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If Crash Bandicoot Returned, Would It Be A True Platformer?

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

We're hearing conflicting evidence that Sony might bring back Crash Bandicoot .

It's one of the classic PlayStation IPs that just about everyone over a certain age remembers, and likely remembers with fondness. I was never that much into platformers but even I've played a few of these games over the years.

The question is, with pure platformers having long since blended with action and adventure elements, one wonders into which genre a new Crash would fall. These days, it seems like the only true platformers are found on the indie scene. Now, I suppose another Crash Bandicoot installment could be done on a smaller budget, but it seems to me that Sony would give a beloved company mascot a bit more love. And if it goes full-budget mainstream, does it not have to be more modern? In other words, won't it have to be a lot deeper than ever before?

And when I say "deeper," I'm just referring to the gameplay mechanics. Back in the ol' days, you basically had jump and attack and that was about it. Sure, Crash had different attacks and there were some unique sections of the adventure but in general, it all boiled down to jumping and attacking. We'd have to go beyond that with a new entry on PlayStation 4, right? Same would go for a new Jak & Daxter if Naughty Dog ever went in that direction. I'm almost picturing a more open, over-the-top Crash quest that is indicative of… Beyond Good & Evil , perhaps?

Any ideas out there? If they do indeed resurrect Crash Bandicoot , what do you expect?

Related Game(s): Crash Bandicoot

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Naughty Dog: Crash Bandicoot Isn’t Dead

John-Shepard 8 Comments

A new Crash Bandicoot ? Don't rule it out!

Developer Naughty Dog has indeed moved on to bigger and better things since the early says of PlayStation, when Crash was one of their claims to fame. The other was the esteemed Jak & Daxter series.

But of course, those aren't even remotely similar to the Uncharted and The Last Of Us franchises, so some might assume that the team would never go back to the good ol' days. Well, don't be too hasty. During a recent IGN interview with Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer, we find that Crash Bandicoot hasn't disappeared from memory:

"It's never off the table. It's not too much time passing, but it's the same issues we explored with the Jak game: Is it something that makes sense to us now? I mean, we still have people that worked on the Crash games in the studio. We never forget our past and it'd be great for nostalgic reasons. It'd be the same reason as why there isn't a Jak 4: I don't know if it's playing to our strengths right now."

Do you want to see another Crash ? Granted, platformers aren't what they once were, and it'd be difficult to produce a truly blockbuster game that qualifies as a strict platformer. But if anyone can do it, it's Naughty Dog, right?

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Activision “Exploring Ways” To Bring Crash Bandicoot Back

Ben-Dutka 22 Comments

It has been a while since we've seen Crash Bandicoot . But the once revered franchise isn't dead; it might still return.

Recent rumors have stated that Activision may have sold the IP to Sony, especially after the publisher erased any mention of the series on its site. But as an Activision representative told Game Informer , Crash Bandicoot is still in the company's possession:

"Activision owns Crash Bandicoot and we continue to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series back to life."

There have been a few spin-offs of the classic platforming franchise, but many fans of the original games don't care about more spin-offs: They want a true-blue sequel that feels like the old titles with a next-gen gloss. Maybe Activision can get a developer to take on the project, but remember that this is a publisher that has to be fairly convinced of a game's potential success before taking the plunge.

They always say they're "risk-takers" in the industry, which I personally find to be one of the most comical statements ever .

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