Please login to submit a screenshot

"An addictive and very zany, fun platformer"

If you haven't heard of Crash Bandicoot yet, you obviously don't know much about video games. But you probably do, if you're at this wonderful site where you can find walkthroughs, cheats and reviews. Well, Crash Bandicoot was released in 1996, I believe (I always get my years mixed up), and was quite popular. After becoming a million seller, soon Crash 2 was released, and became another million seller. And in 1998, this critically acclaimed platformer was released and become another million seller. Someone's rolling in the money.

Crash Bandicoot: WARPED definitely is the king of the series, but is it high master of all platform games, too? Read on...

------------------------
Design Elements
------------------------

Visuals/Graphics
WARPED has very smooth visuals, no clipping or frame rate problems in sight. The backgrounds in the futuristic levels are very cool looking, and remind me a lot of Einhander (futuristic buildings and flashing billboards). No noticeable pixelation, either. I've seen better, but for a platformer, the visuals were very well done. Being transported to bonus areas is much more detailed then in 1 and 2, where you pretty much simply appeared on the area. Now you can watch Crash being transported to the bonus areas, and back. Enemy designs are quite funny, too. Most of the enemies are scientists dressed in a costume fitting the level. In medieval times, some scientists are knights trying to pick up a huge sword, while others are two headed giants swinging clubs. They still have dorky glasses on, either way. Enemy deaths are still pretty bland, though. I'm not saying they should die in a disturbing, realistic manner. Just funnier. They either puff into smoke or spin around and disappear. Crash's death scenes are a crack-up, though, which range from getting his pants cut off by knife-wielding enemies, or smashed against the screen. Those could have been done with the enemies, also. Otherwise, great.
Rating: 8 (Great/Very Good)

Music/Sound
The music fits each level. Futuristic levels have a techno style tune, while medieval levels have a goofy medieval tune. And in bonus areas, the level's tune and the tropical theme song kind of merge, like an electronic tropical theme, for example. The music both fits the level and the goofiness, and is actually kind of catchy. The sound effects also fit the goofy theme of the game. You can jump on giant's stomachs when they fall down and you'll hear a 'bouncy, bouncy, bounce'. When Crash spins around, you'll hear a cartoony tornado. Overall, music and sound are very good.
Rating: 8 (Great/Very Good)

----------------------
Gameplay Elements
----------------------

Control
The control setup is very simple, and the controls are very responsive. There are no camera problems at all. Running forward? Behind you. Backward? In front of you, and at the same time clearly showing obstacles in your front. No sliding, no sudden movements of the character. And it's a platformer! What the?!
Rating: 10 (Incredible)

Gameplay
This is a slightly different kind of platformer, in a way. This game is not free-roaming, but is still 3D. Let me explain. As when I said the camera is always behind or in front of you, that's exactly what I meant. The 3D parts of the game don't allow you to go everywhere. There are barriers to the side of Crash, so you can only go forward or back. Let's say a platformer on rails. That's what makes the camera so good. And there are some side-scrolling areas, like bonus areas, which are basically side-scrolling. The rest of the game? Sure! Well, your mission is to collect to crystals and defeat the evil Neo Cortex and Uka Uka. Your companions are Coco Bandicoot and Uka Uka's good twin brother. Obvious platformer life: Hit once, you're dead. You can pick up Uka Uka's good twin brother (no instructions, forgot his name) for an extra boost up, so if you get hit once, you'll lose him, not a life. You can pick him up three times, the third being invulnerability. Pick up 100 apples for an extra life. Sound easy? It's even easier. You can three times as much lives as you lose in a level. Never once did I have a Game Over. You pick up crystals throughout the level, which is easy since the game is on rails. You have to finish the level with the crystal to win it. You pick up crates for apples, and if you get them all in the level, you get a gem. It's more difficult then you think, since most are hidden. After beating a level, you can pick up sapphires from time attack mode. Beat the clock, get a sapphire. But beating the clock can be quite difficult, since the time is short, but if you beat the game you get a speed boost. Collect all of the sapphires, gems and crystals and you have 100%. That could take a person years! The game is so easy, yet so difficult. Fortunately, only crystals are required, and 100% just gives you a better ending (though the regular one is quite funny). That's most of the game. Huh? Well, there are a variety of levels, which include wave race, motorcycle racing and (my favorite) airplane dogfights. In motorcycle racing you have to come in first place of a nine-man race, including you. You can pick up the crates by hitting them on the road. It isn't easy for non-racers, though. It may take quite some time to finally get to number one in the race to receive the crystal, but at least it was fun. But wave racing disappointed me. Not much a race, but Coco Bandicoot rides around in a jet ski (or whatever, I'm not much of a sports guy. The ones with motors, that might help), avoiding obstacles and picking up the crystal. Crates are picked up the same way as motorcycle racing. But it's too fast to hit check points, and you can easily miss the crystal. It could be quite frustrating. But the dogfight levels took that away. These were fun! You have to shoot down blimps or planes, and avoiding scientists trying to shoot you down. You can pick up crates by shooting balloons holding them. WARPED has quite a variety of levels, I must say.
Rating: 9 (Excellent)

Fun Factor
This game is even more fun then it sounds! Besides the disappointing wave races, WARPED is addictive and fast. It's quite easy, but when I first beat it I only had 33%, so plenty of replay value is there to collect sapphires and gems to get the extra ending.
Rating: 9 (Excellent)

-----------------------
Final Rating
-----------------------

Good Points
Tons of replay value to collect gems and sapphires. Dogfight levels are very fun. It's very addictive. The music is very catchy, and the graphics are smooth.

Bad Points
Wave race levels pretty much suck, all the trouble you go through to get 100% only gives you a new ending.

Final Rating
You can find this for twenty dollars now, so if you don't have it, this is the Crash game to own! The best 3D platformer I've played, though plenty of 2D games out shadow it. But WARPED is addictive, zany and one of the most fun you'll have on your Playstation! Check it out.

Final Rating: 9 (Excellent)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/00, Updated 05/02/02