Absolutely insane how every time a new team brings an old platforming series out of the vault they manage to make one of, if not the best game in their respective series. First there was Donkey Kong Country, then Rayman, and now Crash.
Crash 4 gets as close to a 3D precision platformer as a mainstream title is likely ever going to get. I doubt that Nintendo would ever dare to try, and Sonic has gone open zone at this point, so that ship has sailed. Such an undertaking, no matter how well done it is, has some rough edges. Crash 4 is tight, definitely more consistent than the N.Sane Trilogy, but when the game asks for perfect precision, this just doesn't hold up. Additionally, the game could remove at least a few crates every level and be better off for it. Once the player knows to check behind walls, or above every stack of crates it's no longer an interesting secret. Especially when it's repeated so often.
The additional gimmicks are all pretty good! Aside from Tawna funnily enough, because of her similarities she just ends up feeling like a less engaging version of the core gameplay. Also, while Cortex and Dingodile are both fun, some of their levels are absurdly short. I know it isn't possible to divide game development like this, but I would've preferred the alternate timeline stages be cut entirely, and each character get an additional, entirely unique stage instead.
What I'm left with is a sense of expectation. I firmly believe that if this team got one more shot at making a sequel, we wouldn't just have the best Crash game on our hands, we would have one of the best platformers ever made. Donkey Kong and Rayman both had that opportunity, why not Crash?
Crash 4 gets as close to a 3D precision platformer as a mainstream title is likely ever going to get. I doubt that Nintendo would ever dare to try, and Sonic has gone open zone at this point, so that ship has sailed. Such an undertaking, no matter how well done it is, has some rough edges. Crash 4 is tight, definitely more consistent than the N.Sane Trilogy, but when the game asks for perfect precision, this just doesn't hold up. Additionally, the game could remove at least a few crates every level and be better off for it. Once the player knows to check behind walls, or above every stack of crates it's no longer an interesting secret. Especially when it's repeated so often.
The additional gimmicks are all pretty good! Aside from Tawna funnily enough, because of her similarities she just ends up feeling like a less engaging version of the core gameplay. Also, while Cortex and Dingodile are both fun, some of their levels are absurdly short. I know it isn't possible to divide game development like this, but I would've preferred the alternate timeline stages be cut entirely, and each character get an additional, entirely unique stage instead.
What I'm left with is a sense of expectation. I firmly believe that if this team got one more shot at making a sequel, we wouldn't just have the best Crash game on our hands, we would have one of the best platformers ever made. Donkey Kong and Rayman both had that opportunity, why not Crash?
Castle
1 year ago