Almost unbearably cute, Croc holds quite a solid 3D platformer under it's casing.
And so, there be Croc, Legend of the Gobbos, also released for the Playstation, this is a 3D platformer that tries to mimic Mario, and his 2D gameplay, but make it into 3D. The cute factor on Croc, and the gobbos is just outstandingly high, making it not for everyone, as some wlll puke at the concept and environments of this title, but if you can stand it, you'll discover a platformer that stands as one of the top for Saturn.
Croc, to start off with, is a jumpy kind of platformer, meaning you'll have to do many, MANY precise jumps from place to place, from platform to platform. and trust me, it takes up about 80% of this title's "action." There's also those times where you'll need to fight enemies by merely pressing the "A" button, making Croc whip his tail, and say some cute scream when he does. All the enemies reappear after about 15 seconds, though, so be aware of that. To try to make the game easier for 3D purposes, the C button turns you around. However, the main problem with this game is it's control. It's 3D control is almost impossible to get used to with the normal Saturn controller. The controllers act like it's a first person shooter in a platforming world. It does NOT work. It makes quick turns close to impossible. However, with the 3D controller that was introduced with NiGHTS in 1996, it turns everything around. The control still isn't great, but it remedies most of the control problems quite nicely. The levels themselves act like the old Mario games of yore. There's multiple worlds, (like 5 or 6) that have a different environment intirely, (including a normal grassy one as the first one, an ice island as the 2nd world, desert in the 3rd, and so on) with 2 bosses, and a decent amount of levels that try to keep the game fresh. However, most of the level designs start to look the same, and get a little tedious, but nothing too bad. For some people, the level designs will just bore them. I found them quite engaging and challenging, especially for a game aimed at a younger audience. So, while the gameplay has some flaws, it's still quite fun nontheless.
These graphics in Croc are great for the Sega Saturn, and tend to push it a little sometimes. The graphics are cute, but are also quite crisp and sharp. There is hardly ever a clipping error, or polygon warping, and the textures are top notch. The croc character is low poly, like his Mario counterpart, and is nicely animated for the time. The only real problems with the graphics is that I think it tends to push the system a little too hard. It tends to run at a decent 20-30 fps most of the time, but there is times where the game slows down to a dismal 5-10 at times. It's kind of disgusting, and happens quite a bit, but it's short, and rarely effects the gameplay.
The music in Croc is subtle, but effective. It has a catchy theme song, even if it's far from one of the great theme songs of platforming times. The sound effects are also quite subtle, but the screams of Croc when he attacks is a little excessive, but amusing, I must admit. "KERPOW!" "KERSPLAT!" "HAZOO!" Yeah, it's amusing, and relatively annoying, but nothing that distracts too much from the gameplay in the long run.
Croc is a relatively lengthy platformer, what with 6 worlds or so, including a secret world (that is extraordinarily tough) if you get every single gobbo you must collect in each level (6 in every level, except boss levels, and secret levels) but it's hardly enough to keep you coming back for more after you beat the game. The bosses are hardly enough to keep you coming back either (I missed this in the gameplay, oops. :P) due to their lack of challenge, compared to the levels. After you beat it, you probably won't care to come back.
Well, all in all, Croc is definetly an underrated title for Saturn and PSX. Especially thinking of your choices for 3D platformers for Saturn, and Playstation at the time it was released. If you have a Saturn, you should at least try Croc, as long as you can stand stuff like the Smurfs, because if you can't stand cute, you won't like this title. :P
~Dalton Zeal, http://www.tailmanteam.net