Crash - Mind Over Mutant (Xbox 360) > Reviews (1)

Crash: Mind Over Mutant

I am sure many of you have heard about Crash Bandicoot from previous games that were for previous consoles, well now Crash makes his return with another game for the Xbox 360, PS2, PSP and the Nintendo DS. However Crash has returned with a new thing about his name, yes thats right the Bandicoot has gone and I am purely guessing it is due to everyone getting to know who this famous characters is and the fact we can tell what he is anyway. Crash Mind Over Mutant is an action-adventure game with lots of platform elements. The game itself was published by Activision and developed by Vancouver-based Radical Entertainment. Crash Mind Over Mutant takes place immediately after Crash Of The Titans. The Titans have been released and spread throughout the island of Wumpa by Crash Bandicoots evil arch nemesis Dr Neo Cortex. Everything things seem okay at first and Crash and his friends are enjoying the very quite life until Dr Neo Cortex comes back and teams up with his old friend Dr Nitrus Brio to come up with an invention, a personal digital assistant, the 'NV', that can somehow control the minds of both mutants and bandicoots by transmitting some bad Mojo.

Crash and his friend Aku Aku are not effected by this device for some strange reason, however Coco (Crash Bandicoots sister) and Crunch (his friend) are effected by the device and they are transformed into evil beasts that hunt for Crash's blood. After Coco is freed from her beastly form she teams up with Crash to bring down Dr Neo Cortex and his friend once and for all. Well apparently even though he keeps coming back and back and back. The basic story to Crash is pretty good, they are very similar stories in all of the Crash games but they obviously must be doing something right for them to keep making the games. Overall the basic plot is almost the same as other Crash games but it still doesn't get old and I feel it is quite good, now its time to save everyone!

Gameplay

The gameplay to Crash Mind Over Mutant is actually rather good, however the gameplay is way to similar to all the other Crash Bandicoot games and this does slightly let it down a little because gamers like variety. You take the role as Crash who is obviously a bandicoot and at the main menu there are three choices New game, load game and credits (to see who made the game). The basic navigation of the main menu is very simple and the basic controls to the game itself are really easy too. When on the game itself you can go and explore a wide range of places around Wumpa Island and find many new things. Also you start the game at Crash's house and in his house you can do a few things like change skins, view the mutants you've met, view concept art, watch a cutscene and see Crash's stats and also the percentage of the game you have completed thus far. Crash has a health meter, upgrade bar, mutants health, mutants special meter and mutants health bar all on screen at respectable times in the game. A good thing I feel about the game is the ability to upgrade Crash and his Mutants.

When you defeat enemies (that are scattered throughout Wumpa) or destroy certain objects, they release magical Mojo that give the player the ability to upgrade Crash and his mutants. Also if you learn how to multiply your Mojo things will become a lot easier and to be fair its not that hard anyway.

Throughout Wumpa Island Crash can acquire power-ups. These power-ups do different things and are to help you progress. The Whumpafruit restores a certain amount of health to Crash and his Mutants. The golden Whumpafruit upgrades his health meter a little. Special fruit restores mutants special bar, timer collectible is for a Mojo timed mini game, keys to open doors, treasure chests for special items, collect a set of voodoo dolls to unlock bonus content, quad damage does 4x as much damage and the red shoe which gives Crash a super kick attack for a short time. As you progress in the game you will be able to Jack A Mutant and ride them, use them to attack or to find new ways and hidden bits, these mutants come in handy and also you can store one in your inventory. To succeed at Crash Mind Over Mutants you have to know the basics and be good at them. Blocking is essential and so is striking at the right time and also counter attacking, but to be fair these are simple to do and master. There is also a multiplayer co-op mode for you and a friend to do. However one person is Crash and the other is his sister Coco, so if your like me and one of my guy friends, neither of you want to be a female. Overall the gameplay to Crash is great as they have always been great I just feel it could do with some new bits other than riding mutants, which don't get me wrong is actually really good and fun.

Cast of Characters

In Crash Over Mutant there are far more characters to interact with than there was in any other Crash game. You can only play as Crash unless your playing a multiplayer co-op game then one of your get to play as Coco if you fancy playing as a different character. There is a range of good characters and a range of bad guys. The good guys in the game are of course Crash, his sister Coco, Aku Aku and Crunch...eventually. The bad guys are Dr Neo Cortex, Dr Brio, N-Gin, Uka Uka and Nina Cortex. Overall I feel the characters have variety and the game suits each and every one of them.

Graphics & Sound

The graphics to previous Crash games have always been something more suited for the younger gamers, however they still do look great even though they are slightly cartoony. The basic design of Crash and his good guy friends are very similar to previous games except for a few new things like, bits of clothing or something else like a new hair style but overall I was impressed with the design of them and thought they looked cool. Now as for the bad guys, well they look amazing and they do bring the game to life, however they look exactly like they did from the previous games and I feel like they have just ripped them from there. As for the graphics to the world of Wumpa, I was most delighted to see the beautiful designed world as I feel it did bring the game some special sights.

The whole world is nicely designed and looks amazing. Other graphics look pretty good, when it changes weather its not to shabby and when your fighting monsters or even the look of the enemies them selves is actually quite good. I feel for a platform game the graphics are really good. The sound effects were just as good, the characters are voice activated which I feel is great because previous older games they wasn't voice activated. Also the overall sound effects to the game were really specially and do make the game feel that much more better. Also the music in the game is great it sounds and feels like its a whole new era to the game and I was very pleased with that.

Difficulty & Longevity

The Crash games or any other platform games I feel are not really well suited for gamers such as myself. When I play games like this I am usually through them within about 5 hours and the reason why is because I find them incredibly easy and way to simple to navigate. Saying that the game is still worthy of recognition as it has very many good points about it and kids them selves will fall in love with this. I feel the younger or less experienced gamer may struggle with a couple of bits about the game and one could be the bosses you fight as you progress through the game, some can be quite tricky with different ways of beating them. Also a few little platform bits where if you miss a jump your going to lose a life but overall I feel the game is a bit to easy especially for a gamer like myself. The longevity of the game isn't great but platform games never are to be perfectly honest. Crash Bandicoot games have always been level based with so many on the game but this one is different its more like one big world and you can explore anywhere, the game didn't last me long, about 5 hours to be precise, however these games are just enjoyable if you play and play again. Although the game is easy and doesn't take to long to complete I feel the game still has enough to offer its fans.

Good Bits

• Lots of variety all the way through the game.
• A wide range of characters good and bad to interact with.
• Lots of items to collect and lots of hidden bits.
• The ability to ride and attack with some ugly mutants.
• Very simple game that is definitely suitable for almost all gamers.

Bad Bits

• Can be too simple.
• Doesn't take a very long time to get through the whole game.
• Not enough new bits come to this game from the last one or any others.
• Would be better if there was more playable characters.
• Mainly for the younger gamer.

Finally

Crash Mind Over Mutant is a great game, however I feel it is more suited for kids or gamers that are just starting out playing video games. My mum owns the game and shes an amateur but she is gradually getting better and she enjoys it as well. I do enjoy my version but I have been debating whether or not to give it away to one of my younger cousins who has just started getting into the game playing and I feel this would be right up her street. The game has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay and mini games and stuff.

I do believe the more experienced gamer wont probably take to kindly to a game like this because after buying it I had completed it the very same day. The multiplayer co-op story mode is actually quite fun but that is also way to easy. The game has some good graphics, some great sound effects and the story to the game is also quite intriguing one. There are lots of ugly looking monsters to kill and some very big bad bosses to destroy as well. As Crash you must save the world. The basic manual to Crash Mind Over Mutant is far to plain and boring, the outside is really good, very bright and nicely designed but the inside of it is severely let down, they don't offer to much in terms of information or help and the pages are all in black and white, would suit it better in colour. The front cover is also very colourful. The game has a rating of 7+ which is probably about right but i don't really see why the younger gamers cant play this because its not scary or anything like that even though it does contain a few ugly beats that are trying to get you. I would recommend this to a lot of variety of different gamers especially the younger ones. The game is on Amazon for roughly around £17 which is a little pricey considering its been out a while but if your buying this for your kids or for yourself I feel there is enough to make you/them enjoy it. I would give Crash Mind Over Mutant a rating of 7/10 kids will like it!