[Split Infinity]

These games got off to a good start but got old far too quickly. The GBA games were especially crappy, even more so those 'Fusion' games. At least they shone for their brief time on the PSX.

Crash Bandicoot is one of the best series on its console. The gameplay was beautiful, the music was fantastic, and the overall game was highly original. Add to that the two party games in the series and you've got yourself a pretty neat little package.

Any other retro gamers out there who had the chance to enjoy these great titles?

[TheEnglishman]

I played a demo of the original, and you're right it was good. Unfortunately the ones that have come after the PS1 have been pretty bad. Maybe it's time for him to go.

[Nemphtis]

The first three Crash Bandicoot titles were decent, each improved over the other. Also, Crash Team Racing was very enjoyable and took up alot of hours in gameplay back when I was younger. But nowadays Crash is a dead hero, and platformers like Jak & Daxter among others have taken his spotlight for better or for worse.

[TheEnglishman]

I think a change was needed after the games went downhill. It was either a case of the Crash Bandicoot games improving or him being removed from the spotlight. He just didn't improve, so now he's not the main star.

[Nemphtis]

No, Crash Bandicoot deserves respect for NOT changing.

Look at Shadow the Hedgehog, yeah let's try and get the Sonic franchise and make it gangster, with lots of shooting and blood and heavy metal. That's what kids love nowadays and that's what made the Sonic series so great in the past. My ass.

[TheEnglishman]

I didn't say that he needed to change I just said he needed to improve.
But Shadow the Hedgehog is definietly a good example of how not to try and improve a games series. It was pretty damn bad and deserves to go the the bargain bin of hell. At least Crash Bandicoot has never tried to 'improve' the series by changing everything about it, like Sonic did.

[Nemphtis]

I wasn't directing my post towards you, if I were you would have been pwned by now. I read your replies and I decided to focus on the subject of how some game characters change over time to be hip or cool and totally ruin it.

Let's face it, no matter how much marketing Nintendo does Mario will never earn respect for some kind of gangster game with guns or something like Need for Speed: Mario Edition. You're just not going to see that, a character has to start off 'cool' to be cool. You can't look like a dork and then come out with a sequel as if you just had plastic surgery like Michael and expected nobody to notice your skin color changed over night.

[Split Infinity]

I really wish they'd stuck with the simplicity of the first games with their 3 or 5 button control system and intuitive gameplay. That stuff would probably be rejected nowadays, however.

[Nemphtis]

If you want simple controls go play Monkeyball or Lumines.

[Split Infinity]

Alas, my possession of any additional consoles within the next decade seems unlikely.

[pHantOm]

I LOVED the second one, I didnt care for any of the others. The second one was just so original and had ENDLESS amounts of gems to collect. It took me forever to get them. I loved that game. Thats one of the only games, besides ff7 that I miss with my ps1.