Standing in the place of Sonic as a new generation of gaming opened up a new dimension to compete with Mario, Crash Bandicoot is a competent platformer with impressive presentation, especially for the mid-90s. The only thing that really holds it back from being a classic is how obtusely irritating a lot of the stage designs are. Perhaps it was to ensure players would take their time and hone their skills at this panicky platformer with a panicky protagonist, but this game wouldn't really meet legitimate quality in the sum of all its parts until the sequel!