We all know "Crash Bandicoot" by now: the orange marsupial, back in 1996, was made to be Sony's mascot, and his debut game was to be the PlayStation's answer to "Super Mario 64." Even if he didn't stay as Sony's mascot for long, his series went on to be extremely successful commercially (though, critically...we won't talk much about the later games). While I didn't quite have the same experience with "Crash Bandicoot" as I had with "Spyro the Dragon" back in the day, I have grown fond of the bandicoot, and I've also enjoyed several of his games.
"Crash Bandicoot" might not seem like a revolutionary title, given that it's mostly a side-scrolling platformer placed in 3D, but at the end of the day, it works so well because it's so fun. I like the mix of side-scrolling, front-scrolling and back-scrolling sections, the platforming is pretty good, and I think the visuals are solid as well. On top of that, I find that Crash is a charming character (even if he doesn't really talk), and I also very much enjoy the sound design and music here.
On the negative end, though, I will say this game is often plagued by instances of "fake difficulty" and trial-and-error gameplay that can make some levels more fun than others. I feel like a lot of the level design does help contribute to that, and I think it's something that could've been tightened up a lot.
Overall, "Crash Bandicoot" may have a bit of wear from age, but it's still a very compelling platformer that's worth playing. It has been done better by the later games, but it's still a game that you should definitely try if you haven't already.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"