Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant
Crash’s reboot continues, but it has an albatross around its neck
Tags: Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant Categories: Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Jan 7th, 2009
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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There is a question on my mind, that may be a tad bit over-reaching by nature, but Crash: Mind Over Mutant is such a shining example of a horrible trend that I cannot avoid asking it. When a game is relatively decent, but when a technical problem leaves an entire game mode nearly unplayable: does this damn the entire game outright? I am tempted to say yes, but a combination of nostalgia for the one time Sony Mascot, and a lack of competent platformers that don’t star an overweight plumber soften my resolve.
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This is the second game in the Activision reboot of the franchise, and while some of the characters are hit and miss, this does at least have a unique style. Each of the cinematics take on a different animation style, abandoning the shadow puppet style of the last game. Each of these styles is a parody on different animation styles, and while it is a little “meta”, it really drew me in. I have to admit that it crossed my mind maybe they were better off with a cartoon show than another video game.
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The game takes the same route as Crash of the Titans, and you spend far more time fighting in proxy than as Crash, and although the brawling platformer was better imagined by the Jak and Daxter series, this isn’t a bad take. The various mutants that crash jumps on the back of give the gameplay takes on a different feel. Mixing and matching these are essential to the game, but it is kind of silly that they limit your ability to use more than two at a time. This transfers into co-op, which brings us back to the original question about this game.
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Co-op is becoming essential to games that do not have a strong online component. However, as Super Smash Bros. Melee proved, if implemented simply to give the option, it works terribly. Cameras that only follow one player, and courses that are unfriendly to cooperation, are just the beginning, players really committed to the process can make it through, but why bother. Crash has each of these problems and then tries to cover it up by having a second player take on the role of a mask that shoots chickens when it goes awry. Co-op isn’t something you can just shove into the game at the last minute; it takes some skill to make it work properly.
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So there you have it, one piece of the game can spoil the bunch. It is a strong game for one player, but I think including co-op that isn’t worth playing is just inexcusable. However I think I will err on the side of kindness this time. I got a good night’s sleep last night.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Level design + Mutants are all fairly unique and fun to play around with + Various animation styles are fun parodies. | 7.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - Co-op is broken | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| An otherwise decent game that is somewhat impressive is marred by bad co-op, it shouldn't have been included. Otherwise this is a improvement over the last game. | |
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Tags: Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Jan 7th, 2009 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
