. My first game? Crash Bandicoot 2. When I tell you I played the heck out of this game, I mean I put countless hours into it. In fact, when I think back on all the PS1 games I owned it basically comes down to Crash Bandicoot 2, Crash Bandicoot 3, Crash Team Racing, Cool Boarders 2, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Star Wars Dark Forces, and the rest were basically sports games and demo disks courtesy of The Official PlayStation Magazine. I know, not a very diverse collection, but I didn't really start experimenting with different genres until the PS2 and as a kid I was more than content to replay my favorite Crash games over and over.
At last years E3, seeing the Crash Bandicoot shadow walk across that stage was one of the most epic moments for me from any E3. I bought the Crash/Cortex dual Skylanders character pack and I don't even own the game (worth it). I even still have the strategy guide for Crash Bandicoot 2. If there had been a collectors edition for the N. Sane Trilogy you can bet I would have bought it.
Please be good!!!
Now the one thing that remains to be seen from a "revival" such as this one is the aftermath. You don't see too many HD remakes that come out with the possibility of revitalizing a series, but if Crash can make a big enough comeback we may see more of him in the future. I'm not holding my breath on that happening. Let's face it. Games have changed and with the nearly unnoticed return of the classic Yooka Laylee gameplay style it doesn't seem likely we will get a new Crash game that delivers the same kind of joy and timelessness of the original trilogy. Though, I suppose if Mario can keep doing it, why can't Crash? I did do a recent write up that discussed the kind of classic games that are still fun today and cartoonish games such as Crash, Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter still hold up well thanks to their distinct style. I believe there are plenty of ways the Action/Platformer genre could make a comeback from more than just indie developers. We will just have to wait and see if anyone can come close to recapturing lightning in a bottle.
So are you excited to play Crash again? Or maybe for the first time? Maybe there's another franchise you'd like to see get the Crash treatment? Let me know in the comments. TEN DAYS!!!