Activision is "exploring ways" to resurrect Crash Bandicoot
"Now is not the right time," it said in October.
Rumours have been popping up that Activision may have sold off its PlayStation One platforming star Crash Bandicoot to Sony, given that the publisher has disavowed all connections to Naughty Dog's missing marsupial on its official site.
Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant
Brand over enjoyment.
You know that aunty? The one who hands you your Christmas present with an earnest smile, so you can't help feel she's tried, and then it's almost like she's gone back in time and got you what was cutting edge ten years ago, like a Global Hypercolour Power Ranger, or a Pikachu yo-yo? Well, Radical is your aunty, and Mind over Mutant is an S-Club Seven polyphonic ringtone.
Following on from Crash of the Titans, the big idea is 'jacking' the titular mutants, hulking brutes of various flavours under the control of serial antagonists Cortex and N Brio. Each Titan has a special ability, and once jacked these allow you to progress along previously obstructed paths toward your goal, upgrading them with Mojo collected along the way - found in the rubble of objects and enemies - in a process sped along by building a multiplier via consecutive hits, reset when you die.
Initially there's a sense of reassurance - the brightly coloured glowing orbs are there to be obsessively collected, the rickety looking platforms fall away after a few seconds' resistance, and the switches beg to be switched. Radical has presumably been told to produce an accessible, by-the-numbers colourful platformer with broad appeal, so that's no surprise, but it is nice to see this much character and humour on top, like the delightful, stylised cut-scenes - pastiches of everything from South Park to Japanese noh theatre.
Ghostbusters drops off release schedule
No sign of 50 Cent or Brutal Legend either.
Activision Blizzard has issued a new release schedule with several key titles conspicuously absent.
Bourne, World in Conflict, Crash, Spyro.
It was all sun, sand, sea and Sierra games for Eurogamer the other week when the artist formerly known as Vivendi took us on a press trip to Mallorca. You might have already seen our previews of Ghostbusters, Prototype and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, but they weren't the only games on show.
New moves, play as Coco, ice level.
Sierra has announced a new instalment in the Crash Bandicoot series is on the way to Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS and PSP.
