A Brief History Of: One Particular Bandicoot

Alright time for my 3rd edition of my not so regular (sometime's not so brief) A Brief History of feature. I've been meaning to write this for a while now abd with me on a bit of a blogging slump I felt it was the perfect time for a write up. So lets get the show on the road!

Crash Bandicoot



Released on the 31st of August 1996 (November for Europe) for the Sony Playstation, Crash Bandicoot was Naughty Dog's first venture for Sony. Since then the Crash Bandicoot series has become a commercial success and has sold over 40 million copies. In the past they're console related games had been for the Sega Genesis, such as Keef the Thief and Rings of Power. The original Crash Bandicoot has also sold over 6.8 million copies (not including PSN sales), making it the seventh best selling Playstation game of all time.

Crash Bandicoot followed the adventures of it's name sake, Crash as he travelled through the fictional Wumpa islands intending to save his girl, Tawna and save the world from the evil Neo Cortex. The game itself was a 3D platformer and perhaps it's greatest success was in it's simplicity. Crash could run, jump and perform a spin attack. The majority of the game would be spent jumping over pits, running from boulders, smashing open boxes and defeating a number of homicidal animals. Naughty Dog managed to keep the game fresh and exciting with a number of colourful environments, great music and memorable characters. Levels were also diverse, twisting the view from running up screen to having you go from side to side, putting the character on a wild pig, making your way up stream with a water death either side of you or even the bridge levels where one false jump could be fatal. With the success of the first game Naughty Dog and Crash looked to have a bright future ahead of them.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back



The sequel to Crash came in October 1997 (December 1997 in Europe). Many of the main concepts remained. Crash would again be taken through a number of colourful levels to try to stop his nemesis Dr. Neo Cortex. However things were done differently. This was the first time that crystals were introduced to a Crash game. There had been gems in the original game, awarded for smashing all of the boxes in the level. And gems remained in the sequel, for again smashing all of the boxes within a level. However crystals had to be collected to proceed. They were the goal the player played towards. Ridable characters were again introduced such as the polar bear, which featured more prominantly this time round, along with a jetsky and jetpack. Another change was also with the level selection theme. In the original game you hopped from level to level in a line across each island. However in the newer game levels were split into tiers, with 5 levels to each tier. Each getting progressively harder as you neared the endgame.

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped



The third iteration of Crash Bandicoot is perhaps the most refined game out of the whole franchise. The third game being a favourite among fans and critics. The final Crash platformer to come out of Naughty Dog, it was released in November 1998 (December 1998 in Europe). Warped took the principles of the second and expanded upon them to create one of the most enjoyable platformers on the PS1. After his defeat had the hands of Crash after the second game, Cortex is at his wits end. Uka uka, an evil mask takes charge and plans to gather crystals to plunge the world into darkness. The plot was pretty thin but that's not what Crash Bandicoot games are know for. Crash's sister returned as a playable character and the aku aku mask, who just shielded you from harm was given a voice and personality. The levels were again in tiers, with a boss after every five. Travelling through time meant the developers could go wild, and it shows. The levels are created with amusing enemies and scenarios. There was also a wide variety of things to do. Gone were just running away from a boulder or hoping on a jetsky. This included dinosaurs, tigers, underwater levels, airplanes, blimps, Crash's badass motorcycle and more. Crash also got an upgrade to his abilities after each boss, whether it was a higher jump, a longer spin which allowed to to glide somewhat and by the end of the game you had a bazooka that shot wumpa fruit.

Crash Team Racing (1999):

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Crash Team Racing was the first spin off Crash had, and was the final Crash Bandicoot game developed by Naughty Dog as they would leave Universal Interactive Studios to become an in house developer for Sony. This kart racer was everything you would expect from this kind of game in the genre. Players would race around tracks inspired by levels from Crash games, as characters from the games. Power ups could be picked up on the track by driving through crates. The game was influenced by Mario Kart on the Nintendo, but this wasn't a bad thing as the game recieved favourable views across the board.

Crash Bash (2000):



The fifth Crash game was developed by Eurocom and was the last Crash Bandicoot game to appear on the PS1. It was the first party game that Crash starred in, taking influences from Mario Party. It scored well. There were a number of mini-games on offer and characters from across the series appeared. Ballistix had players trying to knock steel balls into opponents goals, similar to air hockey in it's execution. Crate Crush tested players for their ability to run, jump, throw, and battle it out with stone blocks, TNT and Nitro Crates, while in Polar Push players galloped around on polar bears trying to push each other off the slippery surface.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001):



The first game to appear on the PS2, and the first game to be developed by Travellers Tales, Crash Bandicoot was brought to the next generation of consoles. However the game got mixed reviews, many complaining about the lack of innovation or Travellers Tale's not bringing anything new to the series. Crash must once again defeat Neo Cortex and Uka Uka, while collecting crytals and gems. The music again is praised but poor level design and it's trial and error gameplay kept this game from reaching anything but average, while the gamecube version was a failure. As it was said “everything in the Wrath of Cortex has already been done on the PS2”.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (2002) & Crash Bandicoot: N-Tranced (2003):



Both of these games came out for the Gameboy Advance and were developed by Vicarious Visions. The Huge adventure follows Crash as he tries to stop Cortex from shrinking the Earth by again, collecting crystals. The game did well, being praised for it's pleasing visuals and level design with IGN giving it a cool 9 out of 10. N-Tranced was again for the Gameboy Advance and developed by Vicarious Visions. This again did well with Crash battling it out against the time travelling N-Tropy. But it was again criticised for it's lack of innovation.

Crash Nitro Kart (2003) & Crash Tag Team Racing (2005):



Crash again was taken into the racing genre in both 2003 and 2005 on the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. While Crash Nitro Kart was really just another kart racer similar to the original, Crash Tag Team Racing introduced the new mechanics of meshing two cars together. During a race you would mesh with an opponents car to take control of a turret to take out other opponents, which brought something new and fresh to this particular game.

Crash Twin Sanity (2004):



Appearing between both of the racing games, Crash Twin Sanity was another platformer, following the story 3 years after The Wrath of Cortex. Released for both the PS2 and Xbox the game recieved fair reviews. The game follows Crash and Cortex, as they are forced to work together to stop The Evil Twins, a duo of parrots who plot to destroy the archipelago of islands the characters of the series inhabit.

Crash of the Titans (2007) & Crash: Mind Over Mutant (2008):



Both of these games appeared on the PS2, Xbox360, Wii, PSP, DS and Gameboy Advance. Developed by Radical Development, this marked a certain change in direction for the series. The characters were given a new “punk” look. In Crash of the Titans the story centers around the discovery of a new substance called Mojo. The handheld version did particularly well and the games were finally praised for doing something new, as many past titles weren't bringing anyhting new to the series. Crash of the Titans introduces “jacking”, allowing you to take control of larger enemies. Crash himself had a light and heavy attack along with being able to dodge and block attacks. Crash: Mind over Mutant kept many of the new elements and recieved mixed reviews, but introduced drop-in drop-out cooperative play.

Jokichi Takamine, Pioner Kimiawan Jepang

3000 years ago, in an ancient land called Animaria, an evil arose from the Earth - vile creatures known as Org. Led by the fearsome Master Org, these creatures lived only for destruction. Five mighty warriors, armed with the magical Crystal Sabers, defended Animaria against the Org. To protect Animaria as the war waged on, the warriors used the power of the Sabers to lift Animaria into the sky. Princess Shayla remained on the floating island, in a deep sleep, along with five Wild Zords, waiting for the day when they are once again needed. The warriors defeated the Org, with the help of several other Wild Zords, which would be lost over time, and imprisoned the Org deep within the Earth.

In the time that has passed, pollution has weakened the Earth, allowing the Org to slowly break free of their prisons. Princess Shayla awoke, and the Wild Zords began choosing champions who would defend the Earth as Wild Force Power Rangers. Taylor - a tough as nails fighter pilot, Danny - a soft spoken florist, Max - a wisecracking youngster, Alyssa - a kind hearted college student, and Cole - a young man raised in the wilderness in search of his true origin. The Rangers mission grew increasingly dangerous as the leader of all Orgs, Master Org returned to reunite his empire.

Throughout their adventures, the Rangers would uncover the lost Wild Zords. During times of need, new Zords were either found or appeared to the Rangers. Alyssa found the Elephant, Max was saved by the Giraffe, Taylor helped the Bears regain their true forms, Cole was saved from Master Org by the Gorilla, and found an egg which hatched into a baby Soul Bird, Danny was joined by the Rhino and Armadillo, Merrick and Shayla sang to the Deer to bring it back, and a spiritual quest revealed the Falcon to Cole.

The General Org named Nayzor opened a tomb in which Zen-Aku lay for 3,000 years. Imprisoned by the five Ancient Warriors, Zen-Aku sought revenge by destroying their successors - the Wild Force Rangers. He defeated them time and time again, wearing them down until the day he would actually destroy them. The Rangers eventually discovered that Zen-Aku was actually Merrick, the sixth Ancient Warrior who became cursed by a wolf mask he put on to gain enough power to destroy Master Org 3,000 years ago. The Rangers broke the curse, and restored Merrick to normal. Merrick's Wild Zords granted him the Lunar Caller, which he uses to morph into the Lunar Wolf Ranger. Merrick doesn't join the team, feeling guilty about his misdeeds, but helps the Rangers out when they need it.

Master Org kidnapped Princess Shayla for a ritual in which an Org heart would be created. During the ritual, Toxica and Jindrax helped the Rangers by rescuing the Princess, but Master Org was still able to create the Org heart, which gave him ultimate power. He was destroyed in the final battle by dozens of Wild Zords, who had emerged to help the powerless Rangers. Toxica and Jindrax made their peace with the Rangers and left to roam the world. Princess Shayla took the Rangers' powers back and stayed on the Animarium, while the Rangers returned to normal lives.

Shane, Tori and Dustin are three students at the Wind Ninja Academy. Their less than stellar performance gets them the occasional lecture from their Sensei. One day, the academy was attacked by Lothor, a banished ninja master who has returned to capture all ninja students. Shane, Tori and Dustin are the only three remaining students, and along with Sensei and his son Cam, retreat into the underground Ninja Ops. There, the three are given morphers, which allow them to transform into Wind Rangers and protect the city of Blue Bay Harbor from Lothor's forces.untuk lebih jelas klik disini

When Lothor demonstrated his ability to make his monsters grow into giants, the Rangers unleashed the Ninja Zords, which could combine into the Storm Megazord and destroy monsters with its arsenal of Power Spheres. Lothor again raised the stakes by sending his new allies to battle the Wind Rangers - the Thunder Rangers Blake and Hunter, who had their own Thunder Zords. The Thunder Rangers were on a mission to destroy the Wind Rangers' Sensei, who they beleived to be responsible for their parent's death, but a visit from the afterlife from Blake and Hunter's parents showed them the truth - that it was Lothor who killed them. The Thunder Rangers saw the error of their ways and joined the Wind Rangers in the battle against Lothor, bringing the Thunder and Ninja Zords together to form the Thunderstorm Megazord.

When the Rangers lost their powers, Cam used the Scroll of Time to travel into the past and retrieve the Samurai Amulet, a family heirloom in the possession of his mother. Cam travelled back to present day and used the amulet to become the Green Samurai Ranger, armed with the Samurai Star. A lost scroll would later reveal to Cam the Lightning Riff Blaster, which could summon the Mighty Mammoth Zord.

Lothor attempted to open the Abyss of Evil and release its evil into the world. In a final battle, he stole all of the Rangers' powers, but was defeated by their ninja skills and thrown into abyss. The powerless Rangers resumed their normals lives, free from the menace of Lothor and his army.

The Lyric

Deep in the Mountains

Secret Ninja Academies Train Our Future Protectors

Ancient Scrolls Told of Three Who Would be Choosen Above the Others

Three Who Would Become...

Go, Power Rangers

Go, Ninja Storm

Let's Go!