Lawrence.com

Back in the mid-90s, the original Playstation felt it needed a "face" for the system. The Nintendo 64 had Mario, and the Saturn had Sonic. Sony didn't exactly have a mascot, and I assume they didn't want the homicidal clown Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal to fill that role. Instead, Sony released Crash Bandicoot, a pseudo-3D adventure game with a likable protagonist. As such, Crash started showing up in Sony commercials, sequels, and racing games. Unfortunately, the series never quite turned into the phenomenon Sony hoped it would, and the franchise was passed from Naughty Dog to lesser developers. Crash: Mind Over Mutant is what happens when you take a series out of capable hands.

Camera problems are immediately noticeable the first time you play the game. It has trouble tracking you, and it will generally show you the most inconvenient possible angle. These problems are twice as apparent in co-op play, as the camera only tracks Player 1.

Most levels require a healthy dose of backtracking, which (surprise!) is made even more frustrating due to the camera. When you're traveling back through the level, the camera behaves as if there's no change at all. This means there will be plenty of times where you won't be able to see where you're going, or have to basically make blind jumps from platform to platform.

This franchise has been handled extremely poorly, and never really had a chance to become "great". While the original games by Naughty Dog have some competent platforming and charm, these newer incarnations provide nothing but frustration and disappointment.

Graphics: 5.5

Sound: 5.0

First Play: 5.5

Replay Value: 4.5

Gameplay: 5.0

Overall: 5.7