Crash Bandicoot - PlayStation LifeStyle

Crash Bandicoot Dev Toys for Bob Goes Independent

Daniel DeAngleo — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:25:38 +0000

Toys for Bob, the developer of Crash Bandicoot 4 and Crash Team Rumble, is officially independent of Activision and Microsoft. Despite the split, the studio hasn’t ruled out working with those companies in the future.

Crash Bandicoot developer Toys for Bob splits from Activision after 19 years

Toys for Bob’s separation from Activision goes into effect today, February 29. The divorce also appears to be an amicable one, according to the studio’s official statement. “Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction, and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future,” Toys for Bob wrote. The company, which closed its physical office earlier this month, also says it is exploring a possible partnership with Microsoft, which acquired Crash Bandicoot publisher Activision last year.

If this partnership works out, it could mean that Toys for Bob isn’t done with the Crash Bandicoot series. Unfortunately, the company’s statement didn’t detail its future plans, but it promises to give more updates soon.

Founded by Paul Reiche and Fred Ford in 1989, Toys for Bob released its first game, Star Control, in 1990. Decades later, it developed the Skylanders series, released from 2011 to 2016. It later released the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy before launching Crash Bandicoot 4 in 2020. Its last game as the primary developer was 2023’s Crash Team Rumble, though it also assisted on Modern Warfare III.

While Toys for Bob’s relationship with Activision lasted almost 20 years, the studio expressed excitement for its new opportunities. “With the same enthusiasm and passion,” it says, “we believe that now is the time to take the studio and our future games to the next level. This opportunity allows us to return to our roots of being a small and nimble studio.”

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Crash Bandicoot, Spyro Dev Toys for Bob Closes Physical Office After Downsizing

Zarmena Khan — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 12:17:27 +0000

Crash Bandicoot and Spyro developer Toys for Bob has undergone layoffs significant enough for Microsoft to shutter its physical office. The Skylanders creator has lost 86 staff members, and has since gone remote. Although Toys for Bob has survived the cuts, its future seems uncertain.

Toys for Bob’s Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games were well received

As reported by San Francisco Chronicle, Toys for Bob isn’t the only studio that lost a significant chunk of its workforce. Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games shed 76 positions. Both studios’ layoffs are part of the 1,900 redundancies that Microsoft recently announced following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

It has been reported that Sledgehammer Games has also scaled down its physical operations, with its remaining workforce going remote for now.

Toys for Bob was founded in 1989 and was owned by Crystal Dynamics between 1993 and 2000. Activision purchased the studio in 2005 following which it created the Skylanders series. Toys for Bob’s Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time all earned praise. However, Activision later turned the developer into a Call of Duty support studio, starting with 2021’s Warzone.

Toys for Bob’s last Crash outing, Crash Team Rumble, didn’t have the same success as its predecessors.

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Crash Team Rumble Platinum Trophy Avoids the Multiplayer Grind

Rebecca Smith — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:31:03 +0000

Players aiming for the Crash Team Rumble Platinum trophy need not worry about an overwhelming multiplayer grind, as the list appears to be fairly quick to complete. While multiplayer games usually ask players to play a large number of matches, reach the highest player level, or unlock a lot of new features, CTR doesn’t do any of this.

Here’s the Crash Team Rumble trophy list

There are 45 trophies in the Crash Team Rumble trophy list, including the coveted Platinum trophy. One of the first trophies players are likely to earn will be to complete the tutorial. After that, they will need to win a competitive match with every one of the eight launch characters, and complete tasks using their abilities.

Crash Team Rumble Review (PS5): Take the Wumpa to the Bank

Crash Team Rumble, a team-based four-on-four multiplayer game, isn’t likely what anyone was asking for after the bandicoot’s successful return…

Reviews Tyler Treese 9 months ago

Players will also need to use each of the powers, earn gem boosts, deposit relics, bank Wumpa Fruit, knock out enemies, and equip some of the unlockable gear. The trophy that appears to take the longest is the “Playing Favorites” trophy which requires players to reach the level cap with any of the heroes, as it’s the only trophy players have yet to unlock according to PSNProfiles. You can see the full Crash Team Rumble trophy list below.

Master – Get every trophy.
Heavyweight Champ – KO 10 enemies in a single Competitive match.
Fruits of Your Labor – Bank 1200 Wumpa in a single Competitive match.
Dominator – Earn 100% Gem boost for your team in a single Competitive match.
N. Sanely Strong – KO 5 enemies in a single Competitive match without being knocked out yourself.
Fruitful – Bank 300 Wumpa in one drop-off in a Competitive match.
Teamwork for the Win – Ping your team’s drop-off when within 200 Wumpa of winning in a Competitive match
Contender – KO 5 enemies in a single Competitive match.
Nature’s Candy – Bank 800 Wumpa in a single Competitive match.
Super Booster – Earn 50% Gem boost for your team in a single Competitive match.
Playing Favorites – Reach level cap with any hero.
Tutorial Complete – Successfully complete the tutorial
Rookie No More – Reach level 2 in any season.
Put a Lid on It – Equip any hat.
Pack It In – Equip any backpack.
To the Nines – Equip any custom gear.
No Pain, No Gain – Get knocked out in a Competitive match.
Knockout – KO an enemy in a Competitive match.
When Life Gives You Wumpa… – Bank 500 Wumpa in a single Competitive match.
Go Forth and Multiply – Earn 20% Gem boost for your team in a single Competitive match.
Deep Pockets – Deposit 25 or more Relics at Relic Stations in a single Competitive match.
Epic Epic Epic – Activate an Epic Relic Station in a Competitive match.
Trashy – Win a Competitive match with Garbage Dump as the equipped power.
Shutdown! – Win a Competitive match with Power Drain as the equipped power.
Onwards and Upwards – Win a Competitive match with Bounce Crates as the equipped power.
Extraterrestrial Bodyguard – Win a Competitive match with Gasmoxian Guard as the equipped power.
Fiscally Responsible – Win a Competitive match with Wumpa Stash as the equipped power.
Victory Feast – Win a Competitive match with Healing Fridge as the equipped power.
Spit Take – Win a Competitive match with Flytrap Spitter as the equipped power.
Crash Tested – Win a Competitive match as Crash.
Cuckoo for Coco – Win a Competitive match as Coco.
Kickin’ It – Win a Competitive match as Tawna.
Diled In – Win a Competitive match as Dingodile.
I Am Cortex, Hear Me Roar – Win a Competitive match as Dr. Neo Cortex.
Ooze Your Way to Victory – Win a Competitive match as N. Brio.
N. Trophy – Win a Competitive match as N. Tropy.
Unflappable – Win a Competitive match as Catbat.
Second Helping of Paincakes – As Crash, flatten 2 enemies at once with a Slam or Super Slam in a Competitive match.
Off The Wall – As Coco, hit 20 enemies with Quantum Walls in a single Competitive match.
Up to No Good – As Tawna, in a Competitive match, Uppercut an enemy then KO them before they land.
Spin to Win – As Dingodile, knock back 3 enemies in a single charged Tailwhip in a Competitive match.
Transformative – As Dr. Neo Cortex, transform all enemies in a single Competitive match.
In the Nick of Slime – As N. Brio, use a Slime Monster to stop a Gem capture at the last second in a Competitive match.
Burger Time – As Catbat, heal all allies in a single Competitive match.
Pest Control – As N. Tropy, hit 3 enemies with a single Gravity Slam in a Competitive match.

The Crash games have had Platinums that have pushed players in the past. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and the remaster of the first title in the N. Sane Trilogy are the two sticking points for many players, given the extreme completion requirements for both (especially the former). Crash Team Racing was the only game to have multiplayer, but its trophy list, while requiring completion in many aspects, was mostly a solo affair.

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Crash Team Rumble Review (PS5): Take the Wumpa to the Bank

Tyler Treese — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Crash Team Rumble, a team-based four-on-four multiplayer game, isn’t likely what anyone was asking for after the bandicoot’s successful return in 2020’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While it’s difficult to see there being a huge market for this game that’s more like a MOBA than a new Crash Bash, it is still rather enjoyable, especially when played with friends.

Rumble has a solid tutorial that lays out the basics: you collect Wumpa Fruit around the map then take it to your home base to bank it. It’s simple, but there is a team of four other players attempting to do the same thing and get in your way. Its depth comes from collecting relics to exchange for power-ups and activating (and defending) gem platforms for added bonuses, which gives games some level of basic strategy. However, the core accessibility remains the Rumble’s largest strength, as it is easy to rope a friend in and have fun quickly rather than having to explain a convoluted system of checks and balances.

The levels are mostly rather colorful, taking inspiration from familiar locales seen in the platformer entries. From canyons to beaches to evil lairs, there’s a nice variety that pulls from the series’ strong art style. What makes each map interesting, though, is that each has a different set of power-ups. From being able to summon buffs that make your characters larger to bringing in enemies that attack the opposite team’s base, there’s a nice balance of offensive and defensive skills that give each map more of their own personality. It’s easy to focus purely on collecting fruit, so teams that have a balanced plan of attack that also cash in their relics will be at an advantage.

It’s largely the on-the-field strategy that decides matches, although team construction can also make or break a bout. For example, a team of four Crash Bandicoots is going to get destroyed by a more well-balanced team since the titular mascot lacks attack power and is better at platforming. It’s important to also have a character like Dingodile because he lives up to his class type of being a blocker and is able to go to play defense at the enemy’s base. A great team going against a poorly prepared one can make a huge difference and even lead to a perfect game, which happened to me during the game’s beta.

Some matches can be a complete blowout.

Crash Team Rumble truly shines during close, competitive matches when all of these factors are in play and both teams are utilizing their abilities effectively. Banking a game-winning score at the last second or getting revenge on an annoying rival N. Brio is where the game comes alive and is at its best. It’s obviously ideal to play with a group of four people that you actually know, but there’s still charm in playing with randoms — even if it is frustrating when those randoms play selfishly or silently switch to a different role at the last moment.

The biggest question mark for Crash Team Rumble is whether or not it will have staying power. There’s not a ridiculous amount of content here, after all. It only has a handful of characters for each class (most have to be unlocked, too), and there aren’t a ton of maps, either. The progression system isn’t even that great of a hook since most of the alternate skins are ugly and worse than the default designs.

But the game is mechanically sound, so hopefully servers will stay active while it receives its planned post-launch support of two (and possibly more) seasons. That’s certainly the hope, but more multiplayer games die than survive, so it remains to be seen what Crash Team Rumble’s fate will be.

Crash Team Rumble Review: The final verdict

Regardless of its question-mark-filled future, Crash Team Rumble is an uncomplicated, yet entertaining multiplayer experience. Crash and the other characters all control well and the core systems are solid, meaning there’s enough here even if you’re not a bandicoot-obsessed fan that knows the difference between Aku Aku and Uka Uka. The appeal doesn’t go far beyond that, though. It’s hard to imagine wanting to sink hundreds of hours into it since the simplicity that makes it approachable keeps it from true greatness. Yet not every game has to become a new obsession, and Crash Team Rumble is content to be just another, if comparatively brief, addition to you and your friend’s game night routine.

Very easy to pick up and play
Colorful maps and lots of personality
Not a ton of content
Hard to imagine it being more than just a fun diversion

Disclaimer: This Crash Team Rumble review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.000.102.

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Original Crash Bandicoot Voice Actor Brendan O’Brien Has Passed Away

Zarmena Khan — Mon, 15 May 2023 12:48:15 +0000

Brendan O’Brien, who lent his voice to a number of characters in the original Crash Bandicoot games, has passed away. He was 61. O’Brien died on March 23, but it wasn’t until this weekend that news of his death was widely shared.

Brendan O’Brien starred in Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot games

An obituary for O’Brien was discovered on Legacy.com, which highlights his distinguished career in the entertainment industry. He voiced Crash Bandicoot in the original Naughty Dog-developed PlayStation games and continued his involvement with the series until 2004.

Apart from Crash Bandicoot, O’Brien voiced N. Gin, Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. Nitrus Brio, and Tiny Tiger in the first three Crash games.

O’Brien was a fan of music, and according to his obituary, he enjoyed playing the guitar and took part in every “every high school event in the southland.” O’Brien hailed from a family of entertainers and began his own acting career at the age of 10. According to IMDB, his last television appearance was in a 2021 episode of The Slowest Show.

O’Brien’s family has not disclosed his cause of death. He leaves behind his wife of 23 years.

Our thoughts go out to O’Brien’s family and loved ones.

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We Played Crash Team Rumble and It’s a Crash Bandicoot MOBA

Nicholas Tan — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:00:06 +0000

Who had a Crash Bandicoot MOBA on their 2023 bingo card? After its debut world premiere trailer at The Game Awards 2022, Activision and developer Toys for Bob have been strategically tight-lipped on Crash Team Rumble. From what we could glean from sneak peeks on social media and a spare number of trailers, we knew it would see Crash’s iconic characters squaring up to each other in combat, but everything else was mostly kept a mystery. After going hands-on with a PS5 build of the game at GDC 2023, it turns out that this spin-off is more like Pokemon Unite than Crash Bash.

Crash course

Matching the broad appeal of the franchise, Crash Team Rumble is very easy to understand. Two teams of four heroes attempt to gather a certain amount of Wumpa Fruit first; in our build, that meant 2,000 pieces of fruit without any time limit. Players mainly do this by breaking open wooden crates scattered liberally around the map, grabbing the fruit inside, and banking them by standing on their home base pad for several seconds.

But like any MOBA worth its salt, that’s not as simple as it sounds. Not only is the opposing team trying to grab all the fruit first, but they can use attacks to knock you away and/or damage you until you are forced to respawn, wiping out all the fruit you’ve gathered so far. Fruit isn’t the only thing to keep track of either. Several Gem Clusters on the map can be activated to give one side a temporary boost to Fruit banking, while relic keys can be used to activate relic stations for special items, forcefields, jumping pads, and other effects that can completely turn the battle toward your team’s favor.

Specifically, in one match on the Tiki Towers map, I was able to gather enough relic keys to call upon the powers of Uka Uka, which Crash Bandicoot fans will recognize as the voodoo mask spirit that serves as the overarching antagonist for the series. The blue sky turned into a deep purple as I rained fiery meteors down on the field, knocking out three of the four members on the enemy team. In another match on the Calamity Canyon map, the enemy team was able to summon a UFO that harried our team like a blue shell from Mario Kart.

Pick the right Bandicoot for the job

On top of that, your role on the team will largely depend on the character you choose. The build we played featured five of the eight characters that have been revealed thus far. Crash Bandicoot and Tawna Bandicoot served as the main Scorers, with high mobility and fruit capacity to bank the highest amount of points at a time. Crash’s younger sister Coco and Dr. Neo Cortex are Boosters who focus on relic keys and attempt to activate as many relic stations as possible. Meanwhile, Dingodile is a rough-and-tumble Blocker who can easily stand over the enemy’s banking pad like a goalie, not allowing their team to score.

Follow your character’s role well and you’ll fill up your item gauge quickly, providing minor boons to the party when your team critically needs it. For some defense, you can summon a Flytrap Spitter that fires on any nearby enemies or a Gasmozin Guard that can use his giant stature to prevent the enemy from blocking your team’s home base. If your team is in a tough slugfest, you can throw down a Healing Fridge that provides passive healing to you and your friends in a radius. Or if you want to score more points, you can use a Wumpa Stash that fills with fruit automatically.

Crash Team Rumble Preview: Final Thoughts

It didn’t take long for our team to work together, and I’m proud to say that we were able to win every match against the developers at Toys for Bob. Almost every match was close, though, and it took us a bit to figure out how to balance point-scoring with gem cluster boosts, our character’s roles, and relic stations. By the third match, I was so engrossed in the fight that I forgot I was playing a silly MOBA about stashing fruit. My hope is that the character progression and Battle Pass, with plenty of skins and cosmetic unlockables, are strong enough to sustain the game for multiple planned seasons.

Arriving much sooner than we thought, the Crash Team Rumble release date is June 20, 2023, with pre-orders available on March 21 and a multiplayer beta planned for April 20 to April 24. The game will feature crossplay between PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One with no plans yet on a PC release. The Standard Edition will cost $29.99 and comes with the Season 1 Battle Pass, while the Deluxe Edition costs $39.99, comes with a Digital Proto Pack with hero skins and cosmetics, and extends the Battle Pass to Season 2.

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Crash Team Rumble Release Window Announced at The Game Awards 2022

Nicholas Tan — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 03:41:45 +0000

The Crash Team Rumble release window has been revealed as simply 2023 at The Game Awards 2022. With the general release date revealed at the end of the one-minute trailer, the most surprising part is really that it’s called Crash Team Rumble and not Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League as originally suspected.

Perhaps Activision and developer Toys for Bob wanted to make it clear that this is a rebooted project after the original concept was reportedly rejected, despite being developed alongside Crash 4. The game is slated to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Crash Team Rumble trailer seems to confirm 4v4 multiplayer

The short trailer shows two teams of Crash Bandicoot characters competing each other as they attempt to collect the most Wumpa fruit as possible. It also seems to verify that the game will primarily be a 4v4 multiplayer game.

It’s unclear how many characters will be a part of Crash Team Rumble, but it’s rumored to have at least 10 playable characters on the roster so far. Artwork of the game from the test build showed of croc grunner Dingodile and Ripper Roo, in addition to Crash (well, of course), Coco, Dr. Neo Cortex, Papu Papu, Tawna, and N.Gin.

An announcement of the game at The Game Awards 2022 seemed very likely as it was teased in the form of a pizza box.

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Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League Announcement Apparently Being Teased

Zarmena Khan — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:33:05 +0000

A Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League announcement is apparently being teased for The Game Awards 2022. The long-rumored multiplayer game, which insiders say was originally shelved in 2020 before being rebooted, was reportedly developed alongside Crash 4, but never saw the light of day. Similar to how it teased previous Crash games and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Activision has sent out gift packages to influencers that hint at a 12/08 reveal, which happens to be the date for The Game Awards 2022.

Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League teased on a pizza box

The gift package is in the form of a pizza box that not only reveals a release date of October 18th for Crash 4’s PC release, it contains a message stating, “Hungry for more? Try our new Wumpa Pizza for $12.08!” Considering The Game Awards is the new E3 of sorts when it comes to video game announcements, fans are confident that Wumpa League is set to appear at the event.

new Crash Bandicoot teased for The Game Awards pic.twitter.com/IiaYgTiZ82

— Wario64 (@Wario64) October 7, 2022

With Activision Blizzard nearly in the grasp of Microsoft, Wumpa League could potentially be the last Crash Bandicoot game to appear on PlayStation platforms. We’ll update our readers when we have more information.

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Rumored Crash Bandicoot Multiplayer Game Has 10 Characters So Far

Rebecca Smith — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 23:50:55 +0000

Back in 2020, there was a Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League game in development that was shelved for unknown reasons. Recent rumors claim that it has returned and is being rebooted. The new Crash Bandicoot multiplayer game is rumored to be more in the style of a 4v4 Crash Bash than the canceled Wumpa League idea and the current build has 10 playable characters that will include both familiar faces and those that are completely new.

Who is in the Crash Bandicoot multiplayer game?

Seen enough now to believe that the long rumoured Crash Bandicoot multiplayer project has been rebooted (after getting shelved in 2020), so I wanted to share some art from it. As you can see… many characters were planned. Details on gameplay in this thread: https://t.co/ap4qVy3WOI pic.twitter.com/zf1yXPujlw

— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) June 9, 2022

The artwork seen above from the canceled Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League was shared by Twitter user Liam Robertson and includes a variety of characters both old and new. In a reply, Jez Corden replied the new Crash Bandicoot multiplayer game reportedly has a test build that includes ten characters at the moment, and “a bunch of these” were featured in that artwork. These include “the croc gunner dude” (Dingodile) and Ripper Roo.

Other familiar faces included in the artwork are Crash (of course!), Coco, Dr. Neo Cortex, Tawna, N.Gin, and Papu Papu, plus a plethora of new characters. We can assume Crash will be included but don’t know which of the others are in the new iteration of the game. Corden also said “some of the characters depicted above seem to be more like power-ups (think Ashe summoning Bob in Overwatch)”, but he wasn’t completely sure whether this was exactly how that gameplay mechanic would work. Of course, everything above is to be taken with a pinch of salt until Activision and the developer responsible make an announcement.

In other news, pre-orders of The Last of Us Part 1 Firefly Edition have apparently already sold out less than 24 hours after being announced. Elsewhere, the upcoming 10-minute long Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Stream may include a look at Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2.

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New Crash Bandicoot Game Reportedly in Development

Zarmena Khan — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 12:35:35 +0000

A new Crash Bandicoot game is apparently in development. That’s according to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, who revealed this news in the latest episode of Xbox Chaturdays, and suggested that the game might make an appearance at the upcoming Xbox Showcase.

What we know about the new Crash Bandicoot game

In the video above (starting at the 1:29:08 mark), Corden claims that the new Crash Bandicoot will be a multiplayer four-player brawler of sorts, leading to speculations of a new Crash Bash. It could also be the rumored Wumpa League game.

“I think we could see another Crash Bandicoot,” Corden said (thanks, Reddit). “It’s not just going to be a new Crash Bandicoot, it’s going to be a multiplayer Crash Bandicoot. It’s like a four-player brawler almost, but Crash oriented.”

This is great news for fans who were left disappointed after news emerged last April that virtually every Activision developer including Toys for Bob had transitioned into a Call of Duty support studio. The team, which successfully resurrected the Crash Bandicoot franchise, was tasked with working on Warzone. However, job listings discovered last December suggested that Toys for Bob was also working on projects that weren’t Call of Duty. Given Corden’s track record, we have reason to believe this rumor of a new Crash Bandicoot has some truth to it.

As far as the question of whether a new Crash Bandicoot will come to PlayStation platforms or not is concerned, considering development already seems to be underway prior to the closure of Microsoft Activsision deal, the game is likely going to be multiplatform, albeit with some benefits for Xbox owners like a Game Pass day-one launch.

In other news, troubled PS5 exclusive Abandoned reportedly doesn’t exist and probably never will, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has been delayed yet again.

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