Now let's think about this for a second. This topic is about which game series you prefer at the height of the 3D era. N64 vs. Ps1 in some ways, but I am talking about Mario and Crash games IN GENERAL. Not just Platform comparison.
So basically it's:
Crash 1-3
CTR
CB
Or Mario64
MP
MG
etc.
The reason why I am asking for you to actual tell me which one you like in general is to be more fair. Mario only had one platformer to be honest, and Crash had 3, well 4 since platforming is like the main element in CTR or one of them. Most of Marios games were spin-offs.
So with all the games releases in mind during this time, did you enjoy Crash or Mario more? Below is just my opinion.
Imo I enjoyed Crash more for varios reaons. Mario 64, it rode on hype and impressed many people including SNES fans were impressed for some reason and they were like "It's Mario! In 3D!" but that last part I just wrote? No.
The game I am sorry, and I am probably the first to say it, even during the actual time the game was out, the game is boring as hell. There's no excitement, there really isn't any actual exploring outside the hub, the game give an illusion of open space when its linear paths that are just wider with mostly empty areas. Sometimes they will throw a red coin in there somewhere. But my main problem with the game is recyling grahics from previous stages and recoloring them and the repetitive star collecting missions. Repetition isn't fun!
Crash 1 seemed more straight forward, looked better, and while didn't do anything to new, did thing a bit differently focusing on challenging designs, interesting boss fights, a colorful world, different themes, and always some random thing throwing you off guard just when you think the game was becoming predictable, and you getpunished for thinking so. No emptyness just to impress, no "this brand name? It must be a good game" since it was new.
As for the Spin-offs, Mario out number Crash. However, let's focus on the 2 related genres here:
Mario Kart 64. It is the worst racing game I have ever played in my entire life (At that time) and was just fanservice and succeed because it said "Mario" kart. Yes it did the 4 players natively. Yes, it had Mario Characters driving cars. The game is boring. The Cars are slow, collisions are not acurate, terrible kart control, lackluster SP, object collisions, cheating AI, unfair and unbalanced weapons, stages not made with the Karts in mind, etc.
It did have one thing people kept mentioning. The MP. While MP races solved almost none of the many problems of the game, it had a battle mode. However, as interesting as the Battle Mode was the lack of content, and Kart control pretty much make the Battle Mode ALMOST luck based. It was the funner part of the game however.
Crash Team Racing. The only Cart game even on the same level of Car control to this game was Speed Punks (Freaks in PAL) and I am still debating if it pasted CTR in car control. The focus of the Platforming games is shown in the racer, with many boosts and jumps to get through certain tracks. The great track designs, some even themed after known characters. CTR was not the same fanservice as MK64. It was not thrown together. The game had an engaging SP mode, with balanced boss battles, many unlockable tracks, time trials, tone of unlockable characters, balanced weapons, AI that wasn't cheap, and putting weapons on two tier based on how much fruit you collect. Also, as mentioned above great control and basically bringing the platforming with it. It was basically a crash bandicoot game with cars. Think about it, it focused pretty much on the platforming series.
It's MP has more tracks, and with the more balanced weapons, is much more stable. Choosing what weapons to use from a grand aresenal. Some tracks however, are indeed questionable. Some of the Crystal Challange stages in SP are also used as MP tracks on here, and some of these seem to have that more in mind than Cars battling. So some of the stages are a bit more irritating battling in. But I still haven't decided which games Battle Mode is better.
As for MP in general, Crash has you and/or your friends racing in cups, just racing, or Battle.Kind of like Mario but more customizable and some of the idea behind them are slightly different. Time Trial is very fun in both Arcade and SP mode. Both unlock something. CTR s probably one of the few games ever created where there's quality backing up the vast amounts of content.
What is the conclusion? Let's summarize the above real quick so I can charge my phone:
SIngle Player:
This goes to CTR. More unlockables, you can even have fun by yourself in Arcade mode and Time trial. Boss Battles, themed levels, an exploration hub, good for practice with the powerslide, well designed hubs changing themse in the blink of an eye, etc.
MultiPlayer Racing:
Crash Wins this as well, more options as well as balanced tracks, tracks made for multi-player, varied cup races, with balanced weapons, great contorlled cars, better track designs, and tracks are made with the cars in mind.
Battle Mode:
Mario wins this. The cars are not designed with the tracks in mind, they don't fell like cars at all (or carts whatever you want to call them.) the lack control, and this movement seems to work much better in battle mode. A recent game, Jak X combat racing, is the perfect example I am going with here. Most of the arena stages in that game are a pain, and this is because the cars are made for the tracks, and the tracks aren't made for the cars (a lot of them anyway.) Mario Kart cars seem to be the most balanced in battle mode. Crash's Carts are not and are hit and miss depending on the stages, even then, they move like race cars, and can be a problem in certain areas.
Ok, so the last I will quickly summarize is Crash Bash and Mario Party:
Crash Bash and Mario Party. Mario Party, we all know that game in some way after 30 releases and Crash Bash, some no it, some don't.Let's get one thing out the way. Both games are extreme fan service, and if it wasn't for the fact Mario Party was made 2 or more times on the same console for the sole purpose of playing mini games with Mario characters, I would have said Crash Bash was even more focused on fanserivce than Mario Party.
Mostly because of the fact Crash Bash was not made by NaughtyDogg, and was used to attract people who liked the brand name. CTR actually didn't focus on this that much, Crash Team Racing, especially during that time, did not have enough brand power to make a racing game thinking it would sell based on brand name. Especially with only 3 games. Mario was able to have one main game and 90 spin-offs. Regardless of sales, each was profitable.
Crash Bash on the other hand, did, which showed how good Crash was doing with its 4 games. But here's the thing here. Mario Party and Crash Bash are 2 different party games after 2 different audiences. SP and MP.
Marios Parties SP is beyond boring and uninteresting with unfair computer opponants with very odd controls for some of the minigames. Crash Bash focused on the SP. The MP is almost useless without doing SP mode. You can do SP mode with 2 characters. But the SP in Crash Bash regardless if un, but needed for all MP options.
While that sort of applies to Mario Party, Crash Bash's focus on SP is on a completely different scale. As for gameplay, Mario Party, is a board game. With very slow pacing during the main board, and repeptitive mini games. Crash is a mix of this problem, because they try to cover this with Gem, and Crystal challanges. Crystal challenges often changing the stage design or the graphics of the area with some interesting objectives.
Both are pretty sorry with MP. No offense to people who enjoyed Mario Party, but Mario Party was overrated then. it hasn't been given the same attention since though with the media overhyping the games nowadays so that's a relif, but that games, actuall all MP games on the N64 were just lacking. Crash Bash was also lacking with actual "Partying" although the mini-games were better designed. However, no hub board.
Crash Bash's SP however, has the familiar Crash 2-3 like Hub with each character having its own advantage and dissadvantages in certain minigames. This is pretty much non-existant in MP. So it's kind of taking the each character has his/her own abilities. Although the line-up bothers me, especially since adding a new character was not necessary.
The SP mode In Crash Bash is complete with tons of challeneges, a story, and Boss Battles. Which actually is the only way Crash has pulled ahead of Mario Party instead of me spending 30 minutes ripping both of them to shreds. it has fiarer Ai during the Minigames as well. It always throws you off guard to, especially the Crystal Challenge, with a fun new way to play the same stages. Some of these are completely luck based though. Mostly talking about the Pinball minigames during either Gem, or Crytal challenges.
Well there you have it, so just answer that bolded question way above these paragraphs that's like 3x bigger than everything else written. Can't miss it.
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