Which original PSX series has aged better? Spyro or Crash Bandicoot?

[Leeroy ST]

(Only talking about original PSX games)

These two were major titles from two studios that would later be acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment (Now SIE which I don't like but I know why they did it.) one was the unofficial mascot and the other became a major sales surprise. What's more crazy is both studios behind these franchises worked in the same building!

 

Crash games include:

1. Crash Bandicoot
2. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
3. Crash Bandicoot Warped

 

 

Spyro games include:

1. Spyro the Dragon
2. Spyro the Dragon 2: Riptos Rage
3. Spyro Year of the Dragon

 

Not including Crash Bash since that was a different studio of course and focusing on platformers.

 

So I was wondering how people on Atariage felt about how well these two franchises have aged. Considering the remakes have sold well, especially Crash which is rumored to be near 15 million shipped and already sold over 10 million, something I though would be a much better deal, it does make me wonder how people feel about the original titles.

 

Personally, I think Spyro aged better overall but both have aged well generally. My main issue is the first Crash Bandicoot game was definitely more of a graphic showcase and wasn't as polished as Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3. Spyro hit it right from the start with the first game, and dealt with the lack of narration, character interaction, and empty levels with the second game, with the third just being an extension of what the second game did right.

 

Crash had a good looking but sloppy first game with 2 Building on that, and while 3 is arguably the most popular game in the series the experimental gimmicks to pad out the levels create a mixed back that's harder to go back to then at the time the game was new. This was aided, at least for me, by the release of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex which was basically a remade Crash Bandicoot 3 with nicer graphics It had the same experimental formula adding gimmicks to pad out the levels, even during parts of regular Crash platforming stages! They also reduced the boss to one but gave him new powers based on which "mask" possessed him. This format had hurt the games reputation, along with long loading times for the PS2 version, and makes me as well as many other rethink Crash Bandicoot 3.

 

Spyro was imo, more consistent, but I have to give it to Crash, his formula was more expandable while Spyro's popularity relied on its consistency. This is why deviation from the formula nearly ended the series during the early 2000's with low sales requiring a reboot, and then another reboot, and now we are going to have another reboot on top of that soon.

 

I also felt that having characters and environments you could interact with and absorb with Spyro 2 and year of the dragon were important to the games charm and design. Crash was always straight forward where the personality only came from the boss battles. This wouldn't really change until Twinsanity.

 

What are your thoughts on how these two franchises aged? 

 

Shout out to Team Racing though, not a platformer but it's engaging SP mode has yet to be matched and it has a unique, though mixed, MP mode that's pretty good to.

 

[Torr]

I dunno... you tell us.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

2 hours ago, Torr said:

I dunno... you tell us.

Might as well, nobody else's opinion will matter.....?

[KeeperofLindblum]

I can't really say why, but I've always liked Spyro better.

 

IMO I think it's aged better, but that's probably mostly overshadowed by a nostalgia for Spyro versus actual opinion on how well they aged. 

[fultonbot]

I can still play the original Crash, and I still love it. 

[DragonGrafx-16]

I've never played Crash lol... I voted Spyro cause dragons and that I have actually played it. But I have seen Crash gameplay...  It really boils down if you like non-linear or linear based levels. Also saw a copy of the original Spyri Trilogy box set at a store today but it was $70... you can buy all three games separate for cheaper than that and even the remastered trilogy for less than half that.