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[Mellahan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sbUdMNIG20

Thought CrashGAF would enjoy this new mini documentary covering Crash's decline from '99 onward. It's only fifteen minutes but it's exceptionally well done!

 

[Htown]

dude lost me when he said Mario 64 was visually "nonsense" and "forgettable"

come on bro

 

[TheDinoman]

This guy is on his rockers, Crash was NEVER good.

Spoiler

/s

 

[Spring-Loaded]

dude lost me when he said Mario 64 was visually "nonsense" and "forgettable"

come on bro

All these games that are heralded were actually never good

 

[MaxHouse]

makes me think that there has only really been 3 Playstation Mascots

Nathan Drake, Kratos and Crash

 

[Arxisz]

Excellent video, lots of people on gaf and elsewhere discredit the crash games as mediocre games,but this video shows how important the game was back in the day.I really hope crash gets the reboot it deserves in the future.

 

[Phediuk]

Summary of video: Naughty Dog stopped making them.

 

[Merc_]

All these games that are heralded were actually never good

all video games are bad when you think about it

 

[OricWindstar]

I don't want the thread to get bogged down on the comment, but yeah, not sure I agree at all on Mario 64's visual design being "nonsense."

Otherwise, great video. I'm excited to see what happens with Crash in these next few years.

 

[MrBadger]

It's got some nice insight into how Naughty Dog pulled off the PS1 Crash games, but it's not really a very good analysis.

It thinks of arbitrary rules to apply to the series, when all of the post-ND Crashes have their own individual flaws and can't be criticised as one entity. Plus it barely talks about gameplay at all. For example, Twinsanity's writing is generally well liked, and people dislike the game because it's short and just feels rather naff to play

 

[vinnygambini]

all video games are bad when you think about it

Indeed, it promotes violence. Should be banned.

 

[Village]

all video games are bad when you think about it

Ralph Baer: video games were a mistake, nothing but trash.

 

[PSqueak]

dude lost me when he said Mario 64 was visually "nonsense" and "forgettable"

come on bro

Well, he exagerated with that, but in the context of what he was explained, it kinda made sense, SM64 is not a bad looking game, but was on a technical level, vastly inferior to the textures and design choices of crash.

It's just so hard to accept because the gameplay is incredibly good and as we elevate the game to "amazing" status it becomes hard to accept the visual shortcomings of the time.

 

[Hektor]

This is a really cool, well made video. Didn't even knew about the trick with the hills before.

 

[TimmiT]

Well made video. Unrelated to the point the video is making though, I'm kinda surprised to see that Crash Twinsanity reviewed worse than Wrath of Cortex. Though it wasn't as good as the original trilogy, I remember Twinsanity being surprisingly decent.

 

[rothbart]

Summary of video: Naughty Dog stopped making them.

This. And now we're waiting for non-Naughty Dog remasters of the Naughty Dog games. Color me skeptical. At least with R&C, they were redone by the original developer and lots of TLC went into them. I'm nervous to see how Vicarious Visions tweaks Naughty Dog's games...

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

This... isn't a really good video. All this video really proves is that Naughty Dog is really good at what they do. Plus Crash was created in the 90s for the 90s. He's a dated entity.

FYI this is the same guy who thinks Sonic the Hedgehog should be made for adults
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ak3ebBep0

 

[TimmiT]

This... isn't a really good video. All this video really proves is that Naughty Dog is really good at what they do. Plus Crash was created in the 90s for the 90s. He's a dated entity.

FYI this is the same guy who thinks Sonic the Hedgehog should be made for adults
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ak3ebBep0

The video shows why Naughty Dog was so good at making Crash and why the other developers failed. Doesn't mean others can't make a good Crash game.

And while he's definitely a 90s creation, I don't think that means he's no longer relevant. People still like Crash, this is especially shown on the list of best selling PS1 and PS2 Classics for 2015 in Europe:

1. Crash Bandicoot (1)
2. Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (3)
3. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (2)
4. CTR: Crash Team Racing (6)
5. Final Fantasy VII (9)
6. Spyro The Dragon Trilogy (8)
7. LEGO Star Wars II (RE)
8. Final Fantasy IX (10)
9. Final Fantasy VIII (RE)
10. Metal Gear Solid (RE)

https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2016/01/20/playstation-store-charts-for-december-and-full-year-2015/

Besides that, I don't think Sony would have made a deal with Activision to remake the first three Crash games for PS4, or that they would have made a big deal out of it during their E3 press conference, if they didn't think Crash could still sell. Speaking of which, Crash coming back had a pretty good reaction at the press conference.

Also, his video about Sonic supposedly (I haven't watched it) being bad doesn't make his Crash video bad.

 

[yllekz]

That's the problem with Naughty Dog IPs. They abandon them and they turn to garbage. Nothing they make lasts longer than a decade.

 

[TheMan]

i dont' get it, why are people all over crash's nuts lately? The ps1 games had lame gameplay and the ps2 reboot sucked.

 

[RK128]

"The ps1 games had lame gameplay and the ps2 reboot sucked"
"Plus Crash was created in the 90s for the 90s. He's a dated entity."

I am so sick and tired of seeing comments like these. Crash is a good series, with the original PS1 trilogy being very strong and a majority of his post-Naughty Dog games being good/solid.

People here hate platformers though, so its like I'm screaming at a void or something. Regarding the video, I like the presentation of it and how it goes into the different ways Naughty Dog made the series, but glosses over a lot of little details and the series history post Naughty Dog (outside of a remark toward Twinsanity I largely disagree with).

 

[rashbeep]

i dont' get it, why are people all over crash's nuts lately? The ps1 games had lame gameplay and the ps2 reboot sucked.

Nah, you just have bad taste

 

[OverBlood 3]

I liked the Crash games more than the Sonic games I know I'm in a minority there.

They're not trash like everyone is saying, the first game doesn't hold up though.

 

[Ivan 3414]

This... isn't a really good video. All this video really proves is that Naughty Dog is really good at what they do. Plus Crash was created in the 90s for the 90s. He's a dated entity.

i dont' get it, why are people all over crash's nuts lately? The ps1 games had lame gameplay and the ps2 reboot sucked.

Since when are video game characters not created to make good money during their time? Was Sonic was created in the 90s for the 2000s? Mario created in the 80s for the 2010s?

Second, you've seen that Crash consistently tops the charts on PSN, you've seen the tremendous audience response at E3, you've seen the feverish clamoring for Crash on the internet for years now. If you think Crash is just some forgettable 90s character from unanimously terrible games that no one actually wants or likes, you're either trolling or you're fucking kidding yourselves.

 

[fernoca]

The post Naughty Dog games were good. Only the first one (Wrath) was a bit of a mess, but after learning that the game was done in around a year because they had to scratch everything done before (a Mark Cerny produced open world Crash), because of Universal doing things on their own with the brand; it was understandable.

 

[Firebrand]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

 

[MrBadger]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

Crash was very popular in the PS1 days.

 

[RK128]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

Yet another comment saying the series sucks......he was huge on the PSX and his games did very well commercially and critically. Even the PS2 Era games did very well sales wise and the quality was solid for a few titles (Wrath of Cortex, Nitro Kart, Twinsanity, GBA games, Tag Team Racing).

 

[mattp]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

its so funny how everyone is on one extreme or the other when it comes to crash
he definitely wasnt just a "mascot wannabe". the games sold millions. i mean fuck, there was a guy in a crash costume in most of sony's first party commercials then

but he also definitely never hit mario status, or anything like that

 

[Firebrand]

Yet another comment saying the series sucks

That's not what I said at all.

he definitely wasnt just a "mascot wannabe". the games sold millions. i mean fuck, there was a guy in a crash costume in most of sony's first party commercials then

but he also definitely never hit mario status, or anything like that

Crash was very popular in the PS1 days.

Interesting. I never really saw much of him in gaming media in general, I assume it did will in Europe as well though?

 

[N.Domixis]

That's not what I said at all.

He was a beast, I think he even came close to surpassing mario in popularity at his peak. The two sequels did around 6-7 million each.

 

[RK128]

That's not what I said at all.

Sorry, got so used to seeing that statement on Gaf I'm at the of just assuming everyone here hates platforms. I'm sorry for the assumption man .

 

[zoukka]

Well, he exagerated with that, but in the context of what he was explained, it kinda made sense, SM64 is not a bad looking game, but was on a technical level, vastly inferior to the textures and design choices of crash.

It's just so hard to accept because the gameplay is incredibly good and as we elevate the game to "amazing" status it becomes hard to accept the visual shortcomings of the time.

Textures lol.

Mario 64 looked a generation ahead of any PS1 platformer. Like the difference was so big that nobody even tried to argue for the competition back in those days.

 

[Phediuk]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

Ahem.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

makes me think that there has only really been 3 Playstation Mascots

Nathan Drake, Kratos and Crash

Probably Ratchet as well. And until about 10 years ago Lara Croft and Snake had close association with the PS brand even though they weren't exclusive.

 

[SNURB]

This... isn't a really good video. All this video really proves is that Naughty Dog is really good at what they do. Plus Crash was created in the 90s for the 90s. He's a dated entity.

Then what the fuck is Sonic then? That character is so dated that it fucking hurts and he's still not out of the 90s.

Ignorant shit like this pisses me off. Crash is more like a 1940s Roger Rabbit kind of cartoon character than some "Poochie" bullcrap.

 

[mattp]

That's not what I said at all.



Interesting. I never really saw much of him in gaming media in general, I assume it did will in Europe as well though?

i didnt think of that, maybe it wasnt the same in europe
my comments apply to scea, only

 

[Starlightmuse]

i didnt think of that, maybe it wasnt the same in europe
my comments apply to scea, only

It was a huge hit in Europe too. Here in Spain pretty much anyone who had a Psx played the hell out of them. Here they're some of the most inconic games ever made along with Spiro.

 

[MaxHouse]

Probably Ratchet as well. And until about 10 years ago Lara Croft and Snake had close association with the PS brand even though they weren't exclusive.

good point..I was debating putting Snake on there

so what would the tier of Playstation icons go

Crash/Nathan Drake/Kratos are the "Big Three"

then Lara/Snake are "mid tier"

 

[Stereogatari]

The Crash doubters. Every thread about Crash.

 

[PSqueak]

Textures lol.

Mario 64 looked a generation ahead of any PS1 platformer. Like the difference was so big that nobody even tried to argue for the competition back in those days.

Maybe other platformers, but seriously, Visuals is the one and only thing Crash had over Super Mario 64.

Ahem.

[charts]

Ahahahahahaha! Every single Crash outsold FF7, that's amazing.

 

[RK128]

Then what the fuck is Sonic then? That character is so dated that it fucking hurts and he's still not out of the 90s.

Ignorant shit like this pisses me off. Crash is more like a 1940s Roger Rabbit kind of cartoon character than some "Poochie" bullcrap.

I think the best thing for us excited about Crash's future and just platformers in general is do to this; leave this gaming forum when it comes to discussions about platformers. Because that is how I feel personally; so many here hate Crash and other 3D platformers, that their really is no point discussing them here anymore.

At least, that it what I been feeling the past few weeks and a huge reason I pulled the Crash Retrospective from NeoGaf & questing about posting future series of Retrospectives on this forum.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Hardly anyone in Europe knew about Crash. In fact when the new millenia started many countries outright banned the games for being too 90s.

Visuals is the one and only thing Crash had over Super Mario 64

Linear levels with platforming focus. I feel that Crash games are much more replayable because of that (minus some of the worse gimmick levels in Warped).

 

[zoukka]

Maybe other platformers, but seriously, Visuals is the one and only thing Crash had over Super Mario 64.

The first Crash looked like ass compared to Mario 64. The second Crash game improved on every area and is very crisp and nice looking even today, but it still is a small scale, oldschool platformer, whereas Mario 64 gave birth to a new generation and standard for platformers. Crash never looked impressive next to it and especially the N64 platformers that followed in Marios footprints.

 

[N.Domixis]

some of the doubters must be too young to remember the crash frenzy in the early nineties.

 

[SMG]

dude lost me when he said Mario 64 was visually "nonsense" and "forgettable"

come on bro

Same sort of shit tainted Masters of Doom, no right thinking person would ever put Comander Keen anywhere near or over Super Mario.

 

[CryptiK]

Crash Bandicoot on PS1 was the best, maybe not as big or open as Mario 64 but was still my favourite. On the other hand, Crash Team Racing is still hands down the reigning champion when it comes to Kart games.

 

[Starlightmuse]

I think the best thing for us excited about Crash's future and just platformers in general is do to this; leave this gaming forum when it comes to discussions about platformers. Because that is how I feel personally; so many here hate Crash and other 3D platformers, that their really is no point discussing them here anymore.

At least, that it what I been feeling the past few weeks and a huge reason I pulled the Crash Retrospective from NeoGaf & questing about posting future series of Retrospectives on this forum.

There's a lot of people here who seem uncapable to understand that some people may like some platformer more than any Mario. Shocking, right?

Hardly anyone in Europe knew about Crash. In fact when the new millenia started many countries outright banned the games for being too 90s.

Wtf nope. Crash was famous as hell in Europe.

 

[zoukka]

some of the doubters must be too young to remember the crash frenzy in the early nineties.

It was the Mario of playstation. Everyone I knew with a PS1 owned a Crash game.

 

[privitsan02]

"Video game icon heavyweight" ...eh. Was he really? To me he seemed like any other 90s mascot wannabe. I never owned a PSX myself so maybe I was out of the loop.

While a 100 million people did. This whole conversation about Crash's relevance or importance to gaming is just ridiculous. If I were to say "I don't understand why Zelda is so anticipated all the time only for the games to not do gangbusters in sales and fans turning on them after release." I'd look pretty stupid as well, and get attacked pretty heavily.

Okay video but it was more about why Naughty Dog were so good at making Crash Bandicoot games while the others weren't. The answer is simple, because neither Sony nor Naughty Dog were involved. The same thing happened to Spyro, albeit in a worse manner.

There really isn't any deep meaning to this beyond that. Naughty Dog and Insomniac understood what the world they created was and how to make games around it, whereas the developers who took up the mantle afterwards were simply trying to meet deadlines.

Best wishes.