Crash Bandicoot games ranked (based on 1st-time playthroughs)
Will update this list as I progress across the games. Since a lot of these games will be my first time playing them, I'm gonna be rating them by my first-time experience as such. I will note that I don't intend on getting all the gems and relics during my first-time playthroughs, though I might go back and play them again if I care enough in the end. Probably won't include any handheld stuff since I don't really care for that. Anything without a note on it means I haven't played it yet/am currently in the process of playing it.
6 Games
Is it the best Crash game? A part of me says yes, but also the Crash 2 part of me says no. The stages are larger than ever and have so much great graphical detail to them, but they do tend to feel quite a bit long (especially near the end game). I haven't gotten to the completion nightmare that this game has to provide, but I will certainly look forward to that at some point (/s). The masks provide for some fun level design and are enjoyable in their own right, though I don't know if I'd take them over the power-ups from Crash 3 at the end of the day. The music is arguably the weakest part of the game's presentation; it's not bad-- in fact there's some good instrumentation here--but compared to previous entries like even the Wrath of Cortex, it doesn't have any particularly standout or memorable tones that I'd listen to long after finishing this game. Overall though, it's a very solid platformer that more than rightfully deserves to call itself the 4th game of the series, and moreover it is a game that feels like a celebration of everything Crash... even if it just straight-up likes to pretend that any of the games after Crash 3 didn't exist lol
1
A massive improvement from the first game overall, from the refined physics, expanded movement, and additional variety in environments and hazards, it feels like a much more complete game. Admittedly the ice stages can be a bit jank to deal with, there are some notable difficulty spikes (especially during the latter half of the game), and the jetpack levels feel kind of awkward to control, behind that Crash 2 is a solid platformer that I certainly wouldn't mind going back to. On par with Crash 3 in regards to the original trilogy IMO.
2
Crash 3 is an interesting game. It's clear from the start that it puts a bigger emphasis on stage gimmicks, which I certainly didn't mind at first. Some of them, like the plane and water levels, I actually found a decent bit of enjoyment from. However, there are others, such as the biker and waterskiing levels, that I couldn't really care in the end due to the somewhat stiff controls they have (ESPECIALLY ON THOSE WATERSKIING BITS). With all that being said, the gimmick stages admittedly drag the game down just a bit in my book, but the new abilities you get after defeating each boss and the larger variety of stage environments to explore do more than enough to balance the overall experience. Thus, I think that Warped is on par with Crash 2.
3
After the hot mess that was Wrath of Cortex, Traveller's Tales set out to completely revamp the Crash franchise with Twinsanity, with a much clearer emphasis on setting a comedic tone and a zanier artstyle. The development cycle for this was once again sort of unfortunate, as the team was only given 12 months to finish the game after being conceived to start the project over again due to the initial concept being too similar to Ratchet and Clank. The end result is... interesting, to say the least. While the pseudo open world approach does help to create some clever and fun optional challenges for the player when it comes to collecting gems in this game, it still does have a linear structure when it comes to actually following along with the main objectives, ultimately makes the pseudo open world feel sort of underdeveloped as such. The main emphasis on the team work mechanic between Crash and Cortex is done surprisingly very well, as there is plenty of variety to be found from the two rolling in a ball formation, having Crash throw Cortex to areas that are normally inaccessible, and even puzzle bits where you have to help guide Cortex along a course filled with obstacles to avoid like Nitro crates and spikes.
With all that said though, to say that the game feels unfinished would be fairly accurate to the whole experience. From cutscenes that seem to barely have sound effects half of the time to the numerous bugs and glitches that can be found, the game does feel like a product that could have been so much bigger if it had been given the more time to develop (seriously, just search up the massive amount of concept art and ideas for the game planned; it's insane.). However, the game's general charm and attempt to change up the traditional formula of the linear hallways of yesteryear can still be appreciated, even if it is ultimately very rough around the corners.
also the soundtrack is 10/10.
With all that said though, to say that the game feels unfinished would be fairly accurate to the whole experience. From cutscenes that seem to barely have sound effects half of the time to the numerous bugs and glitches that can be found, the game does feel like a product that could have been so much bigger if it had been given the more time to develop (seriously, just search up the massive amount of concept art and ideas for the game planned; it's insane.). However, the game's general charm and attempt to change up the traditional formula of the linear hallways of yesteryear can still be appreciated, even if it is ultimately very rough around the corners.
also the soundtrack is 10/10.
4
For the first game in the series, IT REALLY FEELS LIKE THE FIRST GAME. And this mostly comes down to a few issues:
Crash's physics - he manages to feel too floaty when you hold the jump button, and feels like a brick when you just press the button.
Level design can be quite brothersome at times + the awkward depth perception from the camera angles can cause problems especially during floating platform segments.
Speaking of level design, some of these stages can be incredibly hard to deal with due to obstacles requiring the right timing to land on. To make sure you don't die in this game, you have to be both cautious and VERY CAREFUL when positioning yourself for jumps, otherwise you're gonna die a lot.
It's these three particular issues that can make the game a bit of a chore to deal with at times, and also make it far more difficult than it needs to.
Overall, while Crash 1 definitely deserves credit for helping to break new grounds for 3D platforming much like Mario 64 that came out in the same year, it's a game that in retrospect is hard to justify going back to when there are overall better platformers to look play in today's age. Still, it's something that deserves a level of respect for helping to laying the foundation for the series (and moreover 3D platformers as a whole) and propelling the PlayStation into the spotlight during its heyday.
Crash's physics - he manages to feel too floaty when you hold the jump button, and feels like a brick when you just press the button.
Level design can be quite brothersome at times + the awkward depth perception from the camera angles can cause problems especially during floating platform segments.
Speaking of level design, some of these stages can be incredibly hard to deal with due to obstacles requiring the right timing to land on. To make sure you don't die in this game, you have to be both cautious and VERY CAREFUL when positioning yourself for jumps, otherwise you're gonna die a lot.
It's these three particular issues that can make the game a bit of a chore to deal with at times, and also make it far more difficult than it needs to.
Overall, while Crash 1 definitely deserves credit for helping to break new grounds for 3D platforming much like Mario 64 that came out in the same year, it's a game that in retrospect is hard to justify going back to when there are overall better platformers to look play in today's age. Still, it's something that deserves a level of respect for helping to laying the foundation for the series (and moreover 3D platformers as a whole) and propelling the PlayStation into the spotlight during its heyday.
5
For the first game developed by a studio other than Naughty Dog and having a grand total of 12 months to work on it, the end result is a game that is exceptional at how wildly inconsistent it is. The developers must have had a hard on for the gimmicks for Crash 3, because they literally threw everything they could into this: water levels, using a shapeship, driving a Jeep, and using a mech suit. I wouldn't mind most of this if it wasn't for the fact that these gimmicks make-up over half of the game's levels and didn't suck so bad. Add that with how so many levels overstay their welcome and performance issues that are persistent (could never forget the infamous load times on the original PS2 version). The platforming levels themselves can be inconsistent in quality, as some are actually fairly fun and varied while others have static enemies and large areas that have nothing interesting to test the player's platforming skills. The last 10 stages or so really show some pretty bad crunch game design, as you're essentially battling the game's bad collision detection and awkward controls in many of the gimmick segments, such as the first instance of the mech being used for platforming. Also, The sneaking shoes are the most pointless power-up in the history of power-ups. You just use it to sneak across a pile of Nitro crates.
While I get that this game came out in 2001, its presentation hasn't particularly aged the best, and in a lot of ways it looks very unpolished compared to even the original trilogy of games (this is especially evident by the 10 minute long intro cutscene...).
At its best, Wrath of Cortex is a very average Crash game, and at its worst, it's a mess of game gimmicks that tries too hard to be different. In the end though, it's still a fairly disappointing follow-up to Crash 3.
I will give the game this: the soundtrack is surprisingly really good. Also, never thought I'd hear Lee Ermey voice a character in a Crash game.
While I get that this game came out in 2001, its presentation hasn't particularly aged the best, and in a lot of ways it looks very unpolished compared to even the original trilogy of games (this is especially evident by the 10 minute long intro cutscene...).
At its best, Wrath of Cortex is a very average Crash game, and at its worst, it's a mess of game gimmicks that tries too hard to be different. In the end though, it's still a fairly disappointing follow-up to Crash 3.
I will give the game this: the soundtrack is surprisingly really good. Also, never thought I'd hear Lee Ermey voice a character in a Crash game.
6