Crash Bandicoot: Warped is a gorgeous, gorgeous game. The levels are bright and deep, in what is perhaps the final realization of Crash on the first-generation PlayStation. Just as a three-quel should, Crash 3 delivers the familiar characters one more time, with an over-the-top selection of new powers and new levels.
But Crash 3 suffers from a problem also found in Crash 2: the levels are too short.
It took me several months to conquer the first Crash Bandicoot. Probably a slow time, but that first installment was much trickier in terms of jumping and landing. Crash 2 took me a few weeks. On the very day I bought Crash 3, I sped through the first 8 levels... even nabbing perfect-crate scores on a few of them without trying. The only reason I stopped playing was because I wanted my $40 to last more than one weekend.
The casual gamer could indeed conquer Warped in a weekend, and that's a major problem. I went through the levels so quickly that I couldn't even remember anything about them. The designers seem to have been aware of this, because what Crash 3 lacks on the surface, it makes up in depth.
To encourage a longer playing experience (and avoid making the levels twice as long), the game adds several new goals. Once you found each level's crystal, you can run it under a time trial, seeking relics of various colors (sapphire for a good time, gold for a great time, and platinum for an outstanding time). And you can always play to crash all the crates, revealing hidden gems. There are also a few hidden levels and paths, accessible only by collecting the rare colored gems.
There are the expected variations on the classic Crash chase levels... either something is chasing you or you are riding something. This time around, Crash's sister Coco takes over the fast-paced riding levels... and Crash tries on a scuba suit, a motorcycle and a biplane. Coco gets to shine in the jetski rounds. The biplane and jetski levels (both of which take full advantage of dual shock controllers) are fantastic. The jetski levels in particular are breathtaking in vista and offer excellent replay value.
Crash's new powers are released gradually throughout the game, and they too encourage playing to 105% completion. In fact, many levels seem downright impossible without the sprinting ability, the super smash or the wumpa fruit bazooka.
The game also helps you along if you get stuck, giving you free Aku-Aku heads and other benefits at repeated trouble spots. Is this game trying to be totally mass-market or what? ANYBODY can conquer this game, but not anybody can complete it.
The Crash franchise is one of the finest ever to appear on the PlayStation. Despite disappointingly short levels, Warped is amazing to watch and fun to play. Jump in feet first; you may find yourself getting further than you expect.
