Eh, this doesn't look too hot, actually. I'm a huge fan of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot titles too and if this game is supposed to capture the essence of a PSone first party Sony/mascot game, it sure doesn't look like it is. Gotta echo the sentiments with those saying the levels look boring and bland. I actually don't like the fact that the secret rooms/treasures have randomly generated items either. If every side area/room is going to have a random element, then where's the fun in discovering the location? I never cared for randomized items/chests and the friend trading shit doesn't do anything for me either.
The great thing about Crash Bandicoot was the tightness and cleverness of its level design. Starting with Crash Bandicoot 2, the levels were designed around speed runs and it really brought out the fast paced gameplay and showcased how competent of a platformer the series became. I had SO much fun getting the Platinum Ankhs in the Time Trials. There was a very satisfying and challenging side of Crash Bandicoot 2 & 3 which made me respect the series much more than I did initially.
I should be excited for this game because I've enjoyed all of the games Cerny has worked on, but I can't get excited for this. There's just something about this game that isn't doing it for me. Please, just get Japan Studio to do fucking Ape Escape already!