Crash 2 and 3 are weird games because, if this makes sense, they feel like they don't realise how good they are. Like, the core gameplay of Crash is so good, but 2 and 3 are filled with so many needless bells and whistles that do nothing but bog down the gameplay (collectables, powerups, vehicles, e.t.c.) and feel like they were put in to compensate for something or other. I get the vibe Naughty Dog were embarassed by putting out a game as (seemingly) simple and primative as Crash when the likes of Banjo-Kazooie and Ape Escape were coming out and wanted to try to "compete" with these completely different games.
