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.
Today, we take a look at Crash Commando.
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Developer: Epos
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1-12
A quintessential arcade blast-em-up, Crash Commando sees two factions – the Grunts and the Jarheads – embroiled in a chaotic scrap for world domination. That’s about as serious as it gets though, as the game quickly descends into a mental action fest packed full of humour and buckets of exaggerated gore and claret flying all over the shop. A rudimentary solo ‘boot camp’ campaign plays second fiddle to the massive multiplayer however, which accommodates both competitive and cooperative gameplay modes.
Gamers hop into the shoes of a pint-sized solider who has access to a variety of weapons and handy items, including a rocket launcher, jetpack, C4 and even vehicles such as Tanks and Jeeps. Armed to the teeth, you embark on a killing rampage, using your jetpack to hover through the sprawling environments as you blast your adversaries into bloody chunks. It’s relentless stuff, and safety doesn’t even become a mere blip on the radar as you’ll fall as quickly as your enemies, only to be plonked back into the action within seconds.
Weapons are varied to suit your individual playing styles. For example, the wide area dispersal of the Shotgun can attack multiple targets in a single blast, while the machine gun possesses rapid fire and makes mincemeat out of an opponent in the blink of an eye. There’s no classes to speak of, but the variety of guns up for grabs ensures you can pick the one that represents the role you are most comfortable in. Aside from your bread-and-butter tools of destruction, you can also obtain various superweapons throughout play, such as the meaty chaingun and plasma rifle. Outside of your firearms, your jetpack also proves an important tool, and you’ll have to manage its fuel reserves if you are to effectively utilize its many functions, including performing evasive manoeuvres such as the somersault.
Stages themselves are nicely varied and come in all shapes and sizes, with numerous cover points, nooks and crannies offering plenty of tactical opportunities to exploit. Furthermore, duel layers allow for two diverse stages to battle on, each of which features ample pick-ups in the form of armor, ammo and healing items. Players will level up as they blast through each stage, which rewards you with the occasional Trophy, while bonus attachments can be earned by raking up multikills in the form of crash combos, augmenting your speed, health regeneration and more.
Join us again tomorrow for another gander Inside PlayStation Network.