Crash Bandicoot: Warped

The Good
This is the third and final Crash Bandicoot game for PlayStation, and it begins where the last game left off. If you've done everything right, you should have seen Crash destroy the Cortex Vortex and break the space station apart. Crash and the gang learns that the Cortex Vortex crashed into Earth and unleashed an evil entity called Uka Uka, who teams up with Cortex and N. Tropy to gather crystals scattered across time and use them to enslave the Earth.

So it's up to Crash to grab the crystals before his enemies do. The aim of each of the levels is the same as the previous Crash Bandicoot games. If you are able to make it half-way through them, you will get one of the crystals. Each of the levels follow a theme from Medieval to World War I.

What sets this game apart from other games in the Crash Bandicoot series is the new gameplay mechanics. After completing the first level, it isn't long until you find yourself searching through the ruins of Atlantis with scuba gear on, and riding a jet-ski, motorcycle, and plane in the levels after that. Coco the Bandicoot once again joins Crash but this time she is a playable character, allowing you to control her as he rides the Great Wall of China on a tiger and as she gets through Atlantis on the aforementioned jet-ski.

Almost all the levels have stunning backdrops. My favorite is the jet-ski levels. Seeing the water bounce up and down, as you make your way through the levels and jumping off ramps is the highlight of the game. These levels are reminiscent to Wave Race 64. Crash still does his little victory dance when he collects an item (crystals, gems, or relics), but there are heaps of death animations, and these are worth losing a life on purpose just to watch them again. Also, seeing Crash jump into nothing and fall flat on his face when he cannot enter a level is a nice touch.

There are new moves that can only be unlocked by defeating one of Cortex's henchmen. Most of these moves, especially the Double Jump, are ideal for breaking crates that you weren't able to reach the first time. In my opinion, the Double Jump is more efficient if used with the Body Slam.

Like the previous Crash games, the replayability factor is high. You are encouraged to go back and replay some of the levels because there may be alternate routes that you couldn't take the first time, and they can only be accessed by collecting colored gems throughout the game. There are also two endings, with the best one achieved if you collect every gem and relic in the game. Getting relics is hard work because you have to complete levels within a set time limit without making too many mistakes. Finally, there are secret warp rooms that I still haven't discovered yet.

The Bad
The levels where you drive a motorcycle and race to the finish line are annoying. No matter how you finish, getting second or third place in the race is irrelevant, because if you don't finish the race first place, then you don't get the crystal. The environments in these little races are boring, and only consist of desert.

The Bottom Line
So in conclusion, Crash 3 plays similar to the first two games in that the aim of most levels is to run through them and return to the time-twisting machine with the crystal. The keyword is "most" because there are times where the gameplay changes which involve you riding some sort of vehicle instead. Coco is re-introduced and she is a playable character.

Crash 3 can be played over and over again due to the amount of alternate routes, the secret warp rooms, and the variety of new moves you can perform. Getting all the gems and relics in the game is essential for watching the better ending it has.