New Crash Bandicoot Confused Gamers
A new game from the Crash Bandicoot universe is being developed, but it doesn't seem to be what fans of the red-headed critter wanted. Crash Team Rumble appears more like a clone of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
One of the games announced at Friday's The Game Awards 2022 gala was Crash Team Rumble (known in leaks as Crash Bandicoot: Wumpa League). Both the trailer (below) and the description posted on Activision's website suggest that studio Toys For Bob - creators of, among others. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time or Spyro Reignited Trilogy - is working on a game in the vein of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from Nintendo.
I wrote "suggest" because we actually know very little. The title is scheduled for release in 2023 on PS4, PS5, XONE and XSX/S, and will offer cross-platform 4 vs. 4 online battles taking place in "wild, diverse arenas", in which players will take on the roles of characters known from the Crash Bandicoot universe. Each of them is expected to have unique skills, and the battle will be fought to get as many Wumpa fruits as possible.
And that's basically it - we got neither a gameplay, nor information on whether it will be a paid game or perhaps a free-to-play title, not to mention the availability of a single-player mode. What we do know is that there will be skins, thanks to which we will change the appearance of the characters, and consequently - probably also microtransactions. As always.
Fans of the red bandicoot seem bewildered. After last year's announcement from he creators many of them were simply hoping for a fifth full-fledged installment of the series. Those with longer experience, on the other hand, treated the latest rumors as a certainty that we would get either a remake or a spiritual heir to the iconic Crash Bash from the first PlayStation. Meanwhile, Crash Team Rumble resembles neither one nor the other - even "on paper."
Moreover, many people are demanding the release of the arcade racer Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on PC, but the chances of this seem very small at the moment. Judging by the announcement of Crash Team Rumble or the last year's mobile game Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, Activision has a very different idea for the series.
