Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
Developer(s)	Naughty Dog
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment Universal Interactive Studios
Aspect ratio	240p (LDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Release date	JP December, 1998 NA November 3, 1998 PAL December, 1998
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 3+ ESRB: Everyone OFLC: G
Media	CD-ROM

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped is a platform game developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation. The game serves as a direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. It was the last platformer in the series developed by Naughty Dog, who then developed Crash Team Racing.

The story centers on Crash and Coco Bandicoot and their mission to gather Crystals scattered across time before their enemies can. Warped was the first Crash game to feature a demo of the Insomniac Games' Spyro the Dragon series. Those demos would last until Crash Bash.

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped has received mostly positive reviews from fans and major critics alike, and has sold over 5.16 million copies worldwide, with 3.76 million copies selling in the United States, and 1.4 million copies selling in Japan.

Gameplay

Like previous installments in the Crash Bandicoot series, Warped consists of two main modes of gameplay: a hub room (since Crash 2) and the levels (since Crash 1). The hub room is called the Time Twister, and is split into five areas, each containing five levels and a boss fight. Initially, only one area in the hub is accessible, but more are opened as the areas are completed. The levels featuring Crash largely follow the "follow-the-path" gameplay seen in previous games in the series, but other modes, such as riding a biplane, jetski, baby dinosaur, tiger, and motorcycle can be seen along with this. Another new feature is the ability to gain new abilities by defeating a boss. These abilities are a stronger belly-flop, a double jump, a longer spinning attack, faster running speed and a bazooka which fires wumpa fruit. The game also makes heavy use of the new DualShock controller by using the vibration effect frequently.

There are a total of 30 levels in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, excluding bosses and the two levels which have two different entrances. Neither of these are required for 100% completion, and by obtaining the gems and relics in each, up to 104% can be achieved. When getting 30 Relics with no sapphire relics an extra gem can be received from Coco in the Time Twister, totalling 105%. There are five bosses that can be accessed after the completion of a hub, therefore, you must complete the five levels of that hub. In consecutive order, the bosses are Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Doctor Nefarious Tropy, Doctor N. Gin and Doctor Neo Cortex.

Each level contains a Crystal, a Relic, and either one or two Gems, excluding boss levels. The secret levels do not contain any Crystals. It is essential to collect all 25 Crystals throughout the game to win. Crystals are usually found near the end of each level, and are hard to bypass. Relics are received for successfully completing time trials (see below). There are 30 Relics throughout the game. Clear Gems are received by breaking every box in each level. Additionally, some levels contain Colored Gems, which are received when a level's secret area is completed. A handful of levels contain Gems which are earned by completing a task, such as winning a race. Gems are not beneficial, but are required to achieve 100% completion of the game. There is a total of 45 gems in Warped.

Time Trial

In addition, the game features a new Time Trial mode, in which a level must be raced through in the fastest time possible. Boxes are laid throughout the levels that are able to freeze time for one, two, or three seconds. A Sapphire or Gold Relic will be earned if the given time is beaten. In addition, there are Platinum Relics and developer times set by the Naughty Dog and SCEA testers. A Platinum Relic can be received before completing the game with 100%, but the times will only be seen on the level info box if you beat Cortex at least once. Completing the game with 100% enables the second and final battle with Cortex. If beaten, it will unlock an alternate ending.

Relics unlock secret levels which are accessible through a Secret Warp Room. For every five Relics that are collected, one secret level is unlocked, and the Secret Warp Room is unlocked when the first secret level is unlocked. However, after collecting 25 Relics and unlocking the last secret level, no more secret levels will be unlocked, regardless of how many more Relics are earned.

Plot

Much of the game takes place in Nefarious Tropy's Time Twisting Machine, where Crash and Coco travel through numerous periods of time. The Time Twister consists of two hub rooms (one underground), the first one containing five chambers, each of which containing six portals, each leading to a different period of time, including (but not limited to) Medieval times, Prehistoric times, Ancient Egypt, and the future.

The game takes place immediately after the previous installment, in which Doctor Nitrus Brio uses the 42 gems Crash has collected to power his giant laser weapon to destroy Doctor Neo Cortex's space station. As a result, large chunks of the space station's debris plummet down to Earth and crash into an ancient monument. When the smoke clears, an evil entity flies off into the night.

Back on N. Sanity Island, the home of Crash and his friends, an evil laughter rings through the air. Aku Aku appears shaken and urges everyone to come inside, as a great evil has come.

In an as-of-now unknown area, Doctor Neo Cortex is seen cowering before the evil entity (now known as Uka Uka), who appears to have saved Cortex from the depths of space and is now upset that Cortex has failed him twice. Cortex insists that it is all Crash Bandicoot's fault but Uka Uka's patience is spent, as there is now no other power source on the planet. But since Cortex has indirectly set him free, Uka Uka spares Cortex's life and introduces Doctor Nefarious Tropy, master of time and the creator of the "Time Twister" that the trio is currently standing on. With N. Tropy's Time Twister, the villains plan on gathering the Power Crystals in their original places in time.

Inside Crash's home, Aku Aku tells the Bandicoots a story of how many eons ago, Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin brother, was locked in an underground prison by Aku Aku to protect the world from his malice, and now that he is free, he must be stopped at all cost. With that, Crash and his friends travel to the Time Twister Machine, where their adventure begins.

After Crash and Coco have defeated N. Tropy (along with Cortex's minions, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile and Dr. N. Gin) and collected all of the Crystals and all of the Gems, Crash battles Doctor Cortex in the core of the Time Twister Machine. Upon Cortex's defeat, the Time Twister implodes (due to N. Tropy's defeat), taking Cortex, Tropy, and Uka Uka with it. Crash and the others escape just in time for the snow season. As the ending credits roll, it is seen that the three villains are trapped in a time prison, with Cortex and Tropy transformed into infants and fighting over Uka Uka's possession.

Development

As with the previous two installments of the series, the soundtrack for Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped is provided by Mutato Muzika, made up of Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancell.

Localization differences

When the game was released in Japan as クラッシュ・バンディクー3 ブッとび!世界一周 (Crash Bandicoot 3: Flying! Globe-Trotting!), there were several extras included in the game not present in any American or European release. Four of the extras were CGI videos that focused on a character in the game. The character each video focuses is Aku Aku, Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, and Doctor Neo Cortex. A final video, upon beating the game, presents a seven-minute video about the origin of Crash Bandicoot.

While these weren't released anywhere but Japan, some images of these videos made it into Crash Team Racing's Scrapbook.

In the Japanese version, PocketStation compatibility is possible.

Reception

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped was praised by critics, and was given high scores by some of the most prominent gaming critics, with gaming website IGN awarding a 9.1/10. GameSpot, who granted it an 8.9/10, commented that the game is "easily the best Crash yet" and a "must-have for fans of platformers". Game Revolution stated that "the game is fun, funny, and challenging" but they also mentioned that there is really nothing new to it.

Sales

The game was a commercial success and it quickly became a Collectors' Edition title. It sold over 5.16 million copies worldwide, with 3.76 million copies sold to the use, and 1.4 million copies in Japan.

This section requires expansion.

References

See also

• List of best-selling computer and video games

External links

• The Official Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Website