Shrooba Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 (edited) Just finished reading your TLOU write ups, what a great read! ? I love the images you made too, that effort didn't go unnoticed! 22 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said: TLOU2 provides extremely accurate depictions of violence. Enemies cripple when you shoot off their limbs. They beg for their lives. They choke on their own blood. They let out blood-curdling screams of pain, fear, desperation, and in agonising emotional pain upon seeing their friends and loved ones dying before your unstoppable onslaught. It is VERY confronting. For a split second when I was reading this, I thought you said it was very comforting. I was about to be quite concerned for a second there! ? Good thing my eyes deceived me! 22 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said: Talk birdie to me: let me know your own thoughts about The Last of Us! Jokes aside, I reckon TLOU2 managed to be one of the most well-known PS4 games in existence. Now now, before anyone starts raising their pitchforks, I'm not going to say personally whether it was a good work of art or not, but in essence, I like to describe art as something that evokes a strong emotion out of a person. Now there can be mediocre games in existence where the player doesn't feel one way or the other, which is probably the worst thing a piece of media-- or heck, any art can do; making the viewer/reader/player not feel anything towards a piece. But with TLOU2, people have nothing but strong emotions about it. Even on Metacritic, it's quickly clear that people either love or hate it. People can strongly say why the game excels, or how it is greatly inferior to the original since it bastardizes Joel's writing (after all, he isn't the kind of person who would blindly give his name out to strangers, which is what got him killed; a very oddly written lapse of his established judgement) but nonetheless, when TLOU2 is introduced to any conversation, it's instantly going to spark strong feelings from people aware of the game. That's something I don't see often. Now sure, there's been games out there like Sonic 06 which are well-known and hated as well, but what separates a game like Sonic 06 from TLOU2 is that TLOU2 isn't a buggy, rushed mess; the story is really the main source of contention it has, which makes it an interesting case. With Sonic 06, the devs were rushed to release a product for the holiday season, but every choice in TLOU2 was fully intentional, the devs were given the time to make their game, and they chose what they wanted in the end. While there were changes through the development cycle for sure, their end product was something they decided on which makes it really stand out. And as you said, the fans have been so divided by this game. For so many people to debate a game's story not for being rushed, but for what it set out to do, is something games rarely do. I suppose there's game stories like Detroit: Become Human that have divided opinions, but a game like that is still positively received nonetheless; TLOU2 has the most division out of a finished game that I, personally, have ever witnessed. I can't say whether I like the game or not since I haven't played it myself ? But I just think it's a remarkable thing that TLOU2 managed to make people feel strongly about it in such wildly different opinions, almost like politics. You make a great point that fans shouldn't have attacked people who worked on the game for it, almost like they are indeed imitating the game itself. I don't think any other game in the future for quite a long time will make people feel the same way they do about TLOU2. It'll be interesting to see if or when it happens... and only now am I realizing that I only really talked about my thoughts on the game's reception the entire time... That counts, right? ? Edited January 15, 2022 by Shrooba 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 Shroobs, for someone who hasn't played TLOU2, your fingers are remarkably on the pulse. 20 minutes ago, Shrooba said: Now now, before anyone starts raising their pitchforks, I'm not going to say personally whether it was a good work of art or not, but in essence, I like to describe art as something that evokes a strong emotion out of a person. Now there can be mediocre games in existence where the player doesn't feel one way or the other, which is probably the worst thing a piece of media-- or heck, any art can do; making the viewer/reader/player not feel anything towards a piece. Mmhmm, definitely heard this take before. A very valid point of view. I'm glad that I felt SOMETHING at the very least. I can't see myself writing so much about any other series in my backlog except for (maybe) three of them. This is definitely the most artistic game from a AAA dev that I've played this generation. And by 'artistic' I'm not sure what I mean. It's like many other subjective things where you have difficulty describing it but once you see it, you KNOW it falls in the category. 24 minutes ago, Shrooba said: after all, he isn't the kind of person who would blindly give his name out to strangers, which is what got him killed; a very oddly written lapse of his established judgement Yeah I remember that coming up pretty often when I was going through reviews when I finished it. I use my name all the time and would offer an explanation that Ellie's influence has made Joel more complacent, so it's hard to fully agree, but so many others agree with you that it is just blatantly out of character.... wait, was it Joel or Tommy gave up their names to the WLF? Oh it was both, nevermind. Anyway, at the very least, it's a very contrived way to set up the premise of the game. I mean, if people knew my name and that I'd killed a thousand humans, I'd probably have an alias! The less people that remain, the greater the chances are that you've killed someone's loved one. 30 minutes ago, Shrooba said: Now sure, there's been games out there like Sonic 06 which are well-known and hated as well, but what separates a game like Sonic 06 from TLOU2 is that TLOU2 isn't a buggy, rushed mess; the story is really the main source of contention it has, which makes it an interesting case. With Sonic 06, the devs were rushed to release a product for the holiday season, but every choice in TLOU2 was fully intentional, the devs were given the time to make their game, and they chose what they wanted in the end. While there were changes through the development cycle for sure, their end product was something they decided on which makes it really stand out. Oh hell yeah, 100%. This game is finished, it's polished, it's a 10/10 almost across the board. And! To think I'm complaining about a story that is (regardless of content) character-based, is crazy!! 19 minutes ago, Shrooba said: For a split second when I was reading this, I thought you said it was very comforting. I was about to be quite concerned for a second there! ? ? 32 minutes ago, Shrooba said: and only now am I realizing that I only really talked about my thoughts on the game's reception the entire time... That counts, right? ? It counts, my guy, thanks for reading this big beast of a thing! ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 (edited) That was a hell of thing, your Last of Us series write up my man - something very special! I gotta admit, while I love that first game, I think the second game is light-years ahead of it - where the first one is very much a straight narrative, where the player is given as much lee-way as Naughty Dog can possibly give to let them present Joel is a "good guy" (despite being told over and over that he isn't!)... and I know that the principal argument people have against the second game is that the the narrative toys with that - where the character seem to be "taking control" away from the player, and you are forced to control them doing abhorrent things that you don't necessarily want to do - but I would argue that path was actually set in the first game. In the original game, it's easy to pretend Joel is pure goodness and light, but in the final hour for that game, he "takes control" - you are forced to control him making a terrible decision, dooming humanity because of his own character flaws - his inability to lose a second daughter. To me, the was always the "This one time, I'll let you ask me about my business, Kay" from the end of The Godfather. That's the moment where Joel's true colours and inability to do the right thing comes to the forefront - providing the backdrop for the sequel (Godfather Part II, or TLOU Part II) where every character is more complex, and the singular narrative of the original movie / game is viewed one step removed, and all characters are forced to reckon with the events set in motion by those action. Like The Godfather Part II, The Last of Us Part II is a murkier piece of art - it is vastly more complex, and throughout, our own opinion of the individual characters ebbs and flows with the narrative. Ellie starts as the golden girl, who we love, and we want to see her get her vengeance, however, as she pursues it, and as that lust for vengeance continues to consume and destroy her, we slowly come to first wish she would stop, then desperately hope she will stop, then (when the world finally provides her the peace she could have,) hate her for abandoning it in order to continue her lust for vengeance. She ends up having to, because it's all she has left that is driving her. Abby, on the other hand, we start out hating - after all, she killed our boy! - however, her character is not seeking vengeance, or forgiveness, she is simply trying to get by, and to survive - exactly the reasons we were able to love Joel in the first game, despite knowing he had done some gnarly shit in the intervening 20 years that we didn't see, but heard about. By the end, all we really want is for the cycle of violence to end, and because that is also what Abby wants, she slowly morphs from villain to hero, in a way very few games (or even movies) have ever managed. In the end, the second game, to me, is really a treatise on the statement of Dr King: “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. That's a statement I think is absolutely true, of course, but it isn't an easy thing to address in videogames - in fact, most videogames are antithetical to it. That TLOU Part II is able to actually force the player to confront that concept, and does it so well, negates all little nit-picks people have with the narrative or character consistency between the original and the second one. Edited January 15, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winter_bird_22 Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I've seen that face in FFXIV highlight streams but never got a name for it. What a weird man. Anyways, great trophy list. Also, if you are working on the Spyro series, I platinumed the Reignited trilogy and loved it. It's a nice flashback to the old games. You platinumed the Witness? I tried to, got all the puzzle except the challenge. That was the worst experience in my life because the puzzles shut down once the songs end and you only have six minutes to do it and the puzzles are random every time. It's just me, I am not good at puzzle solving as you are(which is why I used a guide the majority of the game). Congratulations on that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 @DrBloodmoney you've got some valid points (as usual!) and I'm chuffed that you're willing to challenge my opinions! ? I definitely agree that complaining about the character having the control over the narrative would be silly... these are linear games, I'm happy to hop in this car, sometimes driving, sometimes navigating, sometimes just going along for the ride, while relinquishing control occasionally to the characters for their input. Meanwhile, I will happily commit the most violent acts in these (and other) games without issue. My central issue with TLOU2 is that I didn't like the direction that the car was going for such a large majority of the journey (including running over too many of the wrong people). I wanted to be riding with the Ellie, Joel and Tommy as I enjoy their company. Abby can come along, too, no dramas from me on that. I just wasn't in sync with the characters on this one, and if the story is going to do that on purpose, I would have liked an even bigger impact that what MLK Jr has offered. Even then, as accurate as MLK Jr is on that one for the real world, the violence is fun in these games, so we kind of need that descending spiral of violence to provide the impetus for more of the action. We don't want to just shoot infected, right? Do you think you would have liked TLOU2 *even more* if you were in sync with Ellie and Abby for more of their journeys/went on journeys of discovery together? No dramas if you don't think so... keen to know more of your opinion either way. I like that you prefer TLOU2 over TLOU1, though, I think I'm slowly zero-ing in on your tastes. Discussions like this just make my brain run about like a kid in a candy store! 28 minutes ago, winter_bird_22 said: I've seen that face in FFXIV highlight streams but never got a name for it. What a weird man. Anyways, great trophy list. Oh really? It's the late El Risitas during a now-famous interview. His laugh was so infectious! I have to admit to a lack of hands-on Final Fantasy experience. And even then, my FF knowledge is limited to a very minimal awareness of the most basic characters, setting and themes of FFVII (therefore that's probably where I should start with FF one day), and some characters in FFIX, some memes from FFX and some BASIC awareness of FFXIII (that's the one with Lightning?) and FFXV. I couldn't even tell you a thing about FFXIV. So... sorry, but that's not me in those highlight streams I'm really glad you enjoyed stopping by! ? consider stopping in again some time 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Sadly, I am among the uninitiated, so once I saw "spoilers" I just nodded and glumly sat down. I will get to these games though, so I can read this because you clearly put in a metric fuckton of work, it's a gargantuan review that you should be quite proud of! More shuffling of the backlog for me, it seems... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 (edited) 21 minutes ago, GonzoWARgasm said: just wasn't in sync with the characters on this one, and if the story is going to do that on purpose, I would have liked an even bigger impact that what MLK Jr has offered. Even then, as accurate as MLK Jr is on that one for the real world, the violence is fun in these games, so we kind of need that descending spiral of violence to provide the impetus for more of the action. We don't want to just shoot infected, right? Do you think you would have liked TLOU2 *even more* if you were in sync with Ellie and Abby for more of their journeys/went on journeys of discovery together? No dramas if you don't think so... keen to know more of your opinion either way. You know - I did think about this, as I’ve definitely had a similar complaint with other games - basically every GOW game prior to the reboot was a problem in that regard for me - where I hated the main character, and the choices he made (and interestingly, is also all about vengeance!) but I think honestly in the case of TLOU2, no I wouldn’t. The difference, as I see it, is that the characters in TLOU2 are flawed - they aren’t just bad people, and because the actual narrative is so compelling to me, and because they are actually using those bad decisions the characters make to tell such a sad, complex tale, I just ended up loving it - in much the same wat as I loved The Godfather Part II more than The Godfather. I think the difference between something like a GOW, and TLOU2, is that all the while the characters are doing terrible things, and making terrible choices, there is still pathos there. I don’t just hate Abby at the beginning, or Ellie at the end - I’m also sorry for them. I pity them and wish better for them - so controlling them as they do terrible things is lent an air of longing and sadness to it, as opposed to Kratos in his games, where I simply recoil, and have a sense of removal from the whole proceedings. In the end, as much as both principal characters in TLOU2 veer towards me hating them, I want them to do better. I want them to end the cycle of violence, for them. So they can find peace - not just so I, as a player can feel better… to me, that’s the difference between a great piece of art, and just a misguided central premise - if I can hate the character while still loving them, then I figure it did what it needed to do - and if the artists job is to capture your attention for as long as they ask it for, and to take you on an emotional journey - I sure got that with TLOU2! ? Edited January 15, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winter_bird_22 Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 33 minutes ago, GonzoWARgasm said: I couldn't even tell you a thing about FFXIV. So... sorry, but that's not me in those highlight streams No, I wasn't implying anything. I know you took that face from a clip, and they took the video clip. I know it's not you. Glad to learn the trivia behind that clip, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 7 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: In the end, as much as both principal characters in TLOU2 veer towards me hating them, I want them to do better. I want them to end the cycle of violence, for them. So they can find peace - not just so I, as a player can feel better… to me, that’s the difference between a great piece of art, and just a misguided central premise - if I can hate the character while still loving them, then I figure it did what it needed to do - and if the artists job is to capture your attention for as long as they ask it for, and to take you on an emotional journey - I sure got that with TLOU2! Nice one Doc ? 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: More shuffling of the backlog for me, it seems... I hope you get to these games soon for your own sake. Definitely worth experiencing. Would love to hear your fresh opinions afterwards before you read or watch anything about them online to gauge your thoughts ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted February 24, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 24, 2022 06 Series: Crash Bandicoot #58 (PS4) Crash Bandicoot, 7/10 #59 (PS4) Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, 8.5/10 #60 (PS4) Crash Bandicoot: Warped, 9/10 #73 (PS4) Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled, 8.5/10 #91 (PS4) Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, 9/10 Hot takes: - The first Crash Bandicoot aged like a fine milk. - In the many years between Crash Team Racing (1999) and the N. Sane Trilogy (2017), there were only two Crash games worth playing: Crash Bash and Twinsanity. - Crash Team Racing is the best kart racer of all time. What is Crash Bandicoot? Crash Bandicoot is 2.5D platformer that blew back the hair of every PlayStation owner in 1996, yet it impressed no one with a Nintendo 64 (as they were enjoying a genuine 3D platformer in Super Mario 64 and argued that it was that game which revolutionised platforming, and that Crash merely iterated). Crash became one of many mascots for the PlayStation upon continued successful entries into the system’s library. Upon Naughty Dog’s determination to enter the sixth console-generation with a new IP (Jak & Daxter), Crash Bandicoot’s development was helmed by other studios to significantly less successes. In 2017, the N. Sane Trilogy was released, followed by Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled and, most recently, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Now, some of you non-Aussies may not be overly familiar with just what the hell a bandicoot is. Bandicoots are rabbit-sized animals that have a pig nose and rodent teeth. Their back legs and pouch resemble that of a kangaroo (except the pouch angles backwards to protect bandicoot babies (called “joeys”) while the mumma bandicoot digs a nest). What this means is that bandicoots continue the Australian mythos that a divine creator was clearly drunk when he hotswapped bits and bobs between different animals for shits and giggles. For example: This is a bandicoot. This is an emu - 'the flightless bird.' This is a kangaroo. A male kangaroo. This is a frilled-neck lizard. Yes, it is a real animal and not a dilophosaurus. This is a drop bear. Avoid. This is a platypus. This animal defies classification: a mammal that lays eggs (very strange), and swims, and has a duck bill, a beaver tail and feet like an otter than has a venomous barb. When British settlers sent one back to the motherland in 1799, the pipe-smoking intellectuals that received it thought they were being Punk’d. My word, old bean. At this point, I’m surprised that we don’t actually have a Dingodile. When the N. Sane Trilogy was announced at E3 2016 I nearly fell off my chair. I knew Crash 2 and Crash 3 like the back of my hand from having enjoyed them from an early age (as it turns out, playing Crash 2 is my earliest PlayStation-related memory), but I’d never completed the original Crash Bandicoot, so I committed myself and dove into that pool headfirst prior to the release of the remasters, and upon defeating Cortex for the first time in that first game, I was unable to resist jumping back into Crash 2, 3 and CTR as well. Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot games: The original Crash Bandicoot is a time capsule. The controls are actually pretty poor. Crash is very imprecise. He continues to walk forwards for an additional step after you let go of the input, his jumping momentum is flaccid and there’s no analogue option despite Crash moving in a 3D space. And, heaven forbid that you attempt to spin when landing from a jump because it retains your momentum; you’ll find that Crash spins his way off an edge faster than you can say “no shirt, no service.” The game compensates for poor movement in 3D space by restricting movement to no more than two simultaneous directions (ie: the Y axis plus either the X or Z axis, but never shall the three meet, and rarely will an X or Z axis traversal require diagonal movement). In other words, it compensates by restricting movement in most levels to a 2.5D compromise from a 3D target. This results in simple level designs where 90% of the game’s difficulty is genuinely only tied to poor controls and nothing else. The save system is password-based but you only get a new password when you’ve made ‘progress.’ ‘Progress' means beating a level or for collecting silver gems. There was no manual saving capability. It is an archaic system. In general, the original Crash Bandicoot has aged poorly. The one area where the original game shines beyond a doubt is the level theming. To sing its praises, I’ll go on a very quick tangent to explain the game’s plot: mad scientist Neo Cortex is trying to create an army of mutated Australian animals. Crash, a Bandicoot, escapes due to the newfound powers from Cortex’s experimentation. Cortex abducts Crash’s girlfriend Tawna to entice him into a trap so Crash is attempting to rescue her. So, theming: Having escaped Cortex’s island and, presumably, swimming away like his life depended on it, Crash washes up on N. Sanity Beach, which is the first level that also acts as a tutorial. Upon completing N. Sanity Beach, the player is shown an overworld that is reminiscent of the world map of Super Mario World: Left: Super Mario World, Right: Crash Bandicoot You can see that Crash is on an island. As you complete further levels Crash will travel over three separate islands, but what is so cool is that the levels are consistent with what Crash is doing in the overworld. On the first island, Crash travels up a waterfall on the map after completing the level Upstream. He has some run-ins with a native tribe including defeating their grand poobah Papu Papu as a first boss and scaling their fortress (The Great Gate, Native Fortress). Crash discovers ancient architecture from the ancestors of the tribesmen (Jungle Rollers, Rolling Stones). On the second island, Crash uncovers more dilapidated stone constructs from the tribe and it is implied that his adventures have been taking place over the course of a single day as the sunset is a key aesthetical feature at the end of the island (The Lost City, Temple Ruins, Sunset Vista). Crash also overcomes an increase in the amount of non-human enemies from Cortex’s army of mutated wildlife which is highlighted in the two boss fights on this island (Ripper Roo and Koala Kong). The third island is the assault on Cortex’s fortress. The first half of the island are the powerhouses for Cortex’s projects (Heavy Machinery, Cortex Power, Generator Room, Toxic Waste) before using a rickety bridge to get to Cortex’s castle, the exterior of which must be scaled before discovering an opening (The High Road, Slippery Climb). When you get into the castle, you find that you’re only in the deepest and darkest bowels and have to continue to ascend through the castle's dungeons towards the lab where you were experimented on (Lights Out, Fumbling in the Dark, Jaws of Darkness, Castle Machinery, Dr. Nitrus Brio (boss), The Lab). The last level is The Great Hall of the castle and then the final boss fight against Cortex himself is at the peak of his fortress with a backdrop of a new sun rising. The context provided by the overworld map gives the progress between levels a gravitas that no other Crash game can match. There is a purpose to Crash’s progress. Enemies in the different types of levels are also theme-consistent which adds a variety to that progress. This is by far the strongest aspect of this game. It is strange then, to see that Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back iterated on the first game without retaining an overworld that was so directly tied to the plot. Instead, Crash 2 has five hub worlds with five levels each (well, six hub worlds if you count the hidden one). Each level in each hub world could be completed in any order, but players can’t progress into the next hub world without completing all five levels. In effect, less confident or skilled players were able to gain some momentum to their progress by playing preferred levels at their own pace, and that design decision (in addition to smoother controls and generally scaling back the game’s difficulty from Crash 1) made Crash 2 a lot more approachable for new and younger players. I therefore shouldn’t criticise the decision to discontinue the overworld system as I can’t think of a way to combine these aspects. Crash handles a lot smoother in this second game. It was clearly a focus point after the release of Crash 1. This applies to other gameplay aspects as well; Crash 2’s polar bear handles with at least twice the precision of Crash 1’s hog. You're not fooling anyone - we all think Polar is cute. There’s also now a jetboard for river levels, functionality to grip onto some roof surfaces and a dig mechanic for some other specific levels. The jetpack in two of the levels at the end aren’t as functional or intuitive as the other improvements to controls but I like the gimmick enough to give it a pass. And for the first time in the series, Crash can now slide into your DMs. Using the slide prior to a jump will result in a super jump which, coupled with Crash’s smoother movement (and added analogue functionality), equates to a system of fluid mechanics that lend themselves to increased player confidence. There’s fewer human-type enemies (maybe there was some criticism about using natives as enemies in Crash 1?) and more of a reliance of dangerous animals, robots and machinery. The hunt for the coloured gems and the hidden hub world were the subject of many schoolyard whispers in an age where the early internet was still a place for information about important adult things. Figuring out how to get that red gem on Snow Go or the blue gem in Turtle Woods or that hidden green gem were feats shrouded in mystery. I spent wayyyyy too long on Hang Eight crouching down next to this empty gem platform. My dad would say, "bent down and pick it up - it's a net, use it to catch the fish!" Sam said it would be under here! It might just be me and the amount of time I spent playing these games at such a young age, but I am entranced by the pink crystals – I love their design, how they glow onto the environment around them and the sound of collecting them is deeply entrenched into my memory like the PlayStation console boot-up sound. Oooh, shiny. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (“Crash 3”) iterated on Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back with minor improvements. Most notably, the controls systems were given even more polish so that Crash’s movement felt buttery-smooth. The double jump, extended spin and running shoes each bolted on to the mechanics to improve your runs without any hindrance to the levels' pacing. The premise of this game involved time warping which led to new level ideas that allowed Naughty Dog to jump the shark (and I say that with excitement). Crash travels back to the Jurassic period, the Medieval era, Ancient Egypt, the Middle East (for an Arabian Nights theme), plus Coco witnesses the building of the Great Wall of China and Crash goes headlong into the future. Naughty Dog tried some new gameplay ideas to varying successes. Their attempt to rival the popular Wave Racer 64 with Coco’s jetski hit the mark, but the airplane and motorcycle levels were total misses. Those motorcycle levels in particular do not hold up (why there was a decision to implement sharp turns when the motorcycle can barely turn at all is a bit beyond me). The added mysteries, gem routes and hidden levels again added to the lifecycle of the endgame, but not as much as the introduced time trial mechanic. Attempting to obtain the platinum relics was a big deal for boy Gonzo. It’s hard to find the words for just how fun this game is. I think it just comes down to a perfect blend of tight controls, well-spaced levels, the right amount of challenge, a groovy soundtrack, strong art style, endgame longevity and exciting animations. It’s just an all-round strong outing and I love it now just as much as I did when I first played it. Of course - that soundtrack! What is this series without the Warped theme, or Sewer or Later, or Snow Go, or Toad Village (so much nostalgia for this one), or Heavy Machinery?!?! And then there's Crash Team Racing: the best kart racer of all time. Do you know the history of this game? Naughty Dog were working for Universal Interactive Studios during the PS1 era. The relationship between the two companies deteriorated to the point where Naughty Dog staff were working in hallways and Universal were refusing to have their floor air-conditioned. At the end of Crash 3’s development, Naughty Dog began working on a new kart racing game that didn’t use the Crash Bandicoot intellectual property or characters. They sought out a deal with Sony to have them publish Naughty Dog’s next game instead of Universal. Sony agreed under the condition that if they were to buy the rights to the Crash Bandicoot franchise, Naughty Dog would turn their kart racer into a Crash-themed game. Depending on who you believe with conflicting reports, Naughty Dog apparently also implemented a story in the game that would be so nonsensical that Sony wouldn’t want them to continue with the Crash Bandicoot IP after CTR (Naughty Dog also had the first Jak & Daxter game in a state of pre-production and that was the direction they wanted to take). So, what was that 'nonsensical' plot designed to undermine the legitimacy of the franchise? An alien invades earth and challenges Crash and friends to a racing tournament on a gambit for the fate of the planet. And yet, to this day, no one minds. ... and that is because the gameplay of the Crash series continues to kick ass. Everything that this game could do to ensure that the racing felt fun and tight seems to have been well-tuned: kart handling and boosting? Crisp and responsive. Weapons systems? Powerful but not unbalanced. And the tracks? Varied in theme, colour palette, complexity, size and length. Choosing to race as Cortex and his evil minions or one of Crash’s friends fleshed out the experience. Bringing back the rogues gallery for one last spin-off romp was a fantastic way to sign off a very successful series. Crash Team Racing allows you to race more than just a bandicoot; any rodent can drive (licence not mandatory). The N. Sane Trilogy Remaster: Fast forward to 2018 when I finally got around to playing the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy a year after release. On the positive side, the games were kept almost fully intact with most changes being graphical in nature or improvements to quality of life. Regarding the latter, Crash 1’s updated save system was the most important change. The fresh coat of paint impressed me at first, but the more I played the game, the colder I felt towards it, likening it to a flash in the pan. Looking at the remasters now in 2022 I think it looks dated already. Graphical fidelity is for today, art direction is forever. My frustration about this is compounded because the output of the remasters launched at 30fps and loading times were increased from near-instantaneous on the PS1 to, often, more than 10 seconds on the PS4. Considering how much developer wizardry was utilised in the PS1 games (such as designing levels so that you only see Crash’s immediate surroundings so that rendering distant objects wouldn’t be required), it is therefore a shame that performance and graphical issues are the biggest failings in the remaster. For better and worse, the remaster remains doggedly faithful to the original product. In some cases, faithfulness has resulted in poor executions in some aspect - such as the designs of the villains: I think that following the outline of the PS1's polygonal counterparts was a mistake. Whereas when the designers followed the original intent of '90s Naughty Dog instead of the exact end product, they arrive at a result that is more faithful than copying polygonal silhouettes. Imagine if Crash was remastered with the same hunched blob-body shape that he had in the original game. He'd look ridiculous. Instead, they referenced the original concept art’s inspiration (Looney Tunes characters) and came up with an expressive re-design of Crash’s body. This is evidenced by comparing Crash’s new eye-shape to that of Wile E. Coyote (the BEST Looney Tune – the BEST ONE. DON’T—DON’T EVEN—I WILL NOT DEBATE THIS), who’s many cartoon deaths had clearly been inspiration for Naughty Dog’s implementation of Crash's various death animations. Some of Wile E. Coyote and Crash's best deaths. The inspiration is clear. This .gif shows exactly what I'm talking about - this is almost 1-to-1 for Wile E. Coyote. In general I do find the artstyle to be a little too 'smooth.' This is super evident with any rock or stone in any level. Regardless of whether they are natural rocks or pavers/bricks, they are oddly clay-looking and it’s off-putting. The Indiana Jones boulders are also a great example of this 'smoothness' that I have a hard time expressing in words. Maybe I’m nitpicking. Maybe my brain was just expecting to see the PS1's classic texture warping that was in every game on that system, I don’t know. I think that imperfection gave the PS1 games more character than these remasters. Picasso’s style was odd but it caught on. Pixel art in gaming is still very relevant (or at least is enjoying a resurgence). So sue me if I think that I’d rather play the classics in their seemingly-triangle-based and beautiful-like-playing-a-stained-glass-window-kind of way. At least then I wouldn’t have to wait on the long load times. But yet I disagree with other common complaints: I can’t say that I noticed the infamous “pill shaped" collision boxes as being an issue at all. For me, controls in Crash 1 were massively improved. Similarly, adding Crash 3’s running shoes into Crash 2 for the time trials seemed to work just fine. Overall I’m glad that I can enjoy these games again despite the nitpicks. Each one is better, easier, zanier and more enjoyable than the last. Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled: If the N. Sane Trilogy is a silver standard for remastering a classic, then Nitro Fueled is the gold standard. Beenox knocked this one out of the park. They flawlessly rebuilt all tracks from not just Crash Team Racing but also Crash Nitro Kart, and then added in multiple NEW tracks every few weeks after the release for approximately a whole year. All characters returned with multiple skins. Community requests for added characters were clearly welcome as Beenox added in increasingly-obscure characters as Koala Kong, Crash's T-Rex, one of Cortex's lab assistants, Spyro, King Chicken (a mythical figure who's rumoured existence dates back to 1999's CTR) and an Iron Checkpoint Crate. Driving as an iron crate is quality banter. Multiplayer was introduced to the series giving us the chance to race and battle our friends online. Split-screen returned! The boost system was updated with a hidden mechanic that stacks reserves of boost if you gain it faster than you use it. If you drive over a hypercharged boost pad while stacking boost then your reserves get upgraded to that hypercharge too. This results in a high degree of nuance, strategy and skill at top-end play. The tighter times that were required upon mastering boost stacking are the reason why this was the hardest Crash Bandicoot platinum trophy to unlock at the time of Nitro Fueled's release. Whereas I had ticked off Crash 1 in a day (three sittings in 26 hours real time), and Crash 3 in one sitting in 7 and a half hours (I was about 8th on the leaderboard... now I’m 24th... rough!), Nitro-Fueled took me longer than the full N Sane Trilogy put together. There’s more content and it’s harder to complete. Not that I’m complaining, though, because this was a blast to re-enjoy. I was perfectly happy to walk away with beating Oxide’s time trials for the platinum, but I thoroughly commend @KindaSabbath, @Destructor-8, @Shrooba, @LancashireLad87 and @Venilusionist-25 for their persistence in their pursuit of the devilish developer time trials. That damn William-P is a beast. Curse you, Willie! Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time: Many, many Crash Bandicoot games have been released since Crash Bandicoot: Warped: Does this game deserve to ignore all of those years of history? Does it justify its self-awarded title as the fourth Crash Bandicoot game? Fuck yeah, it does. It is the most spiritually-successful Crash game since Naughty Dog’s departure. It is the most personality-heavy, best-controlling, fun and technically-smooth game in the series this side of 2000. When Toys for Bob pretended that a dozen games never existed in this series and threw a “4” on the end of their game, they pushed their chips all-in. They unzipped their fly, pulled out a third leg and slapped that fatty on the table, then put their hands on their hips and dared the room to out-do them. Big-dogging like that is pure confidence and it’s justified when you take a second to really comprehend the magnificence and can’t help but be impressed. Straight away the first thing that stands out with this game is the artstyle. Toys for Bob gets it: graphical fidelity is temporary, artstyle is forever, and the art style is strong here. Crash doesn’t need Pixar-fur, we don’t need realistic water or mod-worthy textures. Instead, the zaniness takes centre stage and animations were given a tighter focus. If you don’t like Crash’s design (the devs were leaning even harder into a Looney Tunes inspiration this game), you can choose from two dozen skins each for Crash and Coco – and we don’t need to pay for them in microtransactions. Concept art for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time by Toys for Bob Crash 4 features the most intriguing plot for the series to date. I enjoyed seeing the complex hierarchy of two versions of Cortex, two versions of N. Tropy (the crux of a few great visual gags), Nitrous Oxide, N. Gin, N. Brio and Uka Uka as their evil plans unfolded. It was spoiled for me that I’d get to play as multiple characters in this game. I thought: “Cortex? Sure, predictable enough, hopefully his gameplay is fun. Maybe it will be like Twinsanity. Tawna returns? Oh sure that sounds pretty interesting! And... Dingodile?! I’m playing as Dingodile?!?! Of all the characters, that’s who I’m playing as?? … well ok then! Let’s see what crazy plans Toys for Bob are cooking up!!!” Cortex’s levels are probably the weakest of the lot and I put that down to pacing issues with his gameplay mechanics. Tawna was a refreshing change of pace and I liked her Hookshot gameplay. Dingodile was a great new addition. I liked his change in personality from Crash 3 (owner/operator of a cute little diner in the bayou? Love it.) and his gameplay was great! He wasn’t as sluggish as he looked (he chonky) and the vacuum gun was cool. I made full use of its many abilities and I hope to get the chance to play as him again in the future. It was such a wonderful surprise to see it work out so well. I still don’t understand why he lives in the bayou with that silly accent... isn’t he supposed to be Australian? We don’t have bayous, Murica, we're the ones with the outback, remember? The general idea of playing as another character in the same level for an additional perspective was enjoyable at the start. However, the additional runs of some of the levels where we play as Crash after playing as another character could have been cut down a bit. It really wasn’t necessary to be playing the back end again, and playing them so many times in the effort to get the platinum wore me down. Tawna's style in Crash 4 was pretty sweet, but how much better is this Toys for Bob concept art for some earlier ideas for her design?!! Look closer for some great little details. I loved the mask powers (especially the purple one... it was great charging up and then snapping off with a burst of speed in a barely-controlled manner to shave seconds off of my best level times). I loved the shadow that Toys for Bob added underneath the characters when they jump. I loved the slide-spinning mechanic which replaced the running shoes for endgame time trials. [Endgame, @Shrooba, not midgame, you beast]. An overworld returns a la the original game and I loved it. Having two to three levels per theme/island was a great design choice. On a similar note, I was perfectly fine with the increased length of the levels, too. How good were those VHS levels? What a great idea! Side content where we play as Crash in a happy mix of puzzle-platforming to the sounds of the OST from the PS1 games? Yes please!! Level highlights for me included the dimension with the dinosaurs, the Chinese levels, the Mad Max-inspired desert dimension, the pirate levels, some of the bits in Nitrous Oxide’s ship where there’s more of his people just... being jobsworths and mopping the floors or whatever it was that they were doing, the Uncharted 3 sequence where you had to jump on the crates falling out of the back of a plane, and, strangely enough, the Mario-inspired level where Crash bounces on the Karen-blocks. That odd little level was a surprising breath of fresh air. Some of the inverted levels were a treat especially with the new filters. My favourites were the neon levels in the desert, the colouring book-type filter in the dinosaur dimension, and the white levels where spinning would splash colour onto the environment. Others such as the comic book levels and the pixel levels right at the end just hurt my eyes, but none were as bad as the underwater levels. They made what were the longest levels SO MUCH LONGER. I distinctly remember getting to the "Sn@xx Dimension" with 6 or 7 levels left to 100% before finishing the game, and I was 60 hours deep in my total playtime. When I was done with the Sn@xx Dimension and the stupid underwater levels that take 20 minutes to finish, I was up to the 74 hour mark, which easily blew away any hope of keeping up with the pace of @Deluziion90 or Caddicarus. This was a great game but completing it took about 30 hours too long. I would have rather not done the full game in inverted mode to double the gem count and instead have just run through each level once in the inverted modes to get a singular inverted gem for simply completing it (or finding a hidden gem in it). Likewise, we didn’t need to keep playing levels as Crash after Cortex/Tawna/Dingodile came to his aid. It was also difficult to justify how often I needed to watch Powerpyx playing a level to see where some of the hidden boxes were. Maybe next time a solution would be that a completed Final Boss could grant an ability to point out the nearest box when Crash presses a specific button combo? Maybe this only would have a small area of effect until getting 95% of all boxes/gems, then a boosted version could unlock which could have Crash point to a hidden box? Or more subtle, what if he would scratch his head and his eyes looked at the box or something like that? I don’t know, it’s just hard to justify spending so much of my playtime watching someone else play. I’m all for hidden stuff, but sometimes this game got a bit carried away. Two final complaints: the controls of Polar and the alien were terrible and collecting the relevant boxes in their respective levels were a low point for me in this game. And secondly, the loading times were ridiculous. Even if loading the level takes a while, it really should be instantaneous to restart it if you’ve messed up a perfect run. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is clearly heavily influenced by some of the best parts of the series: Crash 1’s overworld map (and bringing back Tawna), Some of Crash 2 and 3’s secondary mechanics and backtracking, Crash 3’s time travel, Twinsanity’s inclusion of Cortex as a playable character, and from the Wrath of Cortex: a plot based on the awakening of four new masks and featuring egregiously-long loading times. What an incredible resurgence of love for Crash Bandicoot we’re now able to enjoy in the last 5 years. Credit to Activision, they’ve picked three great developers to push out these three games in the last handful of years and that must have been a tight rope to balance on. I loved each and every one of these games. Déjà vu? Do I have much of a desire to keep playing these games after obtaining their platinum trophies? For Crash 1 and CTR I need some more time. For Crash 4 I think I’ll wait until I get a PS5 and then I will probably do it all again (I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself!) But I could play Crash 2 and 3 again right now - it’s a shame I don’t have a Switch otherwise I wouldn’t hesitate! Let me know your own thoughts!! 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deluziion90 Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 That's a really nice wall of text to read . I loved it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 42 minutes ago, GonzoWARgasm said: Series: Crash Bandicoot Oh man what an awesome read that was! Totally worth the wait! Really fantastic job Gonzo! You know - one thing I found really interesting (of many) when reading your thoughts was the bits about how you perceived the art-style for the N-Sane Trilogy. I kind of agree with you too, even if it is a little bit of a retroactive agreement. See, when I played the N-Sane Trilogy I think I was a little blinded by the fact I was so happy to just be playing Crash Bandicoot again. Then, after playing the MediEvil remake recently, which I still loved - I couldn't help thinking a little similarly to how you do here. That keeping some of the designs the same yet probably giving it a bit of over-finesse does make it lose at least a tiny bit of its charm. Sometimes those angular and spiky aesthetics really did work better on the PS1. Especially in the image you used. Where in the original Tiny looks a little angular, sure. But the N-Sane version he looks like the sole of a shoe with a face drawn on it! Why....... your guess is as good as mine! 51 minutes ago, GonzoWARgasm said: The hunt for the coloured gems and the hidden hub world were the subject of many schoolyard whispers in an age where the early internet was still a place for information about important adult things. Figuring out how to get that red gem on Snow Go or the blue gem in Turtle Woods or that hidden green gem were feats shrouded in mystery. Weren't they just...... I remember being so sceptical when someone told me how to get that blue gem..... You had to go through the entire level without getting a single box..... I was like "Yeah right, why would you have to get no boxes?" Guess I was eating my words the next day, and rightly, probably the pavement too Interesting to see you praise Warped very highly. That was my favourite one when I was the child version of RJ, nowadays I think I prefer Crash 2, but I can't quite put my finger on why. I think possibly it's down to Crash 2 having less of the gimmick levels. I love what they were trying to do with those in Warped, but as you mentioned, the bike ones, and the plane ones don't work all that well. You have admittedly got me even more excited for Crash 4 though - even if you did mention the fact you thought the game was a tad too long as far as the platinum goes. Another buddy of mine said the exact same thing. Oh yeah big props to that completion time for Warped as well! Awesome job with this man! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Gotta love when I check the mailbox and see that the new issue of Gonzo has arrived. And I can actually read this one!! Thoroughly loved this guy. By that I mean the write-up, but Crash could apply as well. You know I always wanted to, but never got into these games? I was like a teenage girl watching him with awe from behind a tree or something, thinking "he's so bad, I couldn't possibly, no!" That's why any time someone asks me if I've played any Crash game I immediately interrupt with "What? No way. Gross." I guess I've heard enough about CTR, time to stick that one in the backlog! Outstanding work, my dude. As usual, I feel properly schooled! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Awesome man - these series posts are my absolute favourite! I literally just read a whole Gonzo magazine spread on a series I actively do not like... and it was so much fun I read it twice! ? I guess I can't add too much to this one, on account of nope-ing outta that series early on, but I do have to mention.... 4 hours ago, GonzoWARgasm said: ?? Bravo sir... that made me do a snort laugh ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 25/02/2022 at 1:07 AM, Deluziion90 said: That's a really nice wall of text to read . I loved it! Thank you ? On 25/02/2022 at 1:08 AM, rjkclarke said: See, when I played the N-Sane Trilogy I think I was a little blinded by the fact I was so happy to just be playing Crash Bandicoot again. Then, after playing the MediEvil remake recently, which I still loved - I couldn't help thinking a little similarly to how you do here. That keeping some of the designs the same yet probably giving it a bit of over-finesse does make it lose at least a tiny bit of its charm. Sometimes those angular and spiky aesthetics really did work better on the PS1. Especially in the image you used. Where in the original Tiny looks a little angular, sure. But the N-Sane version he looks like the sole of a shoe with a face drawn on it! Why....... your guess is as good as mine! ^this ? On 25/02/2022 at 1:08 AM, rjkclarke said: I think I prefer Crash 2, but I can't quite put my finger on why. I think possibly it's down to Crash 2 having less of the gimmick levels. I love what they were trying to do with those in Warped, but as you mentioned, the bike ones, and the plane ones don't work all that well. You have admittedly got me even more excited for Crash 4 though - even if you did mention the fact you thought the game was a tad too long as far as the platinum goes. Another buddy of mine said the exact same thing Oh interesting! Crash 2 is still such a classic, isn't it? Get excited for Crash 4 mate, the gameplay is supurb. On 25/02/2022 at 1:08 AM, rjkclarke said: I remember being so sceptical when someone told me how to get that blue gem..... You had to go through the entire level without getting a single box..... I was like "Yeah right, why would you have to get no boxes?" I will try not to spoil anything else for Crash 4 then! On 25/02/2022 at 1:28 AM, YaManSmevz said: You know I always wanted to, but never got into these games? I was like a teenage girl watching him with awe from behind a tree or something, thinking "he's so bad, I couldn't possibly, no!" ? You do love a bad boy, Smevz! On 25/02/2022 at 1:28 AM, YaManSmevz said: That's why any time someone asks me if I've played any Crash game I immediately interrupt with "What? No way. Gross." I guess I've heard enough about CTR, time to stick that one in the backlog! Outstanding work, my dude. As usual, I feel properly schooled! I look forward to hearing about it! On 25/02/2022 at 4:40 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Awesome man - these series posts are my absolute favourite! I literally just read a whole Gonzo magazine spread on a series I actively do not like... and it was so much fun I read it twice! When did you give it a go? PS1? Remind me what about the series you actively don't like? Backtracking? The senselessness of the story? A total shame! I'm glad you enjoyed the read anyway. ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 20 hours ago, GCGnz0 said: When did you give it a go? PS1? Remind me what about the series you actively don't like? Backtracking? The senselessness of the story? A total shame! I'm glad you enjoyed the read anyway. I know.... I know.... yeah, I spent a fair bit of time with the first one, and I think I a little bit of time with the second one, though that will have been only at a friends place I think, as I don't recall ever actually owning that one... and I could just never get on with the controls or the level design. I'll admit, the running towards the camera was a big part of that (who's idea was that, seriously? Is seeing what's coming really such a luxury? ?), but I do think it's just not for me overall. After all, i've overcome worse mechanics just to see a narrative through in other games... Crash though? I don't know. It just never got its hooks in me like it did for others. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrooba Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 (edited) Excellent look at the Crash series Gonzo! I loved every bit of it, especially the images ? I definitely agree that 3's motorbike and plane levels strayed a bit too far from the Crash formula. It's kinda funny when I think about it though, they made the most janky bike controls but then went on to casually make one of the best kart racers of all time! ? I also liked how you pointed out the passion of 4's artstyle; that for me was a great strength of the game. Art supplies the character of a game, the two go hand in hand, and seeing that bold take was just as fitting as Toys for Bob placing that ol' 4 in the title. Edited February 27, 2022 by Shrooba 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Platinum_Vice Posted March 7, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 7, 2022 (edited) 07 Spyro: Reignited Trilogy #65 (PS4) Spyro The Dragon, 6/10 #66 (PS4) Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, 6/10 #67 (PS4) Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, 7/10 Hot takes: Spyro is best played in hour-long sessions – no longer, or the magic will begin to fade and worlds will blend together. Who and what is Spyro the Dragon? Spyro is a spunky and rather small dragon that lives in the Dragon Realms – a series of magical locales connected by portals – who is frequently called upon as the dragons’ only hope to quest out in search of a hundred-or-so collectibles so that peace can be maintained within those Realms. A platformer romp always ensues, in which Spyro and the player visit various places that feature adventures, colourful characters, minigames, collectibles and hoards of gems. Sizing up as the most minute of the dragons, Spyro is their only legitimate hope time after time because of (and in spite of) his small stature. The two most notable signatures of the three original PS1 games in this series were a light-shaded palette featuring all of the colours of the rainbow throughout the various worlds that the player visits, and an extremely recognisable original soundtrack by Stewart Copeland that relies heavily on percussive elements. Spyro Reignited Trilogy concept art Insomniac Games developed the original PS1 trilogy of Spyro the Dragon in the late-90s. It is well known that Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog were sister-studios that worked literally alongside each other during their development cycles. Allegedly, the studio had an IG dev working on either side of each NG dev, who in turn was flanked on either side by an IG dev, and they’d often bounce ideas, advice and programming know-how between themselves to the benefit of both companies. Where Crash Bandicoot featured linear levels with unforgiving obstacles and rich graphical details, Spyro’s difficulty was more approachable, its levels were more open and less-linear, and the detail quality and object quantities were toned down by necessity to accommodate that breadth. Where Crash Bandicoot innovated to overcome technical limitations by obstructing the view of parts of each level in the distance, Spyro innovated to overcome technical limitations by displaying two versions of every level simultaneously. The most immediate version of each level was the fully-detailed render that the player could see in their close vicinity. The other version was a significantly stripped back and blurry horizon-scape of the distant areas of a level which gave an illusion of increased scale for each level in a way that evoked the way that we perceive our actual horizon in real life. This technique was borrowed by Naughty Dog for their deeply-drawn world in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, and this technique continues to be used today in the 9th console generation’s horizon-scapes. Despite the many similarities between Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog, this player theorises that the two companies differ strongly on one pre-production philosophical difference: Naughty Dog creates games that they want to be a widely accessible as possible (thus increasing potential clientele), whereas Insomniac Games seems to decide very early on in a game’s development who their target audience is and design their games with that clearly-defined target in mind (thus increasing the likelihood of success with their targeted clientele). Spyro was designed and marketed towards 5-13 year olds and succeeded as an enjoyable, well-crafted and varied trilogy of adventures. The Reignited Trilogy was announced in April 2018 to the hype of nostalgic fans on the back of the success the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy in June 2017. The Reignited Trilogy: Insomniac Games were reportedly more welcoming in providing advice and opinions to Toys for Bob than Naughty Dog were to Vicarious Visions for the N. Sane Trilogy (advice primarily consisted of pointers for Spyro’s design – something that has become progressively more inbred and stunted than the Lannister family since Insomniac moved on to make Ratchet and Clank). Despite this, the original source code for the Spyro games has been lost to the ether. Toys for Bob established a resolution for a lack of source code during pre-production: they emulated the PS1 classics and implemented a tool they called “Spyro-Scope,” which analysed every detail of the game and recorded the data in a manner that Toys for Bob could replicate. Every angle, enemy, gem, every pixel and frame for every movement... their tool recorded it all and the team started from there. As an adult, have you ever returned to a place from your childhood to find that it feels about 50% as large as you remember it? A school, childcare, sporting ground, et cetera? It’s a strange phenomenon that I have found doesn't translate into my returning to video games from my childhood. Returning into those worlds feels beautifully nostalgic, but not claustrophobic, yet the Reignited Trilogy definitely felt claustrophobic, and I couldn’t help but try to figure out why. In the end I have come to hypothesise that this is because of the added detail in all of the textures, a darker colour palette and the new blades of grass. These two maps are the same size I recall the blades of grass (featured in... um, every second level?) receiving a lot of praise at the time of release. I’m not enamoured by it but it is an improvement over the flat green textures of the 1990s. Gems are a little less obvious because they’re harder to see amongst the grass but that was a minor problem at the most, it’s more that the games regularly look busy/overcrowded and claustrophobic, in my opinion. Some of the implemented changes in the remaster are as follows: - Spyro now moves with more fluidity and yet he’s much tighter to control. His animations while charging and jumping about are a sight to behold. Of particular note, his claws extend and widen during a jump like a cat pouncing upon its prey and I like that. - The controls of the PS1 classics were tight for their time, but updates such as an overhaul of the archaic camera and quality of life improvements like adding Spyro’s flame attack to the R2 trigger were welcome changes. - Spyro has an automatic clamber animation for when he just misses an edge after a glide. - Every level now has a map. - At your request, Sparx now points to the nearest gem to help collect that last hidden cluster that you’ve overlooked (Crash 4 gems and crates could have benefited from this, Toys for Bob! They literally moved on from the Reignited Trilogy to make Crash 4, surely they could have brought this ability over to Aku Aku!) - There was a minigame on almost every level. Insomniac Games challenged themselves in the late-'90s by programming in various mechanics that only received 5 minutes of gameplay each. A lot of them are fairly infamous for how poorly they’ve aged (examples include a hockey minigame where Spyro controls like you're holding the reigns of Nokia's Snake from a foot behind its head, vehicle segments, miniature escort missions (looking at you, Alchemist!), Bentley Boxing, and pretty much all levels involving Sheila the Kangaroo, Sgt Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9). Almost all of these segments have received tender love and care to bring their clunky mechanics of yesteryear into the present. Sheila the kangaroo It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Loading times and motion blur detract from the final product. The varied voices of the characters in each world who are in need of your assistance have been Disney-fied like the Ratchet and Clank remaster in 2016. The original characters had just that: character. You could hear the developers' cheek, cynicism, genuine frustration and sense of humour bleeding through those characters on the PS1, but the Reignited versions are copy/paste plot vessels that are indistinguishable from any character on your childrens' favourite TV show or movie over the last ten years... soulless. A child with a propeller hat can still have a lisp without Activision fearing retribution from angry twitter mobs – kids with lisps evoke an endearing precociousness, no one's feelings would be hurt by retaining that minor detail. A beautiful songbird with the name ‘Juliet’ that quotes Shakespeare as it seeks out it’s Romeo could still be voiced by a man putting on a high voice without people finding it offensive. Spyro's time in lockdown has not been gentle Colour palettes have been taken to the extreme and this is to the trilogy's detriment. Thick and strong colours smacked me across the face every time I went through a portal despite my continued hopes that I’d be greeted by artistic subtlety. The PS1 classics featured very finely balanced palettes to give every level nuanced changes in atmosphere, and then the levels' unique characters, enemies, environmental design and soundtrack were brought together to give each world its own flavour due to that collection of factors. The Reignited Trilogy places that burden upon the shoulders of the colour palette of a level without any faith in any other aspect of how that level comes together. Often colour filters were used on top of that to strangle out any chance of subtlety. The result was an oversaturated image where individual elements were unable to breathe. This was the biggest detractor from my enjoyment for the Reignited Trilogy and it frequently undermined the experience. Midnight Mountain, Lost Fleet and Bentley's Outpost: 2000 vs 2018 Stewart Copeland: What do Spyro, The Amanda Show and The Police have in common? Stewart Copeland. The soundtrack for these games is about one notch short of “iconic” --- “inseparable from the experience” and “acclaimed.” Some notable examples would be: Sunrise Spring Home, Dark Hollow and Fireworks Factory, but you can’t ignore Rain (Jacques) which was chosen for entry into Stewart’s compilation of his composed works for The Stewart Copeland Anthology. 2007's The Stewart Copeland Anthology by Stewart Copeland [What an absolutely terrible Photoshop effort. The longer I look at it the more my brain hurts.] With the notable career background as the drummer for The Police, his original soundtrack for the Spyro trilogy is understandably percussion-heavy. He provides such a unique and innocent atmosphere for Spyro's adventures with a wide array of weird and wonderful sounds. Apparently all of the original source and mixing files weren’t able to be located from Stewart's work on the PS1 trilogy, so Toys for Bob only had access to the completed final mixes for the Reignited Trilogy. Stewart wrote one new track for the remaster (the title screen) while a new artist re-created and re-imagined Stewart's work for the rest of the remaster. In a stunning act of fan service, players are able to choose whether they’d rather listen to Stewart’s originals or the updated tracks by selecting their preference in the pause menu. What are your favourite tracks from Spyro? What are your favourite songs by The Police? [Mine are "The Bed's Too Big Without You" and "Walking on the Moon"]. Strangely, when I listen to some of Sting's solo music I hear Spyro, but maybe I’m going crazy unless Sting and Stewart's musical tastes had a broad overlap [for example, the opening bars of "Englishman in New York," "Seven Days" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" sound like they've been pulled straight out of the Dragon Realms]. Spyro's most precious gem: Stewart Copeland. Final thoughts and trophy talk: Ultimately there is a lot to like about these games and that is undeniable. For me, it is hard to play more than a few levels at a time without getting bogged down in 'sameyness.' The oversaturation of colour and undermined individualism of the characters during the remastering process are key factors in that feeling, but that's unfair to the central reason for why they don’t hold my attention anymore: the games are just simply made for a younger target audience. Over the 20-25 hours needed to complete the three games I found the experience to be very repetitive, but where I usually critique with a pretentious air of objectivity, the Reignited Trilogy's shortcomings are entirely of my own subjective judging. The trophy lists are notably simple. These are extremely easy platinums that are only one small step away from ‘EZPZ’ classification. Do I have the desire to continue playing after the platinum? No. If I have a nostalgic itch that can’t be fulfilled by a daydream with some of Copeland's OST then I’ll boot up the PS1 classics. Otherwise, this trilogy can sit aside until my kids are old enough to give them a go for themselves. Fan art by Polaris Sketches ----------------------------------- ...A shorter entry today than usual! Some of you have noticed the new PSNID name change... it’s been long overdue. I’ve been needing something less juvenile than that ID that I pulled from the Xbox gamertag that I made in my teens. The desire to change it up has been needling me for a while now and current world events have been a kick in the arse to finally make the change... it just felt immature and inappropriate in the current climate. Now that the bulk of Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games' catalogues have been explored in this checklist (what’s a series’ analysis without the analysis of multiple series?), I’m reverting back to my original plan of starting from Platinum #1 and working my way forwards in time, stopping for a series analysis whenever I make it to a tip of an iceberg along the way. So, the next review due will therefore be either a series review of Far Cry or God of War. As always, your thoughts and contributions are welcome! ? Edited June 22, 2022 by Platinum_Vice 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 5 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Legitimately terrifying. Good stuff, mah dewt! I think I was a little too old when Spyro came out, I remember my sister falling in love with it and I was like "gaaaaayyyy." Was never for me, but I'm quite happy to see so many peeps getting a nice dose of nostalgia with it. Also i only recently found out that Stewart Copeland did the soundtracks, whaaat? Along with The Cars, The Police are a huge childhood staple for me, and I'll always have a big rubbery one for them. Those are great songs, off the top of my head I'd go with Canary in a Coal Mine and Can't Stand Losing You. Deygottalottagoodshitdoe. I'm really diggin how your checklist is growing, man! Lookin forward to the platinum timeline? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrooba Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 (edited) Great look on the Spyro trilogy! Man, I really hope Toys for Bob get a shot at Spyro 4. One of my issues as the trilogy went on is that it relied more on gimmicky characters and an abundance of side quests; for this reason I always adored Spyro 1 for it's simplicity... But then again, maybe it's unfair of me to criticize it for this, since a series can't stay simple forever; otherwise it'd be argued it'd lack creativity. I suppose as each Spyro came out, Insomniac needed to take risks to innovate, and I suppose that makes Spyro 1 in and of itself quite a historical game for Playstation. Spyro 2 was also pretty good for making Ripto a good rival. Heck, even Ripto's name was based on the Japanese version of Spyro's logo! ? 19 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: At your request, Sparx now points to the nearest gem to help collect that last hidden cluster that you’ve overlooked I've always loved this. Similar to Spyro, Banjo-Kazooie is a collectathon that I played for hours on end as a kid, maxing it's completion several times... The gem equivalent in Banjo-Kazooie were these yellow notes, and I think there were about 100 or 200 in every level... (can't remember the exact number, my memory is a bit fuzzy with this ?) But if you missed a single one, you'd have no idea where it'd be! ? That led to quite a lot of frustration to young me, so I'm glad Sparx in the Reignited Trilogy helps out! A seemingly minor change, but it's one of the best things about the Reignited Trilogy for me. Like you said, I also don't really think I'll 100% Spyro 1/2/3 again any time soon, but if I do then it's good that I won't need a guide whipped out for those gems. Again, awesome read man! Edited March 8, 2022 by Shrooba 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted March 8, 2022 Author Share Posted March 8, 2022 17 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Legitimately terrifying. ? 17 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Along with The Cars, The Police are a huge childhood staple for me, and I'll always have a big rubbery one for them. Those are great songs, off the top of my head I'd go with Canary in a Coal Mine and Can't Stand Losing You. Deygottalottagoodshitdoe. Hot damn. Deydogottalottagoodshitdood. Lottagoodshit. Did you know that Sting still pulls in $2,000US PER DAY for royalties on just Every Breath You Take, let alone everything else going on in his life. Copeland's income doesn't hold a candle to that. 5 hours ago, Shrooba said: I really hope Toys for Bob get a shot at Spyro 4. I'm hoping that's what they're doing right now. I don't know what else T4B would be doing instead, but I do wonder why it is yet to be announced yet...? Any ideas? The flipside is that Activision frequently pull smaller studios into the orbit of flagship game titles for ancillary work. In April/May 2021 it was announced that T4B were assisting with Call of Duty's Warzone mode... 5 hours ago, Shrooba said: One of my issues as the trilogy went on is that it relied more on gimmicky characters and an abundance of side quests; for this reason I always adored Spyro 1 for it's simplicity... But then again, maybe it's unfair of me to criticize it for this, since a series can't stay simple forever; otherwise it'd be argued it'd lack creativity. I suppose as each Spyro came out, Insomniac needed to take risks to innovate I like this about the sequels but can't begrudge you of thay opinion. Two sides of the same "Spyro Fan Club" coin. 5 hours ago, Shrooba said: Heck, even Ripto's name was based on the Japanese version of Spyro's logo! I forgot about this! Such a great little tidbit!! 5 hours ago, Shrooba said: I've always loved this. Similar to Spyro, Banjo-Kazooie is a collectathon that I played for hours on end as a kid, maxing it's completion several times... The gem equivalent in Banjo-Kazooie were these yellow notes, and I think there were about 100 or 200 in every level... (can't remember the exact number, my memory is a bit fuzzy with this ) But if you missed a single one, you'd have no idea where it'd be! That led to quite a lot of frustration to young me, so I'm glad Sparx in the Reignited Trilogy helps out! A seemingly minor change, but it's one of the best things about the Reignited Trilogy for me. Like you said, I also don't really think I'll 100% Spyro 1/2/3 again any time soon, but if I do then it's good that I won't need a guide whipped out for those gems. Again, awesome read man! ??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 On 07/03/2022 at 1:41 PM, Platinum_Vice said: Spyro: Reignited Trilogy I just re-read this for maybe the third time at least You did a fantastic job with this one mate - I didn't expect to, but I absolutely agree with pretty much everything you said about the Reignited Trilogy. I am glad that it exists don't get me wrong - but now that I've gotten all three platinums I don't think I'd ever choose to play the reignited versions over the PS1 Trilogy. That isn't a case of nostalgia goggles getting in the way. You just happened to hit the nail on the head. Reignited whilst very good, has pretty much none of the soul, and none of the individuality, or character that the original games did, at least not as much. I hate to say that too. Who is really that likely to buy the Reignited Trilogy, and not play Stewart Copelands version of the music - the newer versions are fine, obviously. But given the choice, most people would go the Copeland route. Those redesigns are worse than the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane ones in some cases. Especially Sheila, like what the hell - WHY DID SHE NEED TO HAVE BOOBS AND A CLEAVAGE. I don't know man, I hope that a new generation of fans could have been created from the Reignited trilogy, because there is a hell of a lot of stuff to like, even love about it, yet if you already played them,and liked them, you're probably going to get a little less out of it. I think a lot of fans of the original trilogy feel that way too. I'm pretty interested to see how they'd make a Spyro 4 and whether it would do what Crash 4 seemingly did, by ignoring the sequels (I haven't played it yet obviously,) and pretend that Enter the Dragonfly through Heroes Tail didn't exist. What do you want us to call you by the way, since the name change. TAFKA Gonzo seems funny - but also really stupid, so you let me know, and that shall be what I use from here on out! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruffiiti Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 I am someone who never did play the original Spyro games but picked up the Reignited trilogy to experience them finally. I stopped playing halfway through the first title for a few reasons. The first was the game itself seems to be lacking something.. maybe it was the spark the original had i dont know. It was tiresome looking for all the damn gems in every level as that was all there was to do. Also the flying levels legit made me ill. I had to turn to the game off and go lay down it was so bad. I will fight through these games (at least the first one) and get them complete one day but I am not looking forward to going back to them at all. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 57 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Those redesigns are worse than the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane ones in some cases. Especially Sheila, like what the hell - WHY DID SHE NEED TO HAVE BOOBS AND A CLEAVAGE. Because gamers like BEEWWWWBBBZZZ!!! 57 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: What do you want us to call you by the way, since the name change. TAFKA Gonzo seems funny - but also really stupid, so you let me know, and that shall be what I use from here on out! I don't think I'll be able to relinquish Gonzo, Gonz, The Great Gonz-olo, etc... unless these are not preferred. A fine question, I too am curious to see if you have a preference! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 4 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I just re-read this for maybe the third time at least ? Low-key incredible compliment. Thank you. 4 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Reignited whilst very good, has pretty much none of the soul, and none of the individuality, or character that the original games did, at least not as much. I hate to say that too. Yeah it's bit meh, but I need to find someone who has given it to their kids and see what the verdict is "on the streets." Let's go do some vox populi interviews and see what "the common man" says. Ultimately this is really the same criticism that I had for Ratchet and Clank 2016. 4 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I'm pretty interested to see how they'd make a Spyro 4 and whether it would do what Crash 4 seemingly did, by ignoring the sequels (I haven't played it yet obviously,) and pretend that Enter the Dragonfly through Heroes Tail didn't exist You know, I'd still buy a Spyro 4 from Toys for Bob... there's just no hint of what they're working on at the moment. Fingers crossed. 4 hours ago, gruffiiti said: I stopped playing halfway through the first title for a few reasons. The first was the game itself seems to be lacking something.. maybe it was the spark the original had i dont know. It was tiresome looking for all the damn gems in every level as that was all there was to do. I suppose my whole review could be boiled down to these three sentences. Brevity was never my strong point. Your experience is pretty much the core of the matter! 4 hours ago, gruffiiti said: Also the flying levels legit made me ill. I had to turn to the game off and go lay down it was so bad. I forgot that this was a thing for so many. Such an epic fail. This is like the video game equivalent to serving raw chicken in a restaurant. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: WHY DID SHE NEED TO HAVE BOOBS AND A CLEAVAGE. 4 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Because gamers like BEEWWWWBBBZZZ!!! Look, Sheila's redesign was pretty bad, but I have to come to the defence of boobs. Boobs are *pretty good* - 10/10. 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: What do you want us to call you by the way, since the name change. TAFKA Gonzo seems funny - but also really stupid, so you let me know, and that shall be what I use from here on out! 4 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I don't think I'll be able to relinquish Gonzo, Gonz, The Great Gonz-olo, etc... unless these are not preferred. A fine question, I too am curious to see if you have a preference! I honestly don't mind. It's just an online username. I'm a little different to current social trends in issue by saying: "I don't care what you refer to me by, I care that you know I exist." It's very difficult to avoid saying "just call me [my real name]," especially when I deduced Rjkclarke's first name when I began reading your checklist. It's like when Tom Holland's Spider-Man met The Avengers and said, "Hi, I'm Peter," and then, "oh, we're using our made-up names. In that case, I'm Spider-Man!" Gonzo genuinely doesn't have any connection to anything for me with the exception that it's what this Checklist group calls me. I don't know, call me Gonzo, call me Vice, call me Arsehole, whatever, just call me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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