The Complete History of Crash Bandicoot
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: Nicholas Miller
He was once one of the biggest gaming icons of the '90s before quietly fading into the background. Now he's back and as popular as ever. Welcome to MojoPlays. This is the history of Crash Bandicoot.
History of Crash Bandicoot
He was once one of the biggest gaming icons of the ’90s before quietly fading into the background. Now he’s back and as popular as ever. Welcome to MojoPlays. This is the history of Crash Bandicoot.
Created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, Crash was conceived in an era where popular game genres were transitioning from 2D to 3D. The pair saw an opportunity to make that transition in the platforming genre with a character they originally called “Willie the Wombat.” The game was developed by Naughty Dog under Universal Interactive Studios and published by Sony. Drawing inspiration from Sonic the Hedgehog, the Tasmanian Devil, and Who Framed Roger Rabit, Crash was born: a genetically modified bandicoot, he and his possessed wooden mask / Witch Doctor mentor Aku Aku break boxes, collect apples and dodge hazards as they navigate and jump their way through 3D levels. In the first installment, Crash escapes from the mad scientist who created him, Dr. Neo Cortex, but must return to save his female bandicoot friend, Tawna. “Crash Bandicoot” was released on the PlayStation in September of 1996, just about a year after the console’s launch
Over the course of development, Naughty Dog reportedly became set on Crash becoming the unofficial mascot for Sony’s new home console. Thankfully for everyone involved, with its groundbreaking graphics and undeniably fun gameplay, “Crash Bandicoot” was a smash hit with both consumers and critics upon release, and the team immediately got back to work on a sequel; this time with a much higher budget to support them.
“Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back” was released just over a year after the first game, on October 31st, 1997. All the running, jumping and box-breaking gameplay the won fans over the year before was back, and even in the game’s wildly short development cycle, Naughty Dog was able to add a surprising number of technical and gameplay improvements to the new installment. The game’s story saw Crash captured and brainwashed into enacting an evil master plan by Cortex, with Crash’s sister Coco out to try to return our hero to normal. Financially, the game was just as successful as its predecessor, but with even more praise from players and game critics. The success of “Cortex Strikes Back” may be what solidified Crash Bandicoot as the icon he is today.
Once again, Naughty Dog dove straight back into the next Crash game and in 1998, for the third year in a row, the team delivered another Crash Bandicoot sequel: “Crash Bandicoot: Warped.” The third and final installment developed by Naughty Dog, “Warped” saw a further expansion of the elements that made the first two games so successful, and once again the team somehow managed to fit more features into the game. The story gave a more prominent role to Crash’s sister Coco, and added some more interesting characters into the series’ rogues gallery, including Aku Aku’s evil twin brother Uka Uka. “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” received heaps of acclaim and earned a ton of money, just like the previous games. Though it was the last of the core game series titles created by Naughty Dog, the developers still had one trick left up their sleeve.
It turns out, Naughty Dog was simultaneously developing a kart racing spin-off game called “Crash Team Racing.” The game was released in 1999, marking four years in a row of astonishingly high-quality game releases from a single, small studio. The game is a fun racing sim that inevitably draws comparisons to Nintendo’s eminent kart racing franchise, but was successful enough on its own right to spawn several sequels over the years. To this day, “Crash Team Racing” has its own subset of diehard fans who swear up and down that it is the superior racing game.
After the release of CTR, Naughty Dog was ready to start working on their own terms and decided to end their relationship with Universal Interactive. This meant cutting all ties with their beloved mascot. Other studios stepped in to carry the franchise’s torch into the next console generation. Over the following years, a number of Crash Bandicoot games were developed and released for various consoles, including several party games for home consoles, a trio of Gameboy Advance games, and four more entries to the core series, starting with 2001’s “The Wrath of Cortex.”
“The Wrath of Cortex” had the difficult distinction of being the first major Crash game not developed by Naughty Dog and the first core Crash game on the new console generation. The game, developed by future Lego game devs Traveller’s Tales, was released in 2001 on PlayStation 2 before arriving on GameCube and Xbox the following year. Featuring most of the same elements as the previous games along with a graphical overhaul, “Wrath of Cortex” isn’t a bad game. It was just missing the same kind of charm that Naughty Dog brought to the franchise. Reaction to the game was mixed, but sales of the game were still very good, so all things considered it could have been far worse.
The following years were not especially kind to Crash and the gang, as the franchise endured a series of increasingly mediocre entries before even the most diehard fans had to admit that the bandicoot was well past his prime. While Crash Twinsanity received mixed reviews from critics it still managed to find an audience. As for Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, the reception was middling at best. The games still had elements that worked, but it was undeniable that something was missing, and the franchise was, for the most part, shelved in 2008.
Then, something happened. Whether it’s nostalgia or a renewed interest in platformers, Crash has found his way back in the public consciousness, with calls to bring the franchise into the modern era answered in 2017. First released on PS4 before arriving on other consoles in 2018, the “N. Sane Trilogy,” which remastered the first three games in the series, has reignited hope for a new installment in the franchise. With Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remaster of the original CTR, set to drop in 2019, the future is looking bright for one of the gaming icons of the 90s.
He was once one of the biggest gaming icons of the ’90s before quietly fading into the background. Now he’s back and as popular as ever. Welcome to MojoPlays. This is the history of Crash Bandicoot.
Created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, Crash was conceived in an era where popular game genres were transitioning from 2D to 3D. The pair saw an opportunity to make that transition in the platforming genre with a character they originally called “Willie the Wombat.” The game was developed by Naughty Dog under Universal Interactive Studios and published by Sony. Drawing inspiration from Sonic the Hedgehog, the Tasmanian Devil, and Who Framed Roger Rabit, Crash was born: a genetically modified bandicoot, he and his possessed wooden mask / Witch Doctor mentor Aku Aku break boxes, collect apples and dodge hazards as they navigate and jump their way through 3D levels. In the first installment, Crash escapes from the mad scientist who created him, Dr. Neo Cortex, but must return to save his female bandicoot friend, Tawna. “Crash Bandicoot” was released on the PlayStation in September of 1996, just about a year after the console’s launch
Over the course of development, Naughty Dog reportedly became set on Crash becoming the unofficial mascot for Sony’s new home console. Thankfully for everyone involved, with its groundbreaking graphics and undeniably fun gameplay, “Crash Bandicoot” was a smash hit with both consumers and critics upon release, and the team immediately got back to work on a sequel; this time with a much higher budget to support them.
“Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back” was released just over a year after the first game, on October 31st, 1997. All the running, jumping and box-breaking gameplay the won fans over the year before was back, and even in the game’s wildly short development cycle, Naughty Dog was able to add a surprising number of technical and gameplay improvements to the new installment. The game’s story saw Crash captured and brainwashed into enacting an evil master plan by Cortex, with Crash’s sister Coco out to try to return our hero to normal. Financially, the game was just as successful as its predecessor, but with even more praise from players and game critics. The success of “Cortex Strikes Back” may be what solidified Crash Bandicoot as the icon he is today.
Once again, Naughty Dog dove straight back into the next Crash game and in 1998, for the third year in a row, the team delivered another Crash Bandicoot sequel: “Crash Bandicoot: Warped.” The third and final installment developed by Naughty Dog, “Warped” saw a further expansion of the elements that made the first two games so successful, and once again the team somehow managed to fit more features into the game. The story gave a more prominent role to Crash’s sister Coco, and added some more interesting characters into the series’ rogues gallery, including Aku Aku’s evil twin brother Uka Uka. “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” received heaps of acclaim and earned a ton of money, just like the previous games. Though it was the last of the core game series titles created by Naughty Dog, the developers still had one trick left up their sleeve.
It turns out, Naughty Dog was simultaneously developing a kart racing spin-off game called “Crash Team Racing.” The game was released in 1999, marking four years in a row of astonishingly high-quality game releases from a single, small studio. The game is a fun racing sim that inevitably draws comparisons to Nintendo’s eminent kart racing franchise, but was successful enough on its own right to spawn several sequels over the years. To this day, “Crash Team Racing” has its own subset of diehard fans who swear up and down that it is the superior racing game.
After the release of CTR, Naughty Dog was ready to start working on their own terms and decided to end their relationship with Universal Interactive. This meant cutting all ties with their beloved mascot. Other studios stepped in to carry the franchise’s torch into the next console generation. Over the following years, a number of Crash Bandicoot games were developed and released for various consoles, including several party games for home consoles, a trio of Gameboy Advance games, and four more entries to the core series, starting with 2001’s “The Wrath of Cortex.”
“The Wrath of Cortex” had the difficult distinction of being the first major Crash game not developed by Naughty Dog and the first core Crash game on the new console generation. The game, developed by future Lego game devs Traveller’s Tales, was released in 2001 on PlayStation 2 before arriving on GameCube and Xbox the following year. Featuring most of the same elements as the previous games along with a graphical overhaul, “Wrath of Cortex” isn’t a bad game. It was just missing the same kind of charm that Naughty Dog brought to the franchise. Reaction to the game was mixed, but sales of the game were still very good, so all things considered it could have been far worse.
The following years were not especially kind to Crash and the gang, as the franchise endured a series of increasingly mediocre entries before even the most diehard fans had to admit that the bandicoot was well past his prime. While Crash Twinsanity received mixed reviews from critics it still managed to find an audience. As for Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, the reception was middling at best. The games still had elements that worked, but it was undeniable that something was missing, and the franchise was, for the most part, shelved in 2008.
Then, something happened. Whether it’s nostalgia or a renewed interest in platformers, Crash has found his way back in the public consciousness, with calls to bring the franchise into the modern era answered in 2017. First released on PS4 before arriving on other consoles in 2018, the “N. Sane Trilogy,” which remastered the first three games in the series, has reignited hope for a new installment in the franchise. With Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remaster of the original CTR, set to drop in 2019, the future is looking bright for one of the gaming icons of the 90s.
