Hapless hero is crash-hot in latest version

Reviewed by Russell Baillie

Crash Bandicoot 3 - Warped

Universal

PlayStation

The panicky, pirouetting and pogoing Crash Bandicoot has become something of a pop-culture icon of the late 90s ... well, perhaps it's just a sign of the crazy mixed-up times in which we live.

Across three instalments now, Crash has proved to be the Wily E. Coyote/Goofy/Daffy Duck of the PlayStation world. A hapless hero who, no doubt, will make the small leap one day from game console to big screen - once he has been given a voice and a sense of direction not dictated by the platform game's adherence to its various lanes.

But what lanes they are. Crash 3 makes a bigger leap in imagination and pace from last year's update than part two did from part one.

On the early levels of his time-travelling scenarios, Crash fends off medieval toads who want to kiss him and rampaging dinosaurs. He must jet-ski through a sea of floating mines, sprint madly along an under-construction Great Wall of China and cope with being chased around Rome's Colosseum by one large gladiator and various hungry felines.

Then it's off into the world of ancient Araby, mad motorbike racing across America and yet more puckering frogs.

With the analogue dual-shock controller, it's a dream for directional control compared with the button-intensive predecessors, and with less requirement for frustratingly precise judgment on jumping, it's an all-round smoother and faster experience, too.

Best of all, Crash retains it's laugh-out-loud surprises - when a Bedouin swordsman comes too close with a swinging blade, it's whoops, Crash down-trou with embarrassed exit stage left.

Interestingly, this may be the last of the PSX mascot's titles before Sony's move up the bit-scale to their new console. Looks like they've extracted every last drop of juice out of the 32-bit system here.

Yes, he may be a silly old 'coot but third time round it's crash-hot again.

Victory Boxing 2

JVC Sports

PlayStation

While there may be some value in having a fighting game based on a real sport, it's hard to see much worthwhile in this poorly conceived boxing title.

Basically, it's a matter of picking your slugger first. Each fighter comes with suspiciously familiar names such as Sonny Lister, Lennox Hedges and Henry Dyson, who each resemble a mean mushroom of either brown or white colouring.

Then you have them punch your opponent faster than they punch you until someone is out for the count.

Graphically, it's blocky and dated. However, 3D allows more than side-to-side movement within the ring. But it's also rather punch-drunk on the responsiveness front.

During the loading waits, various bits of boxing trivia out of the files of Boxing News magazine repeatedly pop up (one about a head injuries study sounds like pure propaganda) but the combined effect of the factoids and its general dreariness serves to make a dull advertisement for the sport.

There's not enough for the diehard fan of the noble art to get excited about. And it's seriously wanting on the gameplay front.

I can't see anyone dragging themselves away from high-kicking and high-fantasy martial arts crunchers like Tekken 3 for what amounts to a plodding lesson in the Queensberry Rules.

- Russell Baillie, 7DAYS

Pictured: Crash Bandicoot