The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we delve back in time to one of the earliest endeavours from the House of Nathan Drake, with the classic PSOne platformer, Crash Bandicoot.
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Developer: Naughty Dog
Region(s) available: North America, Europe, Japan
Players: 1
Long before adventurer Nathan Drake made a wise-cracking, running-jump for mainstream supremacy with Uncharted, developer Naughty Dog cut its teeth by whipping up one of the most memorable platform IPs of recent years – Crash Bandicoot. The Genesis of the lovable marsupial can be traced back to 1996, with Crash standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other PS heavyweights of that era, including Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Still, while never attaining official mascot status – Sony obstinately refused to bestow such a title on the big-grinning chap – Crash cemented himself in the public’s eye as the unofficial flag flier for Camp Sony. With SEGA speedster Sonic tripping up and falling flat on his face during the mid-90s, plucky plumber Mario at last had a worthy contender. Well, almost.
As an overall package, Crash Bandicoot ticks all the boxes in the proverbial platform checklist. The plot, as expected, is a load of inconsequential rubbish. Essentially, Crash’s bit of skirt has been pinched by mad man Dr. Neo Cortez, and our fuzzy friend has to plough through three Islands to rescue her. Players control the eponymous marsupial hero as he travels through a collection of lush, jungle-based locales, duffing up bad guys by spinning into them and collection the obligatory pick ‘em ups alon the way – in this case, fruit. Snag 100 of these tasty delights, and Crash is rewarded with a 1up. Ostensibly a Crash-centric incarnation of Mario’s coin collectibles, the proceedings are tinged with the whiff of ‘been here, done that’ familiarity. Still, the pertinent point is, it works.
Like the plucky plumber, Crash’s best friend along his journey is his meaty jump. Aside from serving as a means of getting about the place and avoiding obstacles, you can also use it to bonk enemies on the head with, dispatching them outright. Aside from fruit, you can also obtain various power-ups, such as the shield-like Witch Doctor Mask, three of which nets you temporary invulnerability. Crash’s jungle jaunt is also punctuated by numerous handy devices, including TNT creates (used to blow stuff up), Arrow boxes (launches Crash upwards) and Checkpoint boxes (letting you restart mid-level if you happen to kick the bucket somewhere along the line). Essentially, anyone who’s played even just a couple of platform games over the past two decades will find all the usual refinements are here, albeit with a new paint job or name change.
The game also encourages you to collect bonus items throughout each stage, namely special tokens that feature Tawna, Cortex or Doctor Nitrus Brio’s mug plastered on them for easy pickings. Bag three of them, and you’ll be whisked away to a Bonus Round. Here, Crash must bust open as many creates as possible to gobble up extra fruit and snag special items. Elsewhere, platform perfectionists who make it through a level without succumbing to the many hazards will be rewarded with a unique Stage Clear screen for your troubles. This depicts a heap of info informing how well you’ve performed, how many special items you obtained, and the amount of boxes missed. If, however, you bash up all boxes and keep all lives intact to boot, you’ll snatch yourself a special Gem that opens up new areas in previously completed levels.
Join us again tomorrow for another butcher’s Inside PlayStation Network.