Now Playing: Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped

 This used to be my favorite one...

 As I mentioned previously, I played the whole Crash Bandicoot trilogy on PS1, with the third one being my most played, then the first one and lastly the second one. I loved CB 3, but after finishing Crash Bandicoot 2(93%, I just really, really wanted to start this one!).... I dunno, the last one was SO good, this one seems to be lacking... something.

 It's the easiest one so far(Up to level 16, 35%) and there's a lot more "Variety" levels, meaning vehicles or underwater sections, which I don't really mind, but I would've preferred more platforming levels. Still, it's almost as good as 2, but I'm gonna save my final judgement until I'm done with it.

Review #140: Crash Bandicoot 2 - Cortex Strikes Back

 So good. SO GOOD.

 Remember that little platformer, Crash Bandicoot? One year later, it got a sequel, and it's not just an "Assassin's Creed" kind of sequel, it's a sequel that manages to improve or fix almost every single thing the previous game got wrong. Plus, it hasn't aged as badly.

 Crash Bandicoot 2 begins exactly right after the previous one ended, and now N. Cortex seems to have turned over a new leaf and needs Crash's help to save the world... or so he claims. You don't really need to know or care about the story, it's not the game's focus and it's just there to give you purpose as you go throughout all 27 levels, hunting for gems and crystals. There's new characters, like Coco, Crash's sister, and a whole new slew of bosses(And a few returning ones) and they make for a decent cast, even if the don't get much screen time.

 Core gameplay remains the same, jump around, and spin to kill enemies, or use either to break crates and collect Wumpa fruits to earn lives, Aku Aku also returns to grant Crash up to two "hit points"(Since Crash dies in one hit), but there are a variety of new additions that make it much more involved and fun. Crash has new moves, crouching, sliding and a ground pound, and you can jump off a slide for a long, high jump or jump off a crouch for a slightly higher jump, finding all the game has to offer will require the use of these new skills. The game also introduces the new Nitro crates, which explode on contact, a variety of new enemies that need to be defeated in different manners(Some can't be jumped on, some have to be killed with a slide, etc). By this time, Sony had introduced the Analog sticks to the Playstation's joystick, and it's a godsend for the precise jumping this game requires.

 Not only does the game add upon its predecessor, it also fixes and tweaks some of its most frustrating and obnoxious elements. Instead of an overworld, the game now has a HUB from which you pick which level you want to play, but there's also a new section where you can save your game. You can actually save your game at anytime while on the HUD, and now it also saves the amount of lives you have hoarded, genius. Getting Gems is a much easier affair, not longer requiring you not to die on a level, however, some levels have some platforms that will only be available if you haven't died up to the last checkpoint before said platform, it also means that if you die while on the the secret section, you can retry it without having to restart the level. The game has a total of 27 levels with a ton of secrets to find, there some levels have more than one gem with special requirements, some levels leave to warps for alternate sections of other stages or even two secret stages, and finding all of these is actually fun thanks to the game being more lenient on players.

 Speaking of leniency, if you die too many times in a row, the game will grant you a free Aku Aku mask. Bosses are also pretty easy and forgettable, the last boss being particularly disappointing. So yes, the game is a bit easier than the previous one, but it does offer some pretty challenging bonus sections if you aim for 100%. Furthermore, a lot of Crash Badicoot 1's challenge game from the lack of analog support and the frustrating saving system, it was more frustrating than challenging, which this game remedies pretty well, it's hard without being vexing. One thing that remains a bit iffy is the collision detection, just as with the last game, sometimes you'll be wondering how or why you died at times if you aimed that jump just right or what have you, regardless, just as with the last game, it will sometimes work on your favor, allowing you to stand on air and recover from a botomless pit falls!

 The game looks slightly better than the first one, but it's mostly reflected on the environments which now feature a higher degree of detail and more variety, although it could've used less Jungle levels, since they all look very similar! Crash also received a ton of new animations when it comes to dying, and the enemy selection is almost entirely new, although they still look a bit too simple. Music is as good as the last one, with catchier tunes than before, it also has voice acting on some characters and they sound pretty good! And the sound effect for collecting Wumpa Fruits sound so good that it actually makes you want to collect as many of them as you can.

 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is everything a sequel aims to be. It fixes almost everything the previous game did wrong, and while the collision detection still needs work, it's not a deal breaker. The simple, but satisfying gamplay, the tricky, but rewarding platforming sections and huge amount of secrets makes it one of Playstation's finest.
 9.0 out of 10.

Now Playing: Crash Bandicoot 2 - Cortex Strikes Back

 Now THIS is a sequel.

 Crash Bandicoot 1 was a great game back when it was released, but it hasn't aged very well, regardless, Crash Bandicoot 2 improves on almost every aspect of Crash 1, fixes most of its most frustrating issues and introduces new mechanics.

Where to start? The new analog support is a godsend, the camera angles aren't as awkward and you get more than a second to react to upcoming obstacles when the camera takes weird angles. The collision detection is still a bit off, and just like Crash 1, it sometimes works in your favor, allowing you to stand on air instead of falling to your death. Remember how frustrating it was to earn gems? Not any more, you no longer need "perfect runs" which is fantastic, and you can save any time you want when in the HUB, fixing the most annoying aspects of the last game. There's new moves as well, sliding, crawling, slide-jump and even hanging over railings.

 Crash 2 is already shaping up to be a great game, it does have challenging sections, though it hasn't managed to get Crash 1 hard yet(I'm on level 18). Interestingly, Crash 2 is the game I played the least from the original trilogy, I don't really know why. Crash 3 was my favorite, and I played a fair amount of Crash 1(Though I hadn't finished back then), but Crash 2? I only played a tiny bit, which now I deeply regret!

Review #139: Mario Kart 7

 I really can't think of a one-liner good enough for this one, sorry!

 Nowadays, if Nintendo releases a new console you can already expect a new entry in their long running mascot racing game franchise Mario Kart. Mario Kart 7 does away with some mechanics, tweaks some and brings back a few, while adding a couple of new ones of its own.

 In case you've been living under a rock, Mario Kart is, at its core, a racing game, but adds weapons into the mix. Sadly, bikes have been removed from the game, ironically, they felt like a gimmick but wound up being a very entertaining new gameplay mechanics. The irony lies in that the game has new mechanics that end up feeling as gimmicks in their place, underwater driving and gliding. Admittedly, when they do it right, having different parallel routes (Water, air, ground) is fun, but at times it feels as if the gliding/underwater routes where added just for the sake of having them. Annoyingly, there's one stage in which going underwater actually counts as "falling" off the stage, which is easy to forget as this game makes the other instances of water an alternate route. The other new big feature is kart customization, which ends up being very simple, but engaging. Depending on which body, tires and glider you pick, you'll get different stats on your vehicle, having a vehicle tailored to your style is a phenomenal idea, and works perfectly. Unlocking these parts isn't as fun, seeing how you can earn up to ten coins per race, and you are going to need over 10000 to unlock everything.

 They also introduced a new type of track, instead of having the racers do 3 laps around it, it's a single, long track divided in three segments. I actually liked these and would've lucked to see one or two more. Drift works similar to how it did before, where holding a drift would generate a boost after you let go of the button, with two different strengths to it depending on how long you drifted, this time it feels as if getting the faster boost is a bit harder. Since the 3DS has no motion controls(Hallelujah), to get boosts from jumps, you must press the drift/jump button after you get some air, it works just fine. A previously mentioned, coins are back and work just like they did on previous Mario Karts, allowing you to reach slightly higher speeds as you collect them, with a maximum of ten. Falling off the track or getting hit will cost you some coins though.

 As per usual, you get 16 new tracks and 16 retro karts, with 4 different classes(Speed), 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and Mirror Mode. Honestly, half of the new tracks are very forgettable, while the other eight are really good. As for the retro tracks, they made excellent choices. and the way they brought these older stages up to date was spot-on. Overall, it's a very good track roster. As for the character roster, eh... It looks as if they tried to trim the fat, removing all baby characters, or characters that felt a bit out of place, but in their place we get... Wriggler? Lakitu? Mario Galaxy's Queen Bee? It's not the best character selection Mario Kart has ever had, but at least you get a couple new faces, I guess.

 Single player is where the game suffers most. Firstly, no mission mode or nothing of the sort, you just get: Grand Prix, Battle, Coin Battle and Time Trials. Notice something? Vs CPU is gone, which I think is a huge oversight. You could argue that it's made up by having online mode, but I beg to differ. Handheld games are meant to be played on the go, you might not always have access to an online connection. Maybe you are short on time and just want to play a couple of races, maybe you just want to get random tracks... too bad, either play against your own ghosts(Up to seven!) in Time Trial or... do one of the eight cups, with their four predetermined four tracks. This also means that you can only earn up to 40 coins(Assuming you manage to avoid getting hit) for unlockables every time you play. Unlocking characters can also be a bit of a pain, since you need to get first place in each cup under the 150cc class, playing to win against the rubberband AI can be vexing, as just one blue shell on the last lap could cost you your first place. On the other hand, Online is very smooth and getting matches is a very straightforward, simple process. Coins earned Online count to your totals, so that's also a plus.

 Visually, the game is gorgeous, it looks almost as good as Mario Kart Wii. 3D on this game looks beautiful, I'd actually encourage its use and it doesn't hamper the FPS in any way, keeping the silky smooth framerate. Music, as with all Nintendo games, is always charming and pleasing to the ears, both old and new tunes. They also added a neat little touch where music will sound different when you are in first place.

 So, what do I make of Mario Kart 7? While it was fun, and the online is pretty fun.... when it comes to going away on trips or what have you, I'll actually pick Mario Kart DS over this one. Otherwise, Mario Kart 7 is a fine entry on a series known for its good, even if unfair(The unavoidable blue shell feels especially punishing in this one), games.
 8.0 out of 10.

Review #138: Crash Bandicoot

Playstation's original pseudo-kinda mascot!

 Crash Bandicoot was the first entry in the long running Crash Bandicoot platforming game series, back in the day, it was considered a classic, Playstation's answer to Mario, but has time been kind to it?

 The story is all kinds of ridiculous, and unless you possess the instruction booklet, you'll be oblivious to it. Basically, N. Cortex is the big bad who not only created Crash, but kidnapped his girlfriend, so now Crash must stop N. Cortex's evil plans and save his girlfriend. The story doesn't really matter and it's never expanded upon in the game, you shouldn't care about it. As for the characters, bosses, while not exactly charming, aren't terrible, N. Cortex and Crash do sport timeless designs and as for Crash's girlfriend, well, there's a reason she never returned, but given her relationship to Crash and how she looks(compared to Crash), it does fulfill her purpose.

 Gameplay is fairly simple, a jump button and a spin attack button, that's all you get and all you need. The game takes place through different stages, each with different sets of obstacles and gimmicks. While Mario 64 took place in big, open environments, Crash's stages feel cramped. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's the game's style and it gives it a different flavor. Crash can, normally, only take one hit before he bites the dust, but running across Aku Aku masks will provide an extra hit, up to two, grabbing a third Aku Aku mask will provide a couple of seconds of invincibility. Early in the game, Aku Aku masks are plentiful, but the latter half of the game is rather stingy with them. The series' trademark are the crates, spread throughout each stage are various crates that contain fruit(Collect 100 for an extra life), extra lives or Aku Aku mask, with the occasional TNT crate that you need to avoid unless you want to die.

 The game starts off easy enough, but progressively gets harder and harder, but the difficulty curve throughout all 32 levels does scale appropriately. There's a couple of stages that are extremely challenging later on in the game, but the game is fairly generous with extra lives. The game can be beaten in a day without major issues, but, if you aim for 100% and the secret ending... you must finish each and every level without dying while smashing every. Single. Crate. This is all kinds of nuts and more of a chore than anything else, back when I was younger it was a non issue, since I had anything but time, but nowadays it's crazy to expect anyone to invest so much time in something so repetitive and obnoxiously challenging. The terrible save system doesn't help either, you can only save your game after clearing one of the bonus stages(The one with Crash's girlfriend), and this is a one time thing. Fail the bonus stage, and you have to replay the entire stage. What where they thinking? The cherry on top, is that every time you reload your save file, you start with 4 lives, just dandy.

 Sadly, those aren't the only problems with the game. The game was made before analog sticks were a thing, and Crash's movements are pretty floaty, making for very imprecise movements. For as many times that you'll die due to an error on your part, Crash's movements will cause the other deaths. Collision detection is a bit off as well, sometimes in the players favor, like on the dreaded "Slippery climb", you can sometimes stay on the air when certain blocks turn into a slide, instead of, well, sliding down. Furthermore, certain stages have a behind-the-back camera angle that can make it hard to see where you are jumping, or to measure the distance towards an enemy.

 The overall presentation has stood the test of time fairly well. Graphics are very pretty for its time, it's actually surprising just how much Naughty Dog got out of the PS1 so early in its life. Stages aren't very varied, you've got jungles and mechanical themes and that's about it, common enemies are fairly simple and forgettable, but as previously mentioned, bosses fared a bit better. Music is fairly good, with a couple of very memorable songs(Which I'm fairly sure where reused in the following games!). Sound effects deserve a special mention, since it makes collecting fruit in-masse very satisfying.

 Crash Bandicoot was a classic, it was a great game back when it was released, there's no denying that. However, as it stands today, it hasn't stood the test of time. It remains a fun game, frustrating if you aim for 100%, but there's no reason to go out of your way to play this one when the next two sequels are so much better.
 6.0 out of 10

Archile's Grab Bag - Crash Edition

  Puzzle Quest - Challenge of the Warlords: I used to play this on the computer, it was really good. I considered getting it on the PSP, but since the DS is the console I take away on trips... yeah, DS it was.

  The Sims: I'm not particularly fond of The Sims, but this one has 2 player co-op. TWO PLAYER CO-OP. I needed this one back.

  Shinobi: I loved this game, and I remember finishing it, somehow. And then you unlocked a character that made the game even harder... yeah, I didn't finish it with that one xD. Still, I've been wanting this one for a looong time.

  Crash of the Titans: First game in this package I hadn't played yet, part of the Crash series, so... yeah.

 Crash Bandicoot - Action pack: Three Crash games I haven't played before, Twinsanity seems terrible, but the other two seem Ok.

  Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped: My favorite Crash game back in the day.

 Crash 2 - Cortex Strikes Back: I didn't realize the cover was missing until I reread the product description, oh well, it's Crash 2.

 Crash Bandicoot: The game that started it all, it was quite decent, but I discovered it at the same time I did the other 2, so I kinda like it least, they perfected the formula so much over Crash 2 and 3!

Review #137: Darksiders II

 Death rides again.

 Remember the amazing Darksiders I? Darksiders 2 is here, building upon the previous game's foundations to deliver fantastic follow up to the phenomenal first part.

 Darksiders II is a prequel to the first game, taking place during the hundred years that War spends recovering from his fight against Straga. This time you play as Death, the eldest and strongest of the fourth horsemen as he tries to spare War from his punishment. The game sees the return of a few familiar faces and a wide assortment of new ones. The new characters are very appealing visually, thanks to the amazing art style, but they don't feel as fleshed out or memorable as the first game's cast. As for Death, it would've been easy to make him a carbon copy of War, but he has a very different personality to War, instead of Heroic and stoic, Death is a textbook deadpan snarker with a very cocky demeanor(The reason Death can't block is because he doesn't want to, he believes enemies can't touch him). Instead of traversing Earth, Death's journey takes him through more mystic realms, it's definitely a different tone from the first one, more surreal and mystic, and while I did prefer the first game's world a bit more, it's a nice breath of fresh air.

 The game builds upon the previous game when it comes to gameplay. You'll still be adventuring around dungeons, while getting tools that will aid you in solving puzzles. However, this time bosses are much more straightforward, whereas in the previous game you, usually, had to use your newfound tool to defeat it, now it's mostly a matter of mashing buttons and avoiding attacks. Dungeons now contain a lot of climbing and wallriding, but the controls aren't up to snuff. Plenty of times I found Death trying to climb above instead of wallriding to the side or situations of the like, usually it's but a slight annoyance, but on those rare instances of climbing against a rising threat... it can get a bit vexing. The game is much, much bigger than the previous one, with a ton of optional dungeons and a respectable amount of sidequests. While the latter are appreciated, some of them can be reduced to a collectathon or get incredibly repetitive(Like the annoying Arbiter of Souls maze). There's also the fact that the game doesn't like to help you with the quests, you may get directions as vague as "Kill X in Y", but there's no marker, no hint if it's out in the open or inside a dungeon in the area, no anything, you are, basically, on your own.

 Just as the previous game borrowed a lot from other games, Darksiders II adds a couple of new borrowed ingredients. Killing enemies now yields experience points, and occasionally, loot. You'll be outfitting Death with various forms of Harnesses, Pauldrons, Gauntlets, Boots and a Necklace, as well as various Scythes or Gauntlets, Glaives, Axes or even Hammers, all which reflect on Death's look. There's a small amount of possible suffixes and prefixes for each equipment piece, with a ton of added bonuses, maybe elemental damage, HP or Mana stealing properties, not to mention that Legendary items posses exclusive bonuses. The game also adds, as far as a I know, one original mechanic to the loot system, Possessed items. You can sacrifice other equipment pieces in order to raise the power of possessed items, nothing groundbreaking, but hey, it's original! As for the experience system, leveling up provides the obligatory stat increases alongside a skill point to spend in one of two skill branches. Each branch has four different skills, and while you don't need to spend X amount of points in one branch to access further skills, each branch has numerous "sub-skills" that will add side effects or buffs to the skills themselves. Simple, fun, effective. These new additions help to fix something I feel The Legend of Zelda(The biggest inspiration for the series) suffers... that combat doesn't feel rewarding enough, well, now it does!

 The graphics don't feature any major improvement, but the new locales are certainly beautiful and varied. The previous game looked amazing anyways, so it's not like it's a bad thing. While there's not a ton of different armor pieces, there's about 10 looks for each possible armor piece, and it doesn't matter what Death wears, he'll still look badass. There's more variety when it comes to enemies, probably thanks to the new locales, but it could have used a couple more new enemies.  Darksiders 1 had a rather lackluster soundtrack, which makes Darksiders II's great soundtrack all the more noticeable. Voice Acting remains consistently convincing throughout the new supporting cast, and they get great lines as well, particularly Death.

 Darksiders II is a fantastic sequel to a phenomenal game. All the new additions to the formula are welcome, however, they could've use some more fine-tuning, still, this was the right track for the series to follow.
 9.0 out of 10.