CRASH of the Titans

Naughty Dog was the company that envisioned Crash Bandicoot, and it was a great platformer for the original PlayStation. When the next generation of consoles came about they abandoned Crash in exchange for Jak; and ever since the Bandicoot franchise has really never risen to its former glory. This is due to rushed sequels, and the developers really not doing anything to make this franchise stand out above the rest of the platform crowd.

The story of this game goes like this, an evil force is stripping Wumpa Island of its resources and turning the inhabitants into mutant soldiers, Coco (Crash’s sister) gets kidnapped, and to make matters even worse a giant robot of mass destruction is being put together to end the island forever. Crash and Aku Aku must utilize Mojo Magic in order to overcome and defeat all of the enemies that will come your way.

One of the biggest features in this game is the ability to “jack” a big enemy. When you start attaching an enemy that can be jacked, you will see a star meter over their head, and when the stars are gone they will be stunned, allowing you to take over their actions using Aku Aku’s magic spell. These enemies have various powers such as shooting and just destroying big things that get in your way. Each monster that you have also has some special move that will take out numerous enemies at once.

The graphics for this game have pros and cons. First off the character models and animation for the main characters (and enemies) look really nice. The developers did a good job of making a very cartoony world for the Nintendo Wii and it shows. The animations are also really good from Crash doing his signature spin move to when you jack other monsters to see their animations. It is all very good and flows together nicely. What is not so good is that the environments that you are in are very boring and mostly stale. The developers needed to breathe more life into the all of the levels to make them more interesting. Good thing here is that since this game looks like a cartoon, and obviously marketed towards the younger gaming audience, they will not mind as much.

The biggest complaint I have with his game is the camera, as it is always focused on Crash and there is no way to really move it. So there will be many times when you are fighting several enemies and then you die because someone not in your view (or some enemy will come speeding at you like a moron) will strike you and kill you. This is one of the most irritating ways to get killed off and restart a section.

The soundtrack for this game is decent and gets the job done, but it is nothing that will blow your socks off. All of the familiar sounds (and sound effects) will be here and that is a nice throw back, but other than this there is nothing that will keep you entertained for too long. The most annoying thing about this game is that the developer must have found the most annoying voice actors in the world for this game. The voices will get on your nerves quick, you will be reaching for your remote really fast to mute the sound.

Surprisingly this game also includes two co-op multiplayer modes that are a very nice addition to this game. First one is called Leapfrog mode, in which you work together and swap who is controlling Crash each time you make a new jump, swing, or slide. This really makes this game more strategic because you have to plan each move out before you do it in order to be successful. The other mode is called piggyback in which you can take a break from a particular challenge and hide in your back pack and when the action gets too intense for the other player you can come out and help him. These modes are fun and a nice addition to this game to extend its lifespan.

This game contains a lot of unlockable features that will keep players looking for more stuff. The first thing players have to be aware of is that in the beginning of the game you only have a couple of moves Crash can perform. In order to gain more moves you have to collect Mojo that is lying around and once you hit a certain amount, you will learn a new ability, move, or even an ability upgrade. Also there are other items such as voodoo dolls that will unlock concept art and other things for you to view. Having hidden items and ways to upgrade your player is great because it keeps player coming back for more.

Crash of the Titans is rated Everyone 10+.

Gameplay: 6.5
The game is easy to play but it gets repetitive quick. The combat is not as tight as it needs to be and that is a shame, since combat is a big part of this game. The camera also gives players some hassle in this game.

Graphics: 7.0
The characters look pretty good, but it is the run-of-the-mill environments that really make this score go down.

Sound: 6.8
The soundtrack for this game is easily forgettable. The voiceovers are really annoying and have you reaching for that remote and mute button quick.

Difficulty: Easy
This game was definitely made for the younger gaming audience, as an adult will have no trouble breezing through it.

Concept: 6.8
Other then the monster jacking (which does get old quickly), this game really added nothing new to the platforming genre. It didn’t even take that big of an advantage of the motion controls either.

Multiplayer 6.8
The multiplayer for this game is decent, as it is always fun to play co-op games with your friends. It is just not as tight as it could have been, especially with some camera issues.

Overall: 6.8
This is a decent game that could have used a bit more innovation to really make this game top notch and stand out from all of the other platform games already available on this system. This is a great rental but nothing more as you will beat it in no time.