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7 ways Crash Bandicoot beats Mario
Ahead of the N Sane Trilogy remaster, we look at how the original Crash games changed the medium.
The closest thing the PlayStation had to a mascot's on the way back. Crash Bandicoot, the unlikely hero of numerous adventures, is heading to PlayStation 4 with a fresh remake by Vicarious Visions next month, bringing you the first three games with a new 4K upgrade in the form of the N Sane Trilogy.
With seven main games handled by various developers, numerous spin-offs and an ace cast of characters, it’s been almost a decade since a new fully-formed console Crash title, but he still has plenty of fans. While many compared the marsupial to Nintendo’s portly plumber, there are plenty of ways Crash comes out on top: forgetMario and his adventures, Naughty Dog’s platformer had plenty of tricks to bring to the genre, and here are all the reasons why.
1. Crash raised the difficulty bar
Super Mario 64, at the time, was a revelation. It brought Nintendo’s star mascot into a fully 3D world with free movement, and bright and colourful worlds, and while the difficulty did get hard, we have to argue Crash’s first outing was way harder. Sure, the levels were a lot more linear, but there were a whole load of varied challenges, levels and bosses in the world to keep you going – and it was brutal at times. You might be steaming through a few levels, only to come across one that you find nearly impossible – and then the next is even harder. That makes the game much more of a triumph when you do beat it, and you can bet there’ll be plenty of people wanting to rack up 100 percent on the game and grab that Platinum trophy – even if it's ridiculously difficult.
2. All action, all the time
While Super Mario 64 had plenty of slow moments where you’d just be exploring by yourself, Crash Bandicoot’s linear path made it so that you’d always be challenged, and finding hidden areas or passages was equally exciting too. Crash’s sequels would only improve on the energy, putting the marsupial in ridiculous situations and even giving him a motorbike – Mario’s FLUDD can’t compete with that.
Gotta get that Wumpa fruit
© Activision
3. Crash looked better than Mario 64
Simple as they may look today, the original Crash Bandicoot games still hold up, and that’s down to their timeless look and graphics. Naughty Dog crafted their games with bright, bold colours and detailed textures with subtle effects that still look pretty good today. Mario 64, on the other hand, looks muddy and washed out, and even though its gameplay is excellent, the game looks blurry in places. While Mario Sunshine raised the bar with its move to the GameCube, even in later games made by other developers, Crash still looked pretty good.
4. The bandicoot helped define the PlayStation
When the PlayStation entered the scene in the mid-1990s, it was a brand-new player in the console wars, and not the huge giant it is today. Facing off against the likes of Nintendo and Sega, competition was stiff, but Sony managed to deliver a console that had arguably the most, and the best, games of the era. Crash was a huge part of that boom, and helped define the PlayStation’s success with his family-friendly charm, easy-to-get-into gameplay and mascot appeal. Crash was easily on the same level as Sonic the Hedgehog or Mario, even without a huge push like Sega and Nintendo’s mascots – you can’t argue with that.
Killer plants are also back
© Activision
5. Our favourite marsupial had more depth to him
Let’s face it: Mario's pretty boring. He only has a few catchphrases, he’s routinely chasing after a princess in a castle, and he’s always fighting the same big bad boss, over and over – surely he knows how to beat Bowser by now? Look at his stats in Nintendo’s sports games, and he’s usually average. Crash does have some of the same flaws: Dr Neo Cortex is his usual enemy, and he can’t really say much, but his tragic backstory and the world around him give him so much more depth. Crash has a look of curiosity and mischief on him all the time, and if you think about the world from his perspective – he was genetically engineered with an Evolvo-Ray – it looks like everything's trying to eat him, and you can bet Crash isn’t really sure which way's up or down really. Crash is quirky, he’s different, and at the end of the day, he’s just trying to beat the evil scientist that turned him into what he is – what’s Mario got on that?
6. Crash Team Racing was way ahead of Mario Kart
Nintendo’s Mario Kart series essentially defined the karting genre, but its N64 outing wasn’t the best – and we reckon it was actually bettered by Naughty Dog’s take on the genre. Over two years after Mario Kart 64’s launch, Crash Team Racing hit the PlayStation in 1999. It had plenty of similarities to Mario Kart 64, but it felt much deeper and better in many ways. Sure, Nintendo’s title has all of your favourite Mario characters, but CTR just had so much more going for it: the controls felt tighter, the level design was more varied and its drift mechanic was much better and rewarding.
The graphics look better, and while you mightn't have recognised every single character appearing in the game, they all had their own individual stats that affected how you played. CTR even packed in an in-depth story mode, with boss battles and different types of races, which put it miles ahead of Mario Kart’s Grand Prix mode. Mario Kart would go on to be even better with each version put out on Nintendo’s consoles, with the latest, Mario Kart 8, taking the current crown, but we can’t help but think what Crash Team Racing would be like today if it were given the same care and attention – Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing just never hit the same mark.
7. The N Sane Trilogy brings the series to 4K
Nintendo have never been a company to talk tech specs and giving gamers the latest and greatest – the Wii was essentially a souped-up GameCube, while the Switch can’t compete with the Xbox One or PS4 – and that means if you want to see Mario in full 4K glory on that expensive new TV you bought, you might have to wait a few years. Crash’s upcoming remaster updates the original trilogy into HD and can even be played at 4K on PS4 Pro, giving you extra graphical fidelity that Mario could only dream of hitting.
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