I think that now that Crash has gone into monster hijacking, I am starting to feel like I'm slipping on the fan o'meter. Everything was fine untile Titans and Mind over Mutant showed up. Hear is a list of the past Crash Games and how they did:

Crash Bandicoot (1996)

Reviews of the game were generally positive, with a 80.4% average rating on Game Rankings. GameSpot was critical of the game, rating it 6.8 out of 10 calling the gameplay flat, dismissing the game as only slightly above average. Despite this, Crash Bandicoot has remained largely successful, according to positive reviews from other sites. IGN rated the game 7.5 out of 10, praising the game's graphics, though criticizing it for having occasionally sluggish controls and being challenging at times. IGN gave the 2006 PSP port the same score, saying, "Ten years later the Crash phenomenon has died down, but it's quite a testament that the original game still holds up fairly well." Gaming Target too praised the graphics, rating the game 9.3 out of 10.

Overall: 8/10

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997)

Crash Bandicoot 2's public reception has been overall positive in terms of critical reviews and acclaim, with an average rating of 89% on Game Rankings. GameSpot stated the game was a major improvement over its predecessor, praising the game's graphics and soundtrack, rating the game 8.6 out of 10 in comparison to their rating of the original Crash Bandicoot as 6.8 out of 10. IGN, which rated it 8.5 out of 10, praised its graphics and controls but criticised its repetitive level design. Over three million copies of the game have been sold.

Overall: 9/10

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (1998)

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped was praised by critics, and was given high scores by some of the most prominent gaming critics, with gaming website IGN awarding a 9.1/10. GameSpot, who granted it an 8.9/10, commented that the game is "easily the best Crash yet" and a "must-have for fans of platformers". Game Revolution stated that "the game is fun, funny and challenging", but they also mentioned that there is really nothing new to it.

The game was a commercial success and it quickly became a Collectors' Edition title. As of July 9, 2002, the game has sold 5.7 million copies. It has sold 3.76 million copies in the US, and 1.4 million copies in Japan.

Overall: 9/10

Crash Team Racing (1999)

Crash Team Racing received favorable reviews from critics. In its March 2002 issue, Official PlayStation Magazine descried Crash Team Racing as "the game that made kart racing cool" and proclaimed that "nothing has ever matched its quality." In its January 2004 issue, Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the game was "heavily inspired by Mario Kart, but still an amazing multiplayer racer." Doug Perry of IGN states that "once you get past the insanely capitalistic smile of Crash, the game is rock solid in playability and graphics. Hell! It's a four-player kart game that's on the PlayStation. Isn't that enough?"Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot called the game "a great Mario Kart clone, and it succeeds where the likes of Mega Man, Bomberman, Diddy Kong, the Chocobo, and even Mario himself have failed."

Overall: 9/10

Crash Bash (2000)

Crash Bash has sold, as of now, 1.10 million copies in the United States, and is currently one of the "Greatest Hits" titles on the PlayStation console. Reviews of Crash Bash have been fairly positive, garnering a 70% rating at GameRankings.com.

Overall: 7/10

Crash Bandicoot: The wrath of cortex (2001)

The game was met with mixed reviews. It was criticized by critics for offering nothing new to the series, featuring linear gameplay almost identical to Warped that didn't push the newer console's power, unlike Naughty Dog's next game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The PlayStation 2 version received an aggregate score of 66% on Metacritic and 70% on GameRankings. Despite these merely average reviews, the game was a slow burner, and went on to sell an estimated 1.7 million copies. Although this didn't quite match the sales of previous Crash Bandicoot titles, it did however make it one of the most commercially successful games of the early 21st century.

Overall: 6.6/10

Crash Bandicoot: The huge adventure (2002)

No reviews.

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (2003)

No reviews.

Crash Nitro Kart (2003)

The console version of Crash Nitro Kart earned mixed reviews upon release. Michael Lafferty of GameZone described the game as "a somewhat addictive and enjoyable race game wrapped in sterling graphical elements." Official Xbox Magazine praised the game's "solid control" and "innovative boost system". Ryan Davis of GameSpot warned that the game "may be a touch disappointing to hardcore fans of Crash Team Racing, but anyone looking for a solid kart racer should be quite pleased." Ed Lewis of IGN stated that while the game is "a solid adaption of a PSOne game," "the same exact game has been made dozens of times and CNK does very little to further the cause," and went on to describe the game as "a kart racing game like any other." Matt Helgeson of Game Informer dismissed the game as "probably one of the least exciting racing titles I've played recently." Kristan Reed of EuroGamer decided that "at full price it's hard to justify a purchase in our view as it's simply not all that essential or different from anything that's gone before, but if you ever fancy a quality party game that you can slip out when the time is right for some multiplayer action and see this game knocking around for a more realistic price then you won't be disappointed." Official PlayStation Magazine suspected that "Vicarious Visions did all it could to emulate the Naughty Dog classic (Crash Team Racing) and just added a PS2 coat of paint." Nintendo Power praised the karts as "fast" and the power-ups as "creative". Play Magazine thought the game was "a little generic and heavily recycled, but the powerslide system from CTR pulls it together."Nintendo World Report described the game as "a pretty generic kart racer that is enjoyable, but flawed where it counts: the racing. It's a little too easy to win races, and once you beat it all, there's very little for you to keep coming back to." Electronic Gaming Monthly felt that the gameplay was "nearly identical to Crash Team Racing's, even down to the speed-boosting wumpa fruits, so if you loved it before, you'll still love it, and if not... not." Russ Fischer of GameSpy concluded that "with a slow and chunky multiplayer component, there's not much reason to jump into the driver's seat."

The Game Boy Advance version was reviewed positively. Frank Provo of GameSpot stated that "the characters aren't nearly as popular as those in Nintendo's game, but the deeper gameplay makes up for that to an extent." Craig Harris of IGN criticized the patches of slowdown in the game, but thought that otherwise it "would be a close contender for best kart racer on the handheld." Nintendo Power concluded that "although Crash Nitro Kart doesn't bring anything new to the kart-racing genre, it's a fast and amusing play that Crash Bandicoot fans will enjoy."

Overall: 7/10

Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage (2004)

Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Frank Provo of GameSpot credited the game as "a good, solid choice for fans of the genre," citing its strong minigames and well-made platforming mechanics. Craig Harris of IGN found that the game "offers a lot of challenge and variety with a ton of single and multiplayer mini-games," but described the overall design of the game as "loosely constructed with a comparatively wimpy, underdeveloped overworld design." Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer criticized the minigames and warned experienced gamers that the collection would "quickly become far too familiar and untaxing to warrant extended interest." Nintendo Power said that the game "presents a steady stream of minigames with tons of variety." Play Magazine considered the game superior to its "crossover cousin" Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy, but decided that the game "still feels cheap". David Chapman of GameSpy praised the library of minigames and the extras unlocked when the game is linked with a copy of Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy, while Lisa Mason of Game Informer criticized the platforming levels as "derivative and uninspired" and the minigames as "frustrating and not very much fun at all." Louis Bedigian of GameZone noted the plentiful minigames, but found the game to be lacking in adventuring, platforming or excitement.

Overall: 7/10

Crash Twinsanity (2004)

Crash Twinsanity received mixed reviews from critics. On average, it received slightly lower scores than the previous installment The Wrath of Cortex according to the aggregate review sites Metacritic and GameRankings. On PS2, Twinsanity received an aggregate score of 64% on Metacritic and 67% on GameRankings. The game was later released as a Greatest Hits title for the PS2 and Platinum Hits title for the Xbox.

Overall: 7/10

Crash Tag Team Racing (2005)

Crash Tag Team Racing received fair reviews since its release. GameSpot concluded that "the racing isn't exactly the star of the show, but Crash Tag Team Racing 's supplemental elements pull the whole thing together into a unique and mostly enjoyable experience"; on the subject of the PSP version, GameSpot added that the handheld version's loading times were "painful". Nintendo Power decided that "the game's not too much to look at, and most of the track designs are pretty uninspired", while Nintendo World Report condemned the game as "unworthy of its namesake", and expressed its wish that "the developer had taken its time to study what was great about the original game before starting work on the sequel - the lack of finesse present in CTTR really shows." Eurogamer was critical of Crash Tag Team Racing 's difficulty, citing that "it's very easy to win races, even on the Hard difficulty setting, the platforming sections offer no real challenge, and the fun to be had from blowing up opponents when you've clashed your kart wears thin after a while."

Overall: 7/10

Crash Boom Bang! (2006)

Crash Boom Bang! has garnered a generally negative reception from critics, with the game receiving an average ranking of 42% at Game Rankings, and a score of 37 out of 100 based on fourteen reviews at Metacritic. Frank Provo of GameSpot criticized the game for its dull minigames and purely-cosmetic Crash license, citing that "apart from the way the characters look and the way the Nitro boxes explode, [...] there isn't a whole lot that's Crash-like about Crash Boom Bang!". Nintendo Power recommended the game only to die-hard Crash fans and advised others to wait for Crash's next outing. Lesley Smith of Eurogamer criticized the game for a number or reasons, including bad stylus recognition, boring gameplay, terrible graphics and rigged, repetitive mini-games. IGN's review was one of the most scathing, dubbing Crash Boom Bang! "a terrible, terrible game with poor organization" and "easily one of the worst games on the system". More middling reviews have come in from Official Nintendo Magazine, who felt the game was hampered by dodgy controls and a testing user interface, and Pocket Gamer's Jon Jordan, who dismissed the game's collection of minigames as "distinctly average and oddly passionless". Despite the negative reception, Crash Boom Bang! was the seventh best-selling game in Australia on the week of June 4 to June 10, 2007.

Overall: 5/10

Crash of the Titans (2007)

Crash of the Titans received fair reviews upon its release. GameSpot credited it as a "fairly sturdy, combat-heavy platformer with a good hook", but concluded that it lacked the distinctive style of past Crash Bandicoot games. The DS version of the game was reviewed positively, with IGN naming it "one of the better handheld Crash games to hit the market". Nintendo World Report gave the DS version a higher score than the home console version by half a point, but dismissed it as "a short game that has very little gameplay variety". GameSpot proclaimed that "there's plenty to do, and controlling the enemy is a neat twist", but criticized the game's small length of only six to eight hours.

The more negative reviews include those from Nintendo Power, who criticized the game for its "fixed and unforgiving" camera, which they felt made the platforming experience "frustrating". GameSpy also criticized the game for its camera along with its unsteady framerate, but praised the game's attractive graphics and offline co-op mode. IGN described the game as "a good idea wrapped in a mediocre game", dismissing the game's music as "forgettable", and hoping that the jacking concept would be refined for a possible sequel. Eurogamer was also critical of Crash of the Titans, deriding its graphics as "designed primarily with the PS2 and Wii in mind, with a fairly lazy high-def makeover late in development". The PSP version received less praise than its console counterparts, with IGN remarking that it "loses out to the consoles in a number of areas; especially when it comes to multiplayer".

Crash of the Titans was a nominee in the Writers Guild of America's inaugural video game writing awards, competing against Dead Head Fred, The Simpsons Game, The Witcher and World in Conflict; Dead Head Fred won the award. Crash of the Titans was also selected as a nominee in the "Best Sound Design" and "Best Character" categories of the Second Annual Elan Awards. It lost both awards to Skate and Mass Effect's Commander Shepard respectively.

Overall: 6.8/10

Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant (2008)

Reviews for the PlayStation 2 version of Crash: Mind over Mutant were generally positive. Dakota Grabowsky of GameZone considered the game "slightly better" than Crash of the Titans, noting improvements in controls, gameplay and storyline from its predecessor, but lamented that "the camera almost ruins the whole package." The Wii version of Crash: Mind over Mutant was also met positively, though not to the same degree as the Playstation 2 version. Louis Bedigian of GameZone stated that the young demographic of the Crash Bandicoot series "may be annoyed by the camera and/or repetitive objectives but will be entertained by what is the best Crash game developed in a long time - and one of the best Mario clones released for Nintendo Wii." Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report, meanwhile, felt that "the charming story and genuine humor" of the game were "overshadowed by the shallow gameplay."

Reviews for the Xbox 360 version of Crash: Mind over Mutant were mixed. Christopher Ewen of GameZone praised the series' transition into a free-roaming gameplay environment, but felt that the game was too easy. Matt Casamassina of IGN found the game to be "exactly like its predecessor: a mildly enjoyable platforming romp that's sure to satisfy younger players, but won't provide much that seasoned players haven't already experienced before". Andy Eddy of TeamXbox praised the game's strong voice acting, but noted the uninspired gameplay, which was "not very consistent in its fun generation." Justin Calvert of GameSpot claimed that the game "has too much backtracking and too many camera problems to make it recommendable". Official Xbox Magazine concluded that "there's very little about Mind Over Mutant that makes it worth your $50 or the four hours it takes to complete." Dan Pearson of Eurogamer criticized the game's fixed camera, extensive backtracking, useless mission log and dated concepts. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer proclaimed that the game's "unpredictable framerates, extensive backtracking, and the guarantee of one death caused by faulty camera positioning for every platforming segment" made it "a mess of a game, and a new low point for the once-loved marsupial."

The Nintendo DS version of the game received generally negative reviews compared to the console version. Mike David of GameZone denounced the game as the "first really disappointing Crash title," while Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report felt that the game "leaves much to be desired in terms of depth and level design. Craig Harris of IGN affectionately christened the Nintendo DS version a "boring, drab, uninspired platformer with none of what made last year's game so good on DS."

Overall: 7/10

What do you think? Do you miss the old days of Crash? Please comment.