 Review By: Brittany Vincent |
Developer: | Radical Entertainment |
| Publisher: | Activision | |
| Genre: | Action Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Everyone 10+ | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | In-game Dolby Digital |
One new element that has been added is the ability for Crash to control mutants, such as beasts who are adept with ice known as Ratcicles, or a myriad of other creatures with different specialties. By pressing a face button after the monster has been beaten to a pulp and essentially knocked out, Crash can hop onto their back and control them for the rest of the level. There's an option to "pocket" one monster to effectively control two different ones at the same time, making for effective strategy when two different elemental creatures are needed. It's a nice break from running around as Crash, since these behemoths are tough for enemies to take down, and provide excellent cover from laser turrets or traps that Crash would otherwise succumb to.
Of course, Mind Over Mutant hasn't neglected Crash's abilities. He has always been able to jump, of course. What would a platformer be without that ability? Rather than assigning a face button for spinning, however, you are required to quickly rotate an analog stick. Instead of this being a clever and intuitive control change, it ends up being difficult to pull off, especially when needed to combine with a regular jump to reach higher ledges. Aside from this, everything is just how you remember it. However, rather than jumping on enemies to thwart them, Crash will now utilize his fists. This takes just a bit longer to accomplish, but is more effective than hopping on an enemy's head or spinning into them.
One glaring aspect, however, is the fact that you cannot control the camera. This is a huge annoyance, as you can imagine that often, camera angles are so ridiculously placed that it's tough to see where you are going. Blind jumps should be a thing of the past, especially when lower-budget independent games can cover giving the player control over the camera. For a current-gen Crash title, this is unforgivable, and a nuisance that should have been taken care of before release.
Mind Over Mutant won't win any prizes in the graphics department. While cut scenes are cut from the cloth of sharp, clean animation, renders are jagged and lazily tossed in. It's as if the original Crash was updated only enough to please the spoiled eyes of the 360, Wii, and PS3 generation. Backgrounds are flat and unappealing, and level designs are equally bland. However, there is an abundance of color so that all is not lost. You've seen all of these conventions before, but MoM manages to make them all fun again due to its charm, nostalgic value, and witty one-liners.
Audio-wise? This is one hilarious game. Packed with all-star voice talent that you may recognize from Futurama, Nickelodeon cartoons, or one of many other video games, it contains thousands of irreverent voice clips, from enemies' banter to dialogue in cut scenes. I chuckled when an enemy I tossed off the edge of an iceberg into freezing water yelled "GENERIC BATTLECRY!" It's the small things such as this that turn a mediocre platformer into an exercise in nostalgia, and brings a smile to both veterans and newcomers alike.
Bottom Line:
Despite all its flaws, I had genuine fun with Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant. I dealt with the annoying camera, backtracked as much as I could stand, and still ended up smiling throughout it all. I passed up the usual Call of Duty 4 night marathon session with my friends in favor of making progress in this game, and had a blast. Granted, it isn't the best platformer out there, but it's a welcome update for Crash and his friends. Perhaps the next entry can get a little more polished, and for the love of Aku-Aku, camera controls should be thrown in for good measure. It's not perfect, but it has a lot of heart. These days, sometimes that’s all you need.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
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| 7.0 |
Posted: 2009-02-02 17:45:25 PST