Crash Bash
Encyclopedia
Crash Bash is a party
video game published
by Sony Computer Entertainment
, produced by Universal Interactive Studios (now the defunct Vivendi Games
) and developed
by Eurocom
for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America
on November 6, 2000 and in Europe
on December 1, 2000. It was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in 2001 and for the Platinum Range
on October 12, 2001.
Crash Bash is the fifth installment in the Crash Bandicoot series. It is the first Crash Bandicoot game not to be developed by Naughty Dog
(who had left the series to develop the Jak and Daxter series), the last to appear on the PlayStation console, and the first in the party genre (the second being Crash Boom Bang!
six years later). The game's story centers on a contest of minigames held by Aku Aku and Uka Uka to decide whether good or evil is the strongest.
Like the platformer installments of the Crash series, the player uses Warp Rooms to travel among the many levels of Crash Bash. The player can access additional Warp Rooms by defeating Arena Bosses. To complete the entire Adventure Mode, the player must win every Trophy, Gem, Crystal, and Relic in every arena. Each arena is played in the same manner; the arena continues until one player wins three rounds; winning three rounds earns the player a Trophy. After a Trophy is won in an arena, the player can return to the arena to win Gems and Crystals. After any Trophy is gained in a Warp Room four arena, Gold Relics can be obtained in any previously completed level. After completion of the 25 trophies, the player can also win Sapphire Relics from any completed levels.
The player wins the Gold Relic after winning a level twice, and a Sapphire Relic after winning three times.
When a certain number of Trophies, Gems, and Crystals have been obtained, an Arena Boss Event is unlocked. In Arena Boss Events, the player battles a single powerful adversary in a certain type of minigame. Defeating this boss requires the player to empty the boss' health meter. The player will also have a health meter. Every time the player takes damage, his/her health meter will lose some Wumpa Fruit juice. If the juice runs empty, the game will end. By emptying the boss' health meter first, the player will gain access to the next Warp Room, where more arenas must be fought.
In "Pogo Pandemonium", players race around an arena on pogo sticks (or variations thereof), painting and capturing colored squares for points. Whoever garners up the most points within a set amount of time wins. In most arenas, special crates must be broken to turn squares into points. In "Pogo-A-Gogo", the players must encircle areas with their color to capture the center and add the squares to their score, and in "Pogo Padlock", the players cannot land on a square of their own color, or all their squares will be lost.
In "Crate Crush", players will be tested for their ability to run, jump, throw, and battle it out with Stone Blocks, TNT and Nitro Crates. Players can empty each other's health bars by picking up crates and tossing them at each other. A player whose health bar has been emptied will be eliminated from the game. The last one standing is the winner.
In "Polar Push", players gallop around on polar bear cubs and try to knock each other off the slippery arena, which may melt, tilt, or disintegrate around the players. Bombs, lightning bolts, and heavy weights can be used to aid in the elimination of other players. The last one standing is the winner.
"Tank Wars" is played on a field with a grid that varies depending on the level. Players start with health and either fire weapons or lay mines to inflict damage. When a player runs out of health, he/she is eliminated. Wumpa Fruit can be used to recover health. The last player standing wins.
"Crash Dash" pits players in a race against each other in a circular course. Turbo boosts can be obtained in the form of Wumpa fruits and fire missile in most levels. Crossing the finish line after a whole lap decreases the player's point and the first one to decrease his points to zero wins the game.
"Medieval Mayhem" is the most varied of the level types. The only general link is that all the games are point based.
, Coco Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Doctor Neo Cortex
, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Koala Kong and a new character called Rilla Roo (a combination of a gorilla
and a kangaroo
). The characters are split into four main "types", which give them differing abilities within certain minigames. Papu Papu, The Komodo Brothers, and Nitros Oxide return as three of the game's bosses, while the fourth is giant polar bear in a submarine known as the Bearminator. Doctor N. Gin, Ripper Roo and Penta Penguin also make appearances during certain levels. Fake Crash also appears in the Japanese version. Aku Aku is the main protagonist: Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger and Dingodile in Crash's side. Uka Uka is the main antagonist: Dr. Neo Cortex, Nitrus Brio, Koala Kong and Rilla Roo in Cortex's side.
If the good side wins, Uka Uka, extremely furious, demands to know what kind of trickery was used to defeat his team. Aku Aku denies using any tricks, and announces that he knew from the start that Uka Uka was actually attempting to steal the Crystals. Uka Uka, filled with rage, decides to take it all out on Cortex and Brio when Aku Aku locks the Crystals away in a stone cabinet. He claims that the Crystals are too powerful to be left lying around, and in that cabinet the Crystals will remain safe for all eternity. Uka Uka demands what is coming to him, and Aku Aku gives him the penalty for disturbing the Crystals. Uka Uka is ejected into space.
If the evil side wins, a supernatural storm rages throughout the universe announcing that Uka Uka has won. He reveals that it was his plan all along to steal the Crystals, and that now all of them are his, along with their power. Aku Aku wonders how on Earth he could be so naïve to think that good by itself could triumph over evil. Now that Uka Uka has become too powerful for anyone to handle, Aku Aku pleads Crash and Coco to run away and save themselves. The Mighty Uka Uka bellows that there is nowhere to run or to hide.
If one player is good and the other player is evil, Aku Aku and Uka Uka will state that they must fight each other to find out which side is stronger. The mini-game played, called "Tie Breaker", is a Crate Crush level with music from Papu Pummel. Here, the players fight against each other with the same rules and events that occur in Jungle Bash. The only difference between the two mini-games is that the extra one consists of only two players and takes place in Hyperspace on a stone floor with small stone walls around the edges. After winning one round, the announcer will say "Good wins" for the good character and "Evil wins" for the evil character. Whoever wins three rounds determines the ending. The winner also receives an extra trophy and results in a 201% completion at the end.
, (who designed all the games in the series thus far). The music is composed by Steve Duckworth. The soundtrack is available only in Japan. This disc contains four versions of the Crash Bandicoot song that would air during the commercials in Japan and a remix of the Crash Bash theme.
The Japanese version of Crash Bash, released on December 14, 2000, differs from the usual versions. Fake Crash appears as an unlockable character via a cheat code (showing when you defeat the Bearminator (although he is not playable in Adventure Mode) and, with the exception of Koala Kong, the character's voices are replaced with Japanese voice actors. Bonus videos are also available, revealing secrets within the previous games.
described the game as "more four-player fun than even Ron Jeremy
could offer." Human Tornado of GamePro
noted that the collection of minigames were "tailor made for up to four player competition" and went on to say that it is "not to say that Crash Bash can't be played alone, but when there's a room full of people, Crash Bash suddenly becomes ten times more fun." Shawn Sparks of Game Revolution
praised the "solid" graphics, amount of minigames and "great" multiplayer, and said that "the sheer variety of games will entertain most any party for hours on end (or at least until the beer runs out.)" Doug Perry of IGN
concluded that "it's not original and it's not deep, but it's packed with tons of silly games and it's a social magnet amongst the geek elite." Ryan Davis
of GameSpot
described Crash Bash as "utterly run of the mill, completely middle of the road. Its flaws may not be glaring, but there isn't a single aspect of the game that truly shines through."
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
video game published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
, produced by Universal Interactive Studios (now the defunct Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games, formerly known as Vivendi Universal Games, was the holdings company for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Vivendi Games was founded as Vivendi Universal Games after Vivendi bought Universal Studios in the early 2000s...
) and developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Eurocom
Eurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 6, 2000 and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on December 1, 2000. It was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in 2001 and for the Platinum Range
Platinum range
The Platinum Range is a Sony PlayStation budget range in the PAL regions, notably Europe , Australia, New Zealand, India, and Africa...
on October 12, 2001.
Crash Bash is the fifth installment in the Crash Bandicoot series. It is the first Crash Bandicoot game not to be developed by Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
(who had left the series to develop the Jak and Daxter series), the last to appear on the PlayStation console, and the first in the party genre (the second being Crash Boom Bang!
Crash Boom Bang!
Crash Boom Bang! is a party game developed by Dimps and published by Sierra Entertainment for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on July 20, 2006, in North America on October 10, 2006, in Europe on October 27, 2006, and in Australia on November 2, 2006...
six years later). The game's story centers on a contest of minigames held by Aku Aku and Uka Uka to decide whether good or evil is the strongest.
Gameplay
The main mode of play in Crash Bash is the Adventure Mode, in which the player must win all 28 levels to complete. The player wins Trophies, Crystals, and Gems by beating the different challenges of each level. Certain levels require a minimum number of Trophies, Gems, or Crystals to gain entry. There are five Warp Rooms and completing all of them results in a 200% completion, although this doesn't unlock anything.Like the platformer installments of the Crash series, the player uses Warp Rooms to travel among the many levels of Crash Bash. The player can access additional Warp Rooms by defeating Arena Bosses. To complete the entire Adventure Mode, the player must win every Trophy, Gem, Crystal, and Relic in every arena. Each arena is played in the same manner; the arena continues until one player wins three rounds; winning three rounds earns the player a Trophy. After a Trophy is won in an arena, the player can return to the arena to win Gems and Crystals. After any Trophy is gained in a Warp Room four arena, Gold Relics can be obtained in any previously completed level. After completion of the 25 trophies, the player can also win Sapphire Relics from any completed levels.
The player wins the Gold Relic after winning a level twice, and a Sapphire Relic after winning three times.
When a certain number of Trophies, Gems, and Crystals have been obtained, an Arena Boss Event is unlocked. In Arena Boss Events, the player battles a single powerful adversary in a certain type of minigame. Defeating this boss requires the player to empty the boss' health meter. The player will also have a health meter. Every time the player takes damage, his/her health meter will lose some Wumpa Fruit juice. If the juice runs empty, the game will end. By emptying the boss' health meter first, the player will gain access to the next Warp Room, where more arenas must be fought.
Minigames
In "Crashball", the player must use a hovership to block steel balls from his or her goal and deflect them into the opponent's goals. The balls are released into the arena and gain speed as the level progresses. Each contestant begins with a set number of points. One point is subtracted every time a player allows a ball into his or her goal. When a player's points hits zero, the player will be eliminated from the game. The last one standing wins the event.In "Pogo Pandemonium", players race around an arena on pogo sticks (or variations thereof), painting and capturing colored squares for points. Whoever garners up the most points within a set amount of time wins. In most arenas, special crates must be broken to turn squares into points. In "Pogo-A-Gogo", the players must encircle areas with their color to capture the center and add the squares to their score, and in "Pogo Padlock", the players cannot land on a square of their own color, or all their squares will be lost.
In "Crate Crush", players will be tested for their ability to run, jump, throw, and battle it out with Stone Blocks, TNT and Nitro Crates. Players can empty each other's health bars by picking up crates and tossing them at each other. A player whose health bar has been emptied will be eliminated from the game. The last one standing is the winner.
"Tank Wars" is played on a field with a grid that varies depending on the level. Players start with health and either fire weapons or lay mines to inflict damage. When a player runs out of health, he/she is eliminated. Wumpa Fruit can be used to recover health. The last player standing wins.
"Crash Dash" pits players in a race against each other in a circular course. Turbo boosts can be obtained in the form of Wumpa fruits and fire missile in most levels. Crossing the finish line after a whole lap decreases the player's point and the first one to decrease his points to zero wins the game.
"Medieval Mayhem" is the most varied of the level types. The only general link is that all the games are point based.
Characters
The playable characters in Crash Bash are Crash BandicootCrash Bandicoot (character)
Crash Bandicoot, or simply Crash, is a video game character and the primary protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series of video games. Introduced in the 1996 video game Crash Bandicoot, Crash is an Eastern Barred Bandicoot that was genetically enhanced by the series antagonist Doctor Neo Cortex and...
, Coco Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Doctor Neo Cortex
Doctor Neo Cortex
Doctor Neo Periwinkle Cortex, often referred to as "Doctor Cortex" or simply "Cortex", is a video game character and the main antagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series of video games. His name is a play on the term neocortex, an area of the brain...
, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Koala Kong and a new character called Rilla Roo (a combination of a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
and a kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
). The characters are split into four main "types", which give them differing abilities within certain minigames. Papu Papu, The Komodo Brothers, and Nitros Oxide return as three of the game's bosses, while the fourth is giant polar bear in a submarine known as the Bearminator. Doctor N. Gin, Ripper Roo and Penta Penguin also make appearances during certain levels. Fake Crash also appears in the Japanese version. Aku Aku is the main protagonist: Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger and Dingodile in Crash's side. Uka Uka is the main antagonist: Dr. Neo Cortex, Nitrus Brio, Koala Kong and Rilla Roo in Cortex's side.
Story
In an unknown part of space, Aku Aku has an argument with his brother Uka Uka about whether good is truly stronger than evil. Aku Aku decides that they must settle this once and for all, but when Uka Uka attempts to fight, Aku Aku reminds him that there could be no malice between them. Uka Uka and Aku Aku agree on holding a contest, with Aku Aku's players going against Uka Uka's. Aku Aku summons Crash and Coco, while Uka Uka summons Doctor Neo Cortex, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Tiny Tiger, Koala Kong, Dingodile and Rilla Roo. Aku Aku protests, as Uka Uka's side has too many players. Challenging Uka Uka's confidence in his own power, Aku Aku demands that he surrender two of his team. Uka Uka agrees and Aku Aku chooses Tiny and Dingodile. With that, the games finally begin.If the good side wins, Uka Uka, extremely furious, demands to know what kind of trickery was used to defeat his team. Aku Aku denies using any tricks, and announces that he knew from the start that Uka Uka was actually attempting to steal the Crystals. Uka Uka, filled with rage, decides to take it all out on Cortex and Brio when Aku Aku locks the Crystals away in a stone cabinet. He claims that the Crystals are too powerful to be left lying around, and in that cabinet the Crystals will remain safe for all eternity. Uka Uka demands what is coming to him, and Aku Aku gives him the penalty for disturbing the Crystals. Uka Uka is ejected into space.
If the evil side wins, a supernatural storm rages throughout the universe announcing that Uka Uka has won. He reveals that it was his plan all along to steal the Crystals, and that now all of them are his, along with their power. Aku Aku wonders how on Earth he could be so naïve to think that good by itself could triumph over evil. Now that Uka Uka has become too powerful for anyone to handle, Aku Aku pleads Crash and Coco to run away and save themselves. The Mighty Uka Uka bellows that there is nowhere to run or to hide.
If one player is good and the other player is evil, Aku Aku and Uka Uka will state that they must fight each other to find out which side is stronger. The mini-game played, called "Tie Breaker", is a Crate Crush level with music from Papu Pummel. Here, the players fight against each other with the same rules and events that occur in Jungle Bash. The only difference between the two mini-games is that the extra one consists of only two players and takes place in Hyperspace on a stone floor with small stone walls around the edges. After winning one round, the announcer will say "Good wins" for the good character and "Evil wins" for the evil character. Whoever wins three rounds determines the ending. The winner also receives an extra trophy and results in a 201% completion at the end.
Development
The game was designed by Mark CernyMark Cerny
Mark Cerny is a video game industry figure who has worked as a game designer, programmer, producer and business executive. As president of Cerny Games, which he founded in 1998, he now acts as a consultant in the video game industry. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award...
, (who designed all the games in the series thus far). The music is composed by Steve Duckworth. The soundtrack is available only in Japan. This disc contains four versions of the Crash Bandicoot song that would air during the commercials in Japan and a remix of the Crash Bash theme.
The Japanese version of Crash Bash, released on December 14, 2000, differs from the usual versions. Fake Crash appears as an unlockable character via a cheat code (showing when you defeat the Bearminator (although he is not playable in Adventure Mode) and, with the exception of Koala Kong, the character's voices are replaced with Japanese voice actors. Bonus videos are also available, revealing secrets within the previous games.
Reception
Crash Bash received fairly positive reviews from critics upon release. GamesRadarGamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
described the game as "more four-player fun than even Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
could offer." Human Tornado of GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
noted that the collection of minigames were "tailor made for up to four player competition" and went on to say that it is "not to say that Crash Bash can't be played alone, but when there's a room full of people, Crash Bash suddenly becomes ten times more fun." Shawn Sparks of Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
praised the "solid" graphics, amount of minigames and "great" multiplayer, and said that "the sheer variety of games will entertain most any party for hours on end (or at least until the beer runs out.)" Doug Perry of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
concluded that "it's not original and it's not deep, but it's packed with tons of silly games and it's a social magnet amongst the geek elite." Ryan Davis
Ryan Davis
Ryan Davis may refer to:*Ryan J. Davis , American theater director, writer, political consultant and progressive activist*Ryan Davis , English rugby union player...
of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
described Crash Bash as "utterly run of the mill, completely middle of the road. Its flaws may not be glaring, but there isn't a single aspect of the game that truly shines through."
External links
- Crash Bash at EurocomEurocomEurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
- The official Crash Bash website
- Crash Bash (PS) at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.com - Crash Bash on IGN
- Crash Bash on GameFAQs