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This is Crash Bandicoot Return, the closest we’ll get to the classic PlayStation platformer looking as good as a Crysis game. This Crash Bandicoot game is actually running on the Crysis engine, because it’s a fan-made mod that pays homage to Naughty Dog’s 15-year-old series.
As seen on The Onion, which took a break from posting fake news for this one. [Thanks Walking Eye!]
Earlier, we brought word that Activision was taking inventory of Sierra’s catalogue and picking and choosing games it wanted to publish. Some games, like Crash Bandicoot, made the cut. Other games like Ghostbusters: The Video Game did not. Does that mean the game’s been canned? Well, no. It means that the game doesn’t have a publisher. The dev team is still there! Dan Aykroyd is still there! Ernie Hudson, he’s still there!! Activision isn’t the only show in town, and as a Vivendi spokesperson told game site Destructoid: “It is not cancelled and will not be cancelled”.
We are following up.
Future of Ghostbusters [Dtoid]
While I was at Sierra’s preview event today, I got to see the latest Bandicoot title, Crash: Mind Over Mutant for Wii – it’s also hitting Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, DS and PSP in the spring.
In this title, seminal antagonists Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Brio have invented some kind of technological device that has turned everyone into zombie-like obsessives, and Crash is the only one unaffected. To stop the evil scientists, Crash will have to liberate the area’s mutants – not unselfishly, of course. The core mechanic relies on using the unique abilities of the beasties you save to fight other monsters, navigate areas and solve puzzles.
When you think of characters at Universal Studios, you think of characters connected to, well, Universal Studios. Characters like Woody Woodpecker or Beetlejuice. In recent years, Universal Studios Hollywood has licensed non-Universal character — for example, Sponge Bob, Marvel Comics superheroes and The Simpsons. Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan has licensed Hello Kitty and Crash Bandicoot. He’s even on the vending machines (pic after the jump). Not sure what a video game character has to do with USJ, but whatever! Someone, explain. Please.
If you had any doubts that the new Nokia N-Gage mobile gaming platform initiative would be anything short of a total success…hold on to them for awhile longer. Nokia has announced that Vivendi Mobile will be bringing none other than the world’s most famous Bandicoot to the mobile platform this fall. No one could be more excited to see Crash than Gregg Sauter, Nokia’s director of third party publishing. Seriously, no one. “Vivendi Games Mobile is one of the most respected publishers in mobile gaming,” said Gregg Sauter, Nokia’s director of third party publishing. “Crash Bandicoot is a gaming icon as well as a global powerhouse, having sold more than 33 million units worldwide. With its fun appeal to people of all ages and incredible graphics, the Crash Bandicoot franchise is the perfect fit for N-Gage.”
I’d have to agree on the perfect fit part, but not for the same reasons I am sure. Is there some sort of hard date when Crash Bandicoot stops being a selling point I don’t know about?
Kotakuite Simon sent in this photo of this Crash Bandicoot themed Hummer he spied at the Annual Balloon Fiesta in Bristol, U.K. I could try to write something clever about it but it wouldn’t come close to Simon’s descriptions of the actual event so I’ll let him do the talking on this one. Has spinners, the works. All with a Wii on the inside that people can play. Opposite side of picture, staff weren’t too keen of me getting a snap. Some man from Kodak stood there playing with it for about an hour so no children could have a go. Sadly as with most things Crash these days it didn’t bring much attention to the franchise. To sum it up from the words of a trusty Nachos eating festival goer “So which of you lucky men gets to drive this bad boy?” And cue countless parents trying to introduce their kids to the wonderful world of spinners.
You know, I have always thought of the British as a classy people, but it’s good to know that they enjoy nachos, Hummers and spinners just as much as us classless Americans.
