With the 20th anniversary of the Playstation passing many have looked back and the shining history of the gaming company. There has been many great moments for the company such as the risk of the jump to disk drive, a risk that most definitely paid off and may have seen the fall of the Nintendo 64. Others have fond memories of the series’ which came to life on the system such as Metal Gear, Abe’s Odyssey and even the Final Fantasy series which may not have started on the Playstation but it was definitely expanded and the relationship between Square Enix and Sony will always be remembered. I would like to remember something else or more of a someone else, a forgotten mascot, a silent protagonist and one of the first faces that come to mind when you hear the words ‘Playstation’, Crash Bandicoot, the red haired, box smashing, denim loving bandicoot. Crash Bandicoot was my hero as a kid (besides Goku and Obi-Wan) and the escapades I and many others had with him, collecting apples, jumping on boxes, out-running boulders and thwarting Dr.Neo Cortex’s evil plans. Great memories but sadly this great hero and mascot of the Playstation has been forgotten by his creators. The original Crash Bandicoot trilogy was an amazing adventure game with a perfect mixture of new console mechanics and arcade mechanics with great use of collecting, jumping, bonus levels and the many differently themed levels which all had an original feel to them. The games were praised for the originality of their levels which all had different ways of reaching the end, you had to use lots of different objects to complete the levels such as motorbikes, jet-ski’s, submarines, polar bears and other wild animals, this theme went the whole way through all the games and even into the Ps2 era with games such as The Wrath of Cortex. The game many will remember as the best though was a game you used a kart and only a kart to complete it and that game was of course, Crash Team Racing, CTR was the first mascot themed kart game that could really go toe to toe with Mario Kart, and in my opinion it was a better all round game. The single-player mode was more enjoyable with every section having races and eventually a boss race against many different styled bosses such as Ripper Roo, the map was open and you could drive around the whole map freely as long as you had the part unlocked. The power ups/weapons were all very fun to use such as the rockets, protective bubble which could also be shot, and the TNT/Nitro crates which ensured you were not passed out by your enemies. The racetracks were very fun to race on and had an original feel but they were still underwhelming compared to the tracks of Mario Kart. All these games were packed full of action, adventure, originality, challenges and most of all memories, memories you can still relive via the Playstation Store but reliving them isn't enough anymore the feeling of nostalgia is drying up as Sony sits by and watches as their beloved mascot fades away into the realm of forgotten mascots.
But there is hope, a small glimmer of hope but hope nonetheless. In July 2014, Andrew House did announce that a possible revival was on the cards. He said that whenever they sit down and discuss ideas for the Playstation and its games Crash is always a topic which is brought up and discussed. Some may think going back to an old mascot would be a sign of weakness and unoriginality but many others including myself would love a reunion with our red furred friend and a new PlayStation exclusive Crash Bandicoot game could be a real help to Sony in the console wars as many nostalgic gamers would savour the opportunity to have another adventure with Crash, Aku-Aku and the rest of the gang. All of this is of course in Sony’s hands, they decide the fate of Crash, they could shoot new life into the beloved character or they can let him fade away into a mere nostalgic memory.
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