BETTER THAN MARIO 64!
The graphics are terrible... at the time of creating this review. However, when this game first came out for PlayStation, everyone lost their jaws for a few minutes and had to search around on their floors for them. Being one of the first games to be in 3D, this was pretty simple to do back in the day. Well not exactly since it was still a new concept, but you get the idea. You can run forward and backward, and up and down. Those are two dimensions. What's the third? Well, you can go from side to side now! Not very far, but it does add to the gameplay. That's what people liked about the graphics. Otherwise, there's not a huge amount to say about them except that the characters actually have faces. They're also pretty cartoon-like. When you get smashed by something, there's not a lot of bloodshed and gruesome scenes. There's just a flattened Crash Bandicoot. Brings back some Looney Toons memories! They're very entertaining in my opinion.
What about the sound effects? Well, they're not EXACTLY realistic considering this is a fairly cartoon-like game, but they're entertaining. When you jump on something, it's more of a comedic sound instead of the realistic holy-crap-my-shoes-just-hit-someone's-head sound. Music maybe? Still a little cartoony. The music is something you'd expect to put you in a cheery mood, and nothing more; it's not very special... other than the fact that it's entertaining!
Want a good guy vs. bad guy story? Well here it is. It's a little tired now, but back then... well it was still tired, but sometimes it's not necessarily the story told, but how the story is told. Honestly, I thought it was pretty hard to follow so I'll do my best, but considering I was about six when this came out, I thought a lot of stories were hard to follow. Anyway, here it is. The evil Doctor Cortex is back for the second time (meaning he was there once, then came back in the next game, then came back again, making it coming back the second time), and he wants your head. Fortunately for you, you're the hero of the game and can't lose unless you just stop playing, and even then, you can pick up the controller anytime you want to finish the game. There's one main area with a few different sub-areas. You go to one place, jump on little panel things numbered 1-6. You play through five regular levels, then the sixth is a boss level. Do this until you get to the final boss, then whamo. There's the ending. Pretty simple story, but still very entertaining.
What about the gameplay? That's the most important, right? Well, it's simple, but STILL entertaining. You can jump, run, and even spin. Yes, spin; that's his primary attack. Like Mario, Donkey Kong, and other platformers, you collect items to gain more lives. This time, you collect peach-like fruits. Throughout each level, you'll break open boxes by either jumping on them or using the spin attack... either that or you can spin an enemy right into them, which is sometimes better because some boxes explode. They're specifically marked, so don't worry about blowing yourself up all the time. Anyway, the gameplay changes every now and then. Not just randomly, but in the sense that every now and then you'll come across a level where you have to ride a tiger cub, fly an airplane, or some other thing. I think they're all fun, but that's just me.
My overall thought of this classic PS1 title is a good one. With fairly decent graphics, cheery uplifting music, hilarious sound effects and graphical content, an entertaining story-telling method, and really fun gameplay, what's not to like? What's this secret I've held from you this whole time? Well, there are new games, but anytime we want, us gamers can go back to games like this anytime we wish. So if you have a PS3, download this from the PS store. NOW! In fact, get all three of the original PS1 Crash Bandicoot games. I can almost guarentee you'll be satisfied. If you don't have a PS3, you might be able to do it with just a PSP, but I haven't tried it, so I can't promise anything. If you don't have either of those or a PS1 OR a PS2, GET ONE! Then buy it SOMEHOW. eBay, Amazon, whatever. Get this somehow if you're interested. If not, well... I can't help you; I'm not a psychologist.