The Bandicoot Returns (and It's About Time!) Crash's Nitro-Fueled Smash Thread

[chocolatejr9]

1. Guys, Sony wasn't able to get Crash in PSASBR because the game had a poor budget. The fact that they got only third party characters from recent games and the fact that we got donte instead of Dante says a lot about the kind of budget they were working with.

2. I saw what happened with Activision earlier. It looks bad, but don't lose hope people! Word has it that Activision has all these studios working on COD because the next game is apparently going to be a disaster so they are putting all hands on deck to make sure their cash cow stays alive. And then they will likely let Beenox and others work on the Crash and Spyro games. Now if we don't hear anything about either series in a couple years, then yeah I would worry. But for now I don't think this is a big danger to Crash.

Basically, it has less to do with Crash and Spyro and more like "Mayday! Mayday! Our cash cow is in danger! Send backup!"

On the one hand, it's pretty obvious that COD is Activision's favorite child (by a lot). But on the other hand, I can't help but feel like they're going a little overboard here...

 

[DanganZilla5]

On the one hand, it's pretty obvious that COD is Activision's favorite child (by a lot). But on the other hand, I can't help but feel like they're going a little overboard here...

Ah yeah, I agree. I'm just saying that there is nothing that directly says that Activision will keep Beenox and TFB on the COD leash forever. At least, that is what I'm thinking is happening. Activision sees how big of a deal Crash is and it's clear that they wanted to make him one of their mascots. I just think that people are overreacting a bit and automatically assuming the worst. I get that this is Activision we are talking about, but after the success of the N. Sane Trilogy and Nitro Fueled, I find it hard to believe that Activision would completely drop Crash (and Spyro) just like that.

 

[Lukingordex]

Ah yeah, I agree. I'm just saying that there is nothing that directly says that Activision will keep Beenox and TFB on the COD leash forever. At least, that is what I'm thinking is happening. Activision sees how big of a deal Crash is and it's clear that they wanted to make him one of their mascots. I just think that people are overreacting a bit and automatically assuming the worst. I get that this is Activision we are talking about, but after the success of the N. Sane Trilogy and Nitro Fueled, I find it hard to believe that Activision would completely drop Crash (and Spyro) just like that.

I really hope this is the case. But man, we've already suffered with Crash and Spyro being dead for so long, that I think both fanbases are scared to death that it could happen again.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

I really hope this is the case. But man, we've already suffered with Crash and Spyro being dead for so long, that I think both fanbases are scared to death that it could happen again.

Activision would be fools to bring back Crash and Spyro briefly from the dead only to bury them back into their graves.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Crash negotiations happened way before the decision to move TfB to Call of Duty was even conceptualized. This should have no bearing on his odds of getting in.

It depends on how far Activision's priorities (and obsession) with Call of Duty and Overwatch reached back.

For all we know, they might've never had enough faith in Crash to even offer him in the first place.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

On the one hand, it's pretty obvious that COD is Activision's favorite child (by a lot). But on the other hand, I can't help but feel like they're going a little overboard here...

There’s also the reports that the next cod is in a bad situation. Iirc CoD Vanguard is a **** show right now, so this might end up being an all hands on deck sitch as well as to see who could step up next time to be the third cod studio.

 

[Starlight Liger]

Activision only cares about making the most amount of money possible. That's why their entire focus is on Call of Duty and little else. Idk why they even made the new Crash, Spyro, and Tony Hawk games in the first place. It felt like there were people that actually cared about games at Activision for a second there, but either they lost the power they had or left the company. Leaving only the greediest execs in charge.

Blame Bobby Kotick, he's the head honcho of Activision Blizzard and he's done so many repulsive creative and business decisions. The only thing that I'm happy about regarding his contributions to gaming is acquiring back Activision and taking Blizzard and Sierra Entertainment (the license holder for Crash Bandicoot and Spyro) from Vivendi.

That's really sad Activision couldn't be bothered to give the franchise more chances after the success of the trilogy.
But instead of fixing mistakes, let's focus on Call of Duty. Wow.

By the way that wouldn't affect Crash's chances at all, since the decision would have been made around three years ago (maybe even more if we see Steve's case). However that doesn't seem to be good for the franchise's future...

No need to apologize for this. These news are legitimately infuriating. I've never had any interest in COD but after this I think I'm slowly starting to hate it. I'm so worried about Crash and Spyro's future right now. For once I thought that these two beloved franchises were back for real and that they wouldn't leave us, and then Activision pulls this up.

Unless Crash Bandicoot 4 underperformed, I don't see the Crash Bandicoot series calling it quits anytime soon. Don't be distressed by what's happening with Call of Duty, it's not relative to the development of Crash Bandicoot even if Toys for Bob are splitting their workforce between the two franchises.

1. Guys, Sony wasn't able to get Crash in PSASBR because the game had a poor budget. The fact that they got only third party characters from recent games and the fact that we got donte instead of Dante says a lot about the kind of budget they were working with.

What's this news about PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale having a low budget? It's Sony, they love to chuck money on their first-party properties.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Blame Bobby Kotick, he's the head honcho of Activision Blizzard and he's done so many repulsive creative and business decisions. The only thing that I'm happy about regarding his contributions to gaming is acquiring back Activision and taking Blizzard and Sierra Entertainment (the license holder for Crash Bandicoot and Spyro) from Vivendi.





Unless Crash Bandicoot 4 underperformed, I don't see the Crash Bandicoot series calling it quits anytime soon. Don't be distressed by what's happening with Call of Duty, it's not relative to the development of Crash Bandicoot even if Toys for Bob are splitting their workforce between the two franchises.



What's this news about PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale having a low budget? It's Sony, they love to chuck money on their first-party properties.

PSABR notably did not get the money most first party Sony ventures did. The game notably was underfunded to an extent. The first parties in honestly support this a ton based on who was in (Donte, Raiden, Big Daddy, Isaac Clarke) and who wasn’t (Snake, Cloud, Lara, Spyro, Crash).

 

[chocolatejr9]

Blame Bobby Kotick, he's the head honcho of Activision Blizzard and he's done so many repulsive creative and business decisions. The only thing that I'm happy about regarding his contributions to gaming is acquiring back Activision and taking Blizzard and Sierra Entertainment (the license holder for Crash Bandicoot and Spyro) from Vivendi.





Unless Crash Bandicoot 4 underperformed, I don't see the Crash Bandicoot series calling it quits anytime soon. Don't be distressed by what's happening with Call of Duty, it's not relative to the development of Crash Bandicoot even if Toys for Bob are splitting their workforce between the two franchises.



What's this news about PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale having a low budget? It's Sony, they love to chuck money on their first-party properties.

I keep hearing people say Crash 4 didn't meet Activision's expectations, but I can never find a source on that, so keep that in mind.

Also, PSABR had a NOTORIOUSLY low budget. It was clear Sony didn't have that much faith in the project. But hey, at least Kat from Gravity Rush made it.

Gravity Rush deserved better...

 

[DanganZilla5]

What's this news about PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale having a low budget? It's Sony, they love to chuck money on their first-party properties.

It's not confirmed, but again if you look at the third party selection it's obvious. Instead of PlayStation icons like Crash, Spyro, Cloud, Snake, and Lara Croft, we instead get Big Daddy whose game was actually on Xbox first but got in to promote Bioshock Infinite. We got discount Dante, Raiden instead of Snake because of Reveagence, Isaac because of Dead Space 3, and I believe Heihachi got a new game around the time too.

Aside from donte, I'm not saying any of those are bad choices. My point is that due to all these characters having a new game around the release of the game, plus some of them being random choices, means that the dev team could only afford cross-promotional characters.

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

PSABR notably did not get the money most first party Sony ventures did. The game notably was underfunded to an extent. The first parties in honestly support this a ton based on who was in (Donte, Raiden, Big Daddy, Isaac Clarke) and who wasn’t (Snake, Cloud, Lara, Spyro, Crash).

It should be noted that most of the characters who got into the roster were because of them being featured in recent games (Dante is the biggest dead giveaway from this) so PSASBR was basically a walking advertisement for the most part.

We can complain about Min, Pyra and Mythra and the like, but the are FAR more subtle in comparison.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Activision are idiots if they decide to drop Crash now with how well the N' Sane Trilogy sold.

 

[THE 6r]

It should be noted that most of the characters who got into the roster were because of them being featured in recent games (Dante is the biggest dead giveaway from this) so PSASBR was basically a walking advertisement for the most part.

We can complain about Min, Pyra and Mythra and the like, but the are FAR more subtle in comparison.

Not to mention Arms and Xenoblade 2 were significantly better received then the DMC Reboot

 

[Lionfranky]

Just questions guys... would you see that Crash goes back to grave again for long time if it means he joins Smash?

 

[chocolatejr9]

It should be noted that most of the characters who got into the roster were because of them being featured in recent games (Dante is the biggest dead giveaway from this) so PSASBR was basically a walking advertisement for the most part.

We can complain about Min, Pyra and Mythra and the like, but the are FAR more subtle in comparison.

Not to mention Arms and Xenoblade 2 were significantly better received then the DMC Reboot

On top of that, their games came out years ago, so it's a lot harder to justify calling them promotional picks.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Not to mention Arms and Xenoblade 2 were significantly better received then the DMC Reboot

To be fair nearly EVERYTHING is better received than the DMC “reboot” (which was totally unnecessary and ultimately retconned) so that’s not exactly setting the bar that high

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Just questions guys... would you see that Crash goes back to grave again for long time if it means he joins Smash?

A lot of people would be upset for not seeing another Crash game for a few years even if Crash does make it into Smash. But at this point, I'll take Crash in Smash over a Crash 5.

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

Just questions guys... would you see that Crash goes back to grave again for long time if it means he joins Smash?

Honestly no.

As much as i love the idea of Crash in Smash now (he would be the only DLC fighter that i would buy should he be part of FP2) im honestly happier that Crash is alive now.

I would rather see the franchise expand again with more game sequels (maybe become a new trilogy) another spin-off, and more, than to have Crash sacrifice his future in order to be in Smash.

 

[THE 6r]

Just questions guys... would you see that Crash goes back to grave again for long time if it means he joins Smash?

Crash in Smash would mean the character never dies.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Crash deserves to be in the gaming hall of fame and he especially deserves to be in Ultimate with all the veterans and big icons.

 

[MonkeyDLenny]

Crash negotiations happened way before the decision to move TfB to Call of Duty was even conceptualized. This should have no bearing on his odds of getting in.

Actually I see this as indicative of him NOT being in Smash, and it just wasn't in the cards at all.

Think about it: Would Activision REALLY be gutting Crash's development team right now if he was joining Smash in a few months? Smash's power as advertisement is unrivaled, Steve joining Smash broke Twitter entirely

Everyone knows Smash reveals are a big deal, it's the one time that the fandom spills out on to everything else. People are STILL begging for Persona 5 ports after Joker got in, Dragon Quest got a serious boost in the west after Hero, Banjo's inclusion is still celebrated, King of Fighters got a big brand recognition boost after Terry, and you get where I'm going.

Activision would have waited and seen how Crash's inclusion in Smash would have affected the brand, but the fact that they're just tearing it all down means they're done and they have no real future plans besides supporting the mobile game since it's an easy money factory.


In short, this is a pretty loud and clear indication that Crash was never coming to Smash... **** hurts, man

 

[Perkilator]

From gamesradar

The way this is worded is that it seems that while yes Toys for Bob IS working on CoD. They would be involved in crash in the future as well.

Again, they maybe taking a year hiatus to figure out a plan for both crash and Spyro. pic.twitter.com/McKkRonF8L

— Canadian Guy Eh (@Canadianguyehh) April 30, 2021

This is a big relief!

Doesn’t make everything A-OK but it’s good to hear Crash and Spyro are at least still in the realm is possibility for TFB.

 

[Starlight Liger]

Not to mention Arms and Xenoblade 2 were significantly better received then the DMC Reboot

And the developers of the DmC reboot are currently a Microsoft development studio, it's like poetry.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Actually I see this as indicative of him NOT being in Smash, and it just wasn't in the cards at all.

Think about it: Would Activision REALLY be gutting Crash's development team right now if he was joining Smash in a few months? Smash's power as advertisement is unrivaled, Steve joining Smash broke Twitter entirely

Everyone knows Smash reveals are a big deal, it's the one time that the fandom spills out on to everything else. People are STILL begging for Persona 5 ports after Joker got in, Dragon Quest got a serious boost in the west after Hero, Banjo's inclusion is still celebrated, King of Fighters got a big brand recognition boost after Terry, and you get where I'm going.

Activision would have waited and seen how Crash's inclusion in Smash would have affected the brand, but the fact that they're just tearing it all down means they're done and they have no real future plans besides supporting the mobile game since it's an easy money factory.


In short, this is a pretty loud and clear indication that Crash was never coming to Smash... **** hurts, man

But TFB isn’t Crash’s development team: it’s Crash 4’s dev team.

Beenox, King , VV, and TFB are all people who have worked on crash in the past 5 years. Even if TFB is currently taking COD duty, it’s not like another studio can’t work on Crash. Besides, we know based on Activision’s press release that there is other stuff coming for Crash this year.

Also late edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/crashbandi...urce=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Turns out TFB hasn’t been gutted. An external art team did not have their contract renewed, but they didn’t fire anyone.

 

[AnEasterEgg]

Actually I see this as indicative of him NOT being in Smash, and it just wasn't in the cards at all.

Think about it: Would Activision REALLY be gutting Crash's development team right now if he was joining Smash in a few months? Smash's power as advertisement is unrivaled, Steve joining Smash broke Twitter entirely

Everyone knows Smash reveals are a big deal, it's the one time that the fandom spills out on to everything else. People are STILL begging for Persona 5 ports after Joker got in, Dragon Quest got a serious boost in the west after Hero, Banjo's inclusion is still celebrated, King of Fighters got a big brand recognition boost after Terry, and you get where I'm going.

Activision would have waited and seen how Crash's inclusion in Smash would have affected the brand, but the fact that they're just tearing it all down means they're done and they have no real future plans besides supporting the mobile game since it's an easy money factory.


In short, this is a pretty loud and clear indication that Crash was never coming to Smash... **** hurts, man

That's assuming Toys for Bob are the only ones who can make a Crash game (they aren't) and they're being put on CoD indefinitely (very doubtful). You're making too much of this, we still need to see how things play out.

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

Actually I see this as indicative of him NOT being in Smash, and it just wasn't in the cards at all.

Think about it: Would Activision REALLY be gutting Crash's development team right now if he was joining Smash in a few months? Smash's power as advertisement is unrivaled, Steve joining Smash broke Twitter entirely

Everyone knows Smash reveals are a big deal, it's the one time that the fandom spills out on to everything else. People are STILL begging for Persona 5 ports after Joker got in, Dragon Quest got a serious boost in the west after Hero, Banjo's inclusion is still celebrated, King of Fighters got a big brand recognition boost after Terry, and you get where I'm going.

Activision would have waited and seen how Crash's inclusion in Smash would have affected the brand, but the fact that they're just tearing it all down means they're done and they have no real future plans besides supporting the mobile game since it's an easy money factory.


In short, this is a pretty loud and clear indication that Crash was never coming to Smash... **** hurts, man

I don't want to be a doomer, but i agree on this. (Regarding Smash, not the developers working on COD deal)

The problem with Crash isn't his lack of merit. He is a highly popular game character that comes from a very popular genre of games, is one of the few Western Ips with actual popularity, is requested by thousands and recognized by millions, and is present and accounted for in all the current game consoles.

But it was never about merit, it was about timing. Crash's revival simply came too late for it to matter to Smash. He started gaining traction again in '17, a few years after Smash Ultimate's Roster planning was complete (the game started with the project plan being finished by December of '15) and by the time Crash came back with an actually new game in the form of Crash 4, it was simply too late, as it was released after both FP1 and 2 had finished their development, and then you also have to combine the whole "working with a western third party isn't too easy" deal. Had Crash made a comeback just a few years prior, the story likely would have been a little bit different.

I honestly saw this coming after Sephiroth's reveal at the Game Awards, but i had my reservations in case he was revealed next, but no more.

I do NOT think Crash is dead again, but i do think he is not coming to Smash.

 

[THE 6r]

I don't want to be a doomer, but i agree on this. (Regarding Smash, not the developers working on COD deal)

The problem with Crash isn't his lack of merit. He is a highly popular game character that comes from a very popular genre of games, is one of the few Western Ips with actual popularity, is requested by thousands and recognized by millions, and is present and accounted for in all the current game consoles.

But it was never about merit, it was about timing. Crash's revival simply came too late for it to matter to Smash. He started gaining traction again in '17, a few years after Smash Ultimate's Roster planning was complete (the game started with the project plan being finished by December of '15) and by the time Crash came back with an actually new game in the form of Crash 4, it was simply too late, as it was released after both FP1 and 2 had finished their development, and then you also have to combine the whole "working with a western third party isn't too easy" deal. Had Crash made a comeback just a few years prior, the story likely would have been a little bit different.

I honestly saw this coming after Sephiroth's reveal at the Game Awards, but i had my reservations in case he was revealed next, but no more.

I do NOT think Crash is dead again, but i do think he is not coming to Smash.

Relevance means nothing.

See also: Rool, King K. and Zazooie, Banjo and

 

[DanganZilla5]

Why does it matter that Crash's revival was in 2017? The second fighters pass was not finalized until late 2019. By that time the N. Sane trilogy and Nitro Fueled showed success and Nintendo might have heard about Crash 4 by then. I think there was just enough time for Nintendo to see that Crash was back and that it's worth putting him in Smash.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Why does it matter that Crash's revival was in 2017? The second fighters pass was not finalized until late 2019. By that time the N. Sane trilogy and Nitro Fueled showed success and Nintendo might have heard about Crash 4 by then. I think there was just enough time for Nintendo to see that Crash was back and that it's worth putting him in Smash.

Maybe they wanted to see if Crash 4 did well to see if Crash was REALLY back or if it was just a fad?

 

[TDDolphin]

Relevance means nothing.

See also: Rool, King K. and Zazooie, Banjo and

I'm assuming you mean Ridley, King K. Rool and Banjo & Kazooie, and I agree with you. I'd also put Simon alongside them since he was also highly-requested for a long time (though not to the same extent, I will admit), and Castlevania as a series hadn't been relavent for a long time before coming to Ultimate.

As for Crash's chances, I still think he's got a very good shot for the E3 reveal. I won't say he's in 100%, because that's a dangerous mentality to have in regards to Smash speculation, but still, I'd say he's got a good shot to happen. Though I have recently changed my mind on the Crash 5-Year Plan having "Crash for Smash in 2021" being a good indicator of him coming. I'm just treating it like any other leak that had correctly leaked about stuff outside of Smash, while faking the actual Smash details for more credibility, much like how I see the Nihon Falcom leak from last year, or the LoL leak, or the recent Phantasy Star leak.

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

Relevance means nothing.

See also: Rool, King K. and Zazooie, Banjo and

This isn't about "relevance" , it's timing.

Furthermore, all of those characters you mentioned only further prove my point, because all of them were large requests from the Smash Ballot, which happened in '15 (the Ballot ended in October which was only 2 months before the Smash Ultimate Project Planning was completed) plus Phil Spencer's word about Banjo in Smash. Also we know that Steve's negotiations took almost 5 years according Daniel Kalpan (former MC production director). Smash games take a long time, and all of these events happened before Smash Ultimate started development, so they made these choices in advance. Im pretty sure all of these things happening years ago influenced Smash's roster, especially because they all basically happened during what was likely the roster being planned (Smash requests almost never influence the current games, they influence the FUTURE ones, which is why Smash Four's K.Rool support ended up helping for his inclusion in the next game)

Crash was still dead at the time, and Activision barely even flirted with the idea of bringing him back until at least a few months later, plus Activision never showd the same enthusiasm as Microsoft has when it comes to Smash (at least in public)

This is not so different from what happened to ARMS and Xenoblade in the base game, they may had stand a chance and not been for the fact that the game was well into development and it was simply too late for them in the base game. They managed to get a chance in DLC, but i don't think Crash will be as lucky.

It doesn't matter how "relevant" you are if you become relevant after Smash's roster plan has been finished, which is what im arguing about.

I'm assuming you mean Ridley, King K. Rool and Banjo & Kazooie, and I agree with you. I'd also put Simon alongside them since he was also highly-requested for a long time (though not to the same extent, I will admit), and Castlevania as a series hadn't been relavent for a long time before coming to Ultimate.

This is a common misconception, but it's completely false. Castlevania was still alive during the early plannings of Ultimate, just not in the way most fans want to remember.

After the low sales of the DS Games (Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia) and the bloated confusing timeline that it had, the series was rebooted into Lords of Shadow, the most recent game was Lords of Shadow 2 in Twenty Fourth teen, the same year as Smash For Wii U/3DS, and a year before Smash Ultiamte started being planned out. and as for Simon, he was a main playable character in Mirror of Fate for the 3DS in Twenty Thirtheen, so if by Relevant you mean "Appearing in a prominent role in a recent game" you are pretty much wrong.

He was as relevant as you could imagine (and don't give me "BUT SIMON FROM MIRROR OF FATE WAS FROM A DIFFERENT CONTINUITY FROM THE ONE WE HAVE IN SMASH", because relevance's usage in the Smash Community almost always means "has this character appeared in a recent game", and Simon fit that definition, regardless of incarnation) but back then almost nobody talked about Simon in Smash because "one character per company" was a popular fan-rule at time time: "We already have Snake, why would they add Simon" was pretty much the common response, plus people didn't saw Snake coming back which only made reasons to talk about Konami characters even less popular.



Simon did not come into Smash existence in August 8th of '18, he was part of Smash's roster as soon as the game started development, and during those days it didn't seem as if Castlevania was going into a hiatus (it only became an accepted fact after the whole Konami Kojima drama)

IF Crash is in Smash, he already is part of the roster and we just haven't seen him yet, meaning that time timing may have late for Base Game but not for DLC, which wouldn't be a first (i mean i just mentioned how Xeno 2 and ARMS basically got a second chance thanks to this Fighter Pass) so i do admit there's till a decent chance, im just not counting on it.

As for Crash's chances, I still think he's got a very good shot for the E3 reveal.

This is Crash's saving grace in my opinion. Crash is a character who is meant to be a big reveal, so maybe they are waiting for a reveal at E3, and i think if there's any moment to reveal him assuming he is even in the roster, it's there.

I have mentioned how things in Smash are planned well in advance, so the idea of Crash being an E3 reveal wouldn't surprise me too much, although i will assume that in said scenario he is the penultimate reveal, as the last character reveals in Smash ALWYAS end not with a bang, but a whimper.

 

[Brother AJ]

Geez, a lot has been going on while I was on vacation huh? At least we only have a little over a month until E3...

 

[ninjahmos]

If Crash were to be added to Smash, do you think they would add music from the original trilogy, and maybe even Crash Twinsanity? Because...I hope so...

 

[Perkilator]

If Crash were to be added to Smash, do you think they would add music from the original trilogy, and maybe even Crash Twinsanity? Because...I hope so...

I think the OG trilogy should be a no-brainer (and maybe even music from CTR and IAT). I'd like Twinsanity music as well (along with plenty of other games), but it depends on whether or not Nintendo would have to go through Spiralmouth.

 

[TDDolphin]

If Crash were to be added to Smash, do you think they would add music from the original trilogy, and maybe even Crash Twinsanity? Because...I hope so...

I feel like they'd pull from the N. Sane Trilogy mostly. Songs I'd like to see include a Main Theme Medley, N. Sanity Beach, Hog Wild, Toxic Waste, Turtle Woods, Snow Go, The Eel Deal, Orient Express, Dingodile and maybe some other boss themes.

 

[Faso115]

2018-2019 is a good timeframe to have crash be on Nintendo's radar, since they made a big deal of NST ports around the same time they teased Ultimate. Crash can certainly happen but we wont know until he is revealed or the DLC season is over.

 

[AnEasterEgg]

I'd love to see some CTR music as well. Too many bangers to just ignore it entirely, and it is one of the most universally loved games outside of the original trilogy.

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

If there's one thing Wrath of Cortex did better than It's About Time, it was the music. I hate to say it but the music of Crash Four is the weakest aspect of the game (outside of you know..........completing it) i mean there are good ones like Home Cookin', Out for Launch and Ship Wrecked, but even then they pale in comparison to most of WoC's music. I mean name me at least one song from It's About Time that is as catchy as Wizards and Lizards, or Tornado Alley, or Compactor Reactor or Solar Bowler, or Rumble in the Rocks,

Can we please get Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra back into composing games again? They are one of the most underrated game composers alongside Tim Follin.

This isn't even a close call, WoC has a superior soundtrack in every single way possible. I consider it the best Soundtrack in the entire franchise alongside Twinsanity (and i would argue the more traditional instrumentation makes it more accessible) and i would be more than okay if they used some of the songs in Smash.

 

[THE 6r]

Recently I went back through the K Rool thread from the time before his reveal. I thought you guys might want to take a look there too as there are many relatable sentiments from the posts in that thread ( Linked Here ). Go to about the 140-160's range for some musings that we could all learn from (Character reveal reactions happen starting page 169)

 

[Lukingordex]

If there's one thing Wrath of Cortex did better than It's About Time, it was the music. I hate to say it but the music of Crash Four is the weakest aspect of the game (outside of you know..........completing it) i mean there are good ones like Home Cookin', Out for Launch and Ship Wrecked, but even then they pale in comparison to most of WoC's music. I mean name me at least one song from It's About Time that is as catchy as Wizards and Lizards, or Tornado Alley, or Compactor Reactor or Solar Bowler, or Rumble in the Rocks,

Can we please get Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra back into composing games again? They are one of the most underrated game composers alongside Tim Follin.

This isn't even a close call, WoC has a superior soundtrack in every single way possible. I consider it the best Soundtrack in the entire franchise alongside Twinsanity (and i would argue the more traditional instrumentation makes it more accessible) and i would be more than okay if they used some of the songs in Smash.

To be fair, Crash's soundtrack in the OG trilogy and IAT is much more focused on atmosphere, rather than being tunes to be "listened" by themselves. To me, one of the strongest aspects of the series is how the music feels like it is a part of the enviroment, they just feel like they naturally belong there. It just hits differently, I suppose.
The downside for it is that these aren't the kind of tracks that you're going to immediately notice because, mostly, they are composed to fit the atmosphere.
Heck, go listen to tunes from Crash 1 such as Jungle Rollers, Temple Ruins, and specially Generator Room, these are crazy in the atmosphere department. In the case of Crash 4, personally, I really enjoy tunes like Crash Landed, all the 1400's Japan levels tunes, Nitro Processing and Toxic Tunnels for that reason, although I'll admit they're not as strong in that department as Crash 1 was.

To give some constrast, I just played 35 hours of Shovel Knight (a game I haven't played before) and sure, the music is really great to give a listen to, but they don't feel like they are "naturally" involved in the atmosphere, more like neat tunes you're listening while platforming.

I don't think neither of these are bad things, both series have different approaches to what they want to accomplish, and that's fine. I just feel like the Crash series end up getting the short end of the stick because a lot of people only see music as good if they're immediatly bumping to it.