My family are big fans of the Crash Bandicoot games and we own all of the various versions that have come out for the playstation and playstation 2 as well as a couple for the game boy advance. So you can imagine our delight when the newest incarnation "Crash Twinsanity" was announced. However, forever the skinflint that I am, I was not going to pay £40 just for a game. So we waited for it to go on special offer, and the children bought it as a Christmas present for their Dad for £20.

The Storyline

Evil alien twins have invaded Crash and Neo's home world and are threatening to enslave Crash and his friends, destroy Neo Cortex and devastate their world. So they must team up to save the world.

The Playable Characters

Crash Bandicoot
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An ordinary bandicoot until Dr Neo Cortex experimented on him, Crash has been the hero of many adventures and is an expert kart racer.

Dr. Neo Cortex
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Crash's arch-enemy Neo Cortex, is an evil scientist, whose plans of world domination have been thwarted by the bandicoot at every turn.

Nina Cortex
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Dr Cortex's niece Nina, was sent to the Academy of Evil when she started showing fluffy feelings to animals. Although she still liked all things cute and fluffy, they are somewhat wary of her spring trapped hands.

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Something New
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Unlike previous Crash games, in this game there are many sections where Crash and Neo join together to create new moves such as the humiliskate.

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Graphics
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Although the graphics are nothing special, they are certainly up to the usual standard for Crash Bandicoot games. I didn't notice any glitches, however there were times where it was hard to see where you had to go next.

Rating for graphics 8/10

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Controls
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Players of previous Crash games will find the controls very simple, for crash they are exactly the same. The twin moves take a little longer to get used to, but not too long.
The game does require an analogue gamepad, but works equally well using the little joystick (as I do) or the directional pad (as my hubby does).

Rating for controls 9/10

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GamePlay
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This is where this game differs substantially from previous releases. The hubs and warp pads are gone, and the game is now very linear. We have also lost, the extra play time of trying to get all the boxes and crystals. No more hours trying to shave 0.1 seconds off the fastest time in order to get 100%

The actual levels are pretty standard Crash-fare, with wumpa fruit to collect in order to get extra lives, boxes to smash (for wumpa fruit/extra lives/masks) or avoid (nitro), and enemies to kill.

There are some crystals to collect, in order to open not bonus levels, but such things as stills from the game, but if you miss any, you can't go back for them.

However, the main gripe, is the length of the levels. There is now far to long between save points, and it's very frustrating to have spent an hour and all your lives working out where to go in a level, to have to start at the beginning again when your lives run out.

Rating for gameplay 7/10

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Annoyance Level...
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....Otherwise known as the level of difficulty.

This game starts out far too difficult. With previous games even my younger children could complete the first couple of levels, with this game they have no hope. The box states the game is suitable for age 3+, but I could see any but the most fanatical three year old giving up after 2 minutes. Oh, and did I mention that the levels are too long, there were several times where a less composed person would have thrown the control through the window.

Rating for difficulty 6/10

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Lifespan
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The lifespan for this game is pretty poor, once you've beaten the final boss, that's it.
I really miss going back to find all the collectables and getting that elusive 100%.
If you miss something in this game, you have to replay the whole game from the beginning to get it, not something I plan on trying for a while.

Rating for Lifespan 6/10

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Family Fun?
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Although there is only mild cartoon violence, I can't really rate this as a game all the family can enjoy. It is just too difficult for the younger members of the family.

Also sorely missed, is the friendly competition that could be had from trying to beat each others fastest times on levels.

Rating for family fun 6/10

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Overall
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This game was a disappointment, that didn't live up to expectations. I don't know why the makers had to move away from the tried and tested formula of the hubs, levels and replay value of previous games.

Although, the new moves were a good edition, the actual game was in my opinion a step backwards.

Total rating....7/10

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The Creators
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Crash Bandicoot TwinSanity was developed by:

Traveler's Tales
Oxford Studio

and Published by
Vivendi Universal Games Inc.

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Further Info
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Rating : Age 3+

Price : ranges from £17.99 (play.com) to £29.98 (game)

also available on X-Box.

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Final Words
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This game was bought expecting something similar to previous Crash Bandicoot games, which have been enjoyed by all members of the family. As such it was a big disappointment. Although a reasonable game, it certainly did not live up to the hype, and I'm glad I didn't pay the full £40 that was originally asked for it. However, I believe it is worth the £17.99 that it can be got for a mere two months later.

My recommendation if you already own all the other Crash games is to buy this game, but do not expect it to be as good value for money as previous games in the series. If you do not however own any of the other Crash games, then I would recommend one of the earlier games such as the Wrath of Cortex, as they have a much longer lifespan and represent better value.