Crash Bash is fun to play with friends, but don't think you're gonna be able to play it a long time by yourself.
Gameplay, 7. Just like what the Crash Bandicoot franchise did when Crash Team Racing was released, trying to be Mario's Playstation counterpart, Crash Bash is the counterpart of Mario Party, however, you do travel around on a board playing one-minute mini-games in Crash Bash. Crash Bash has four players engaging in multiple game types battleing it out. In Crash Bash there are seven different game types: Crate Crush, Polar Push, Pogo Pandemonium, Ballistix, Tank Wars, Crash Dash, and Medieval Mayhem. In Crate Crush you run around the level grabbing crates and throwing them at the other players. In Polar Push you ride a polar bear around an icy platform attempting to push the other players around. In Pogo Pandemonium you are on a pogo-stick (or something else depending on the character you're playing as) landing on spaces to turn them into your color, when you hit a purple event box you cash in your points based on how many squares were your color. If someone lands on your square then it turns into their color. Tanks Wars is a more exciting game where you are in a tank driving in narrow corridors shooting your opponents. Crash Dash is a top-down racing game where you drive around small, circular courses. Medieval Mayhem is a variety of different games, the only thing they have in common being a medieval times theme to them. In each game you play multiple rounds of them until the someone gets the required amount of wins, this can be anywhere from just one win, all the way to seven. There is a single-player mode where you can beat the game. This single-player restores the original style of the "Warp Room" concept that Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back did. In each level you have to get the trophy by coming in first place. After getting the trophy you can get the gem and crystal of the completed level. Gem rounds are one round games that have smarter computer players and often the hazardous element unique to that level has been made more dangerous. Crystal rounds offer a unique round with a different background to the level you're playing on. Eventually you can get Relics. To beat a Relic round you have to win twice in a row against tough computers. After you've gotten enough trophies, gems, and crystals you can fight a boss. There is a Vs. mode for you and up two three friends can play each other on any level you've unlocked. There is a tournament mode where you and up to three friends can compete against each other in all four levels of a specific game type.
The games may not be particulary deep but they're fun enough to be fairly satisfying. The Adventure mode isn't that much fun past getting the trophies in normal games. The Vs. and Tournament mode are fairly fun. The A.I. is inconsistent sometimes. In one round they'll seem really stupid then in the next round they'll destroy you. Overall though the game plays passably.
Graphics, 7. The graphics are all right, not the best we've seen on a Playstation 1 Crash game however. As I have already said this game was not developed by Naughty Dog, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the graphics. They look just as colorful as when Naughty Dog made these games.
Sound, 7. The music is all right, I just wish there was a larger variety. There isn't much voice acting to speak of past a few cut scenes, other than that you'll mostly hear yelps and laughs. The sound effects are good as well.
Value, 8. This game has plenty of value to it. The Adventure mode should take you a while to complete 200% (no that is not a typo), the multiplayer is plenty good fun. The only thing holding the value of this game back is the multiplayer isn't as fun by yourself as it is with just computers.
Difficulty, Just Right. The A.I. is kinda inconsistent but generally the game has a decent difficulty to it and in multiplayer games you can set the difficulty level of the computers from easy to hard.
Tilt, 8. I actually liked this game a lot despite some of its flaws. If you are looking for an old party game to play with friends then Crash Bash is a good pick, however, I can't tell you how much fun you would have just playing by yourself a lot.