Missing You, Crash Bandicoot

 

 As a New Year's Eve special, I wanted to delve into everything Crash Bandicoot. Back when I was younger, the three major games I played religiously were Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Being dedicated to the classics, it is really hard for me to accept the games are morphing, and not for the better. I watched Spyro get a complete makeover into something I would never associate with Spyro the Dragon and turned into a little kids' toy collection. I recently played Sonic: Generations and thought I liked it at first, until I raged so hard after failing to beat the final boss that I swore against any other new Sonic games. 

Now Crash Bandicoot has also come under some unfortunate changes, changes that most diehard Bandicoot fans are aware of, and unhappy with. I played Crash Bandicoot up until Crash Bash and after that I didn't go any further. I can't really tell you why. Crash Bash came out in 2000. Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex came out after that and I dunno why but I never picked it up. At that time my family was moving around a lot and I can imagine we didn't get to unpack all of our crap every single time we moved. I think this was a time I fell out of video games for a bit, too. From what I understand, after the Wrath of Cortex, the games started to really go downhill. Recently, I tried a demo for Mind Over Mutant and absolutely hated it. The gameplay is all wrong and totally destroys the classic feel of a Crash Bandicoot game. Needless to say, I was pissed.

The design of Crash himself sort of fell below a cheesy level. It is really hard to describe in words, it is really something you  have to look at side by side. 

Old Crash

New Crash

Obviously, you can see the difference. Old Crash doesn't look as pretty or well-dressed. He has broad shoulders and means business. On the other hand, the new Crash has rolled up pants and is a lot skinnier than Old Crash. In other words, New Crash looks like a total pussy. If you think that can whoop Cortex, uh, you're wrong. I just do not like the new Crash, okay. He looks too nice, like I could trip him in a crowd and he would apologize for bumping into me. That is not what Crash is about.

The design of the game and characters got lazy and it is like they lost interest in the game. They were supposed to release a new Crash Team Racing in 2010 on PS3, but it got cancelled. I can't imagine how they could have messed that up. Crash Team Racing will always forever be one of my favorite racing games. All those Nintendo fans out there can play their MarioKart while all us Sony fans stick to Twisted Metal and Crash Team Racing.

I found this game online; it is actually an online Crash Bandicoot game handmade and is loyal to the original, early games. You can check it out here. It's not amazing, but it is something to help reminisce when emulators aren't available. Or when you are bored in class.

I cannot say I will ever want to pick up the latest Crash Bandicoot game because of the way the games have turned out along with the characters. I am loyal to such games as Crash, Crash 2, Crash Bash, and Crash Warped. I leave you with a video from Game Informer's website depicting Crash in Real Life.

Why Am I So Damn Impatient?

I know it's been awhile since I have written...anything. School and work have consumed me, but it's nice to jump back into things and get a grip on how it used to be. Needless to say, I've been missing the gaming world.



Something I have been thinking about a lot is what games are being released soon and how I feel about them. The most recent purchase I have made in relation to gaming was via Steam for a huge pack of the Painkiller games (damn Halloween sale...). Don't judge. I just really enjoy a good, ridiculous FPS with a multitude of equally-ridiculous weapons, tearing ass into a map and shooting up a shit ton of zombie-whatchamacallits. It's a good release sometimes and I like to have my Painkiller game series on hand, ESPECIALLY for finals week and the week leading up to finals.



1. Bioshock Infinite

I played part of Bioshock 2 on PC and loved it. Unfortunately, the only way I could play it was on my ex-boyfriend's computer and...well I don't have access to that anymore so I never got to finish it. I've been too lazy and poor to pick it up on my own computer or Xbox. From what I played, I was impressed. I am a sucker for a good narrative in a video game, hence my obsession with Jackie Estacado and The Darkness series. The story in Bioshock was so unique that it drew me in. At times, it was even a little scary (you know what part I'm talking about). Despite my limited contact with the Bioshock series, I am very intrigued by Bioshock Infinite and what I have seen and read. Its release date is set for February 26 this coming spring and it really has almost nothing to do with the previous Bioshock games, story-wise. Hey, I'm okay with that. I guess my opinion is obsolete considering I did not heavily play the earlier games, but the Silent Hill games were not entirely connected either and I still possess a love-hate relationship with those (it's complicated...). I saw the trailer for Bioshock Infinite and just knew I had to try this game out. Something about it tugged at me. This happens a lot when I first see a game trailer. I will know immediately whether or not I want to try out this game. You know what the best part is? When we get it in early at Family Video, I can check it out for a week before its official release date....muwhahaha.



2. Tomb Raider

I wrote an article on this game awhile back for Metal Arcade. Memories of Tomb Raider go back all the way to when the Butler at her mansion would following you around with his rickety tray and I spent a good couple hours locking him in rooms and trying to run away from him (I swear there's a reference to this in the second Sherlock Holmes movie). I used to watch my Dad play the old Tomb Raiders on our Playstation and shit looked hard, so it took me awhile to actually want to try myself. So Tomb Raider is a big part of my gaming childhood. A lot of people are giving this new game shit because basically Lara Croft is going to be seen at a time in her life when she wasn't always badass, when shit went wrong sometimes, and she wasn't as nimble as she is now. I like the idea of the story, delving into a time when she was just starting out. It makes her character feel more real. It brings her story to life. Me being a lover of the narrative, this absolutely draws me in because it is unique. This game is set to release next Spring.



3. Metro: Last Light

Let's be real here, I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic video games. Zombie games in particular have lost their thrill for me after I wasn't too happy about Dead Island. But the post-apocalyptic society intrigues me. I played Metro 2033 awhile ago and (unsurprisingly) fell in love with the story and the atmosphere of the game. Metro: Last Light takes place in 2034 and the stations below ground are fighting over a doomsday device, which would ultimately signify who has the biggest cock...basically shit's going to break out and crazy will leak from the walls in every corridor. This game won't be out until March, but hopefully it is as good as the first.



4. Prey 2

I first picked up Prey by accident at a local video games store because it was so cheap. I was told it would suit my style, so I gave it a whirl. Okay so I loved it. Somehow it reminded me of a Native American version of Jackie Estacado and though a little twisted, the story was pretty interesting...I'll tell you the first part. Native-American-Jackie is at some bar on a reservation trying to talk to this girl (Native-American-Jenny...?) whom he is in love with apparently and while at the bar, a UFO attacks...The alien ship is pretty gruesome and it's all about getting off the ship alive. When I saw they were making a second one, I was pretty stoked. The date for this one is TBA2013, but I am sure it will be worth the wait.



5. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

I know this list was supposed to be for games I was excited about but...this one just irks me so much I have to throw a game in that I want to bitch about.

I am a dedicated player of the Castlevania series. I spent countless hours playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night when I was younger and when I saw they were making a new and 3D version of Castlevania, I was extremely thrilled. I rented it on the first day it came out. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow bit the big one. I sat there and nearly broke my controller because I raged SO much. I could barely make it through the first boss because it was so flipping hard. It had reached a difficulty that swiped the fun out of it for me. I could barely advance to the next area and I wasn't even CLOSE to the castle. Even the older Castlevania's weren't THIS hard. I replayed every area nearly ten times before I beat it. It was just taking way too much time for how long this game actually was, so I said "Fuck this." So now they are coming out with a second game and they couldn't even have the decency to rename it...like Castlevania:blahblahblah. Just tacked on...Lords of Shadow 2...yeah that's creative. Really makes me want to pick that beast up again.. .Alright done with that bit of babble.

So, though I expected more out of the Xbox gaming world, I guess there are some reasons to be excited for this next year. I haven't even looked at the PC games coming out (next post) and to be frank, I am more excited about that. I do not spend as much time on my Xbox as I used to...it's all PC now.