Crash Bandicoot, N Sane Trilogy

 
In 1996 Sony released what they hoped would be their answer to Nintendo’s Mario, and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog.  What resulted was a game called Crash Bandicoot. In late 2017, developer Vicarious Visions re-released it, complete with updated visuals for PlayStation 4.
 
GRAPHICS: The highlight of this game would have to be the graphics.  Crash, his enemies, and their surroundings look absolutely beautiful. The game oozes charm and demanded my attention from the very beginning. Everything from the way Crash behaved, to the way scenery in the background caught my eye, really added to the sense of immersion that only really good games seem to be able to capture.
  
GAMEPLAY: The plot follows the adventures of a bandicoot named Crash as he attempts to rescue love interest Tawna from the clutches of villain, Dr Cortex.  Crash can run, jump, and fight enemies with a spin attack.  He has the standard three lives at the beginning of the game but will have the chance to gain more by smashing the obligatory crates and collecting the fruit inside.  While the gameplay is fun, it would be wrong of me not to mention that this game is hard, far harder than any platformer I have experienced in the past.
 
While I enjoyed my time with Crash, younger audiences may find this difficulty frustrating.  I really felt that a difficulty slider might have helped here. 
 
SOUND: Sound quality was superb. I don’t normally care too much about the sound, but I found the catchy tune enjoyable, and it matched the gameplay overall.
 
VERDICT: Despite the difficulty, this is a must-have game; the graphics and sound really make this a stand out title.  If you don’t own this, then run out and buy it now, if you like games on the hard side, you won’t regret it.
 
8/10