Our man Crash made a huge splash
years ago on the original Sony PlayStation. I remember going over to my
friends house and him showing me one of the levels on the first game with
Crash running towards me in a really wild scene. It’s been too long and I’ve
played too many games since then, but the whole craziness of the situation
stayed with me even after all these years. And because of that, I have played
many of the Crash titles that have come out and for the most part would say
the games have always brought out some sort of fun. Albeit, sometimes more
than others, but fun nonetheless.
So, if my above paragraph and
sentence don’t usher in a sense of foreshadowing, then I don’t know what to
tell you; just know that you are forewarned.
Since this is the DS version of
this season’s Crash title and I suspect that some of you will have played this
game on the other systems, this is not even close to the same game. Last
year’s Crash of the Titans was a step in the right direction in the Crash
series, especially with the fact that it was a decent DS game with
a well-known game icon. This go around, Mind over Mutant takes a giant leap
backwards and gives us a side-scrolling 2D platformer. In the game Crash must
do battle with his nemesis Neo Cortex who has developed a new device for
taking control of the minds of all of Crash’s friends. Being the hero type, of
course, Crash must save his friends by taking down Cortex and body jacking
many of the mutants that he runs across.
At this point you should know that
the same gameplay concept of taking over the more powerful or differently
powered mutants does occur. The problem is, in the console versions the game
has been realized much more and has a completely different "jack" system and
the mutants are of more use. Now don’t get me wrong, they do come in useful, I
mean, you can’t beat the game without jacking at least one mutant and you do
get to keep them in your arsenal of tricks, but the game just simply misses
the boat when it comes to fun. I hate to say that, but the bland 2D world that
Crash runs around is completely inane; factor in the simply non-existent
storyline and you will be scratching your head wondering what happened to
Crash and all his glory.
Crash runs and jumps and does all
his Crash-like things but the level design simply does not challenge our
platforming appetite. I can appreciate a good side-scrolling platformer, but
when the challenge is not there, or because it simply is no fun, then what’s
the point? Some fairly decent sprites and the game has a pretty clean look to
it, but that’s because there never is anything to really challenge the
programmers. I don’t want to beat up anybody for doing their job, but at some
point, somebody on the dev team had to go off to an abandoned office to call
their spouse, complaining about how bad this game is going to be. Ok, maybe
not that bad, a call to the spouse is usually the be-all of frustration, but
for all the clean-looking character models, the slow down and lag more than
negates anything good.
The sounds also harkens in some
sort of dread as the continuous looping starts at the title screen. The game
is sorely lacking in sound effects and verbal attitude. Crash is the jester of
the formerly powerful gaming mascots, and the lack of jester-like fun music
and upbeat sound effects shows clearly to me.
Strangely there is the addition of
Crash’s sister to have her join you in a multiplayer adventure, but two copies
of the game are required to do so.
I don’t fault a game like this for
not choosing to have much stylus action going on for it. There was a time when
I hoped that each DS title had some unique gameplay in it with the stylus. But
after many failed and forced attempts I have learned to take all DS games in
stride. This one falls in the latter category; there isn’t too much stylus
action, but after playing through the game, I would say that there needed to
be more. Clicking the mutant in your pocket or picking your nose isn’t the
best use of the stylus.
There are a few bonus scenarios
that you can fall or stumble into that have you controlling Crash as he hauls
furry tail in a timed event to get a new set of clothes, these events can also
help out in legitimate ways as Crash gains some better abilities like higher
jumps and better attacks. I would love to tell you they provide more, but
these timed sprints are so tough to complete I wouldn’t know what they fully
do when you get each one. And oh yeah, there is one on every level.
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Gameplay: 4.0
Its really a boring game. The
characters have lost their pizzazz, the levels are uninspired, and the story
line is confusing.
Graphics: 5.8
While the game has a certain polished look to it, the game fizzles
out often with stuttering and slowdown.
Sound: 4.5
Nothing about this game’s sound
fits the Bandicoot moniker.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 4.5
Lacking in innovation, gameplay
and fun, really.
Multiplayer: Unavailable
You can play via multi card play,
I only had one card.
Overall: 4.4
I’m sorry, this game just really disappoints.
