Crash Mania- Crash of the Titans

Info: Main / DS / GBA
Levels: Main / DS / GBA
Special Editions
XBL Downloads List
Diffs. between main versions
Cheats/Secrets
Guides
Mysteries: Main / DS
Trivia
Transcript
Back to Index

PAL (Similar to NTSC)

Platforms: Wii/PlayStation 2/XBox 360/PSP (also available on Nintendo DS, GBA and mobile phones)
Genre: 3D Beat 'em Up / 3D Platformer
Developers: Radical Entertainment (ported to the PSP by Supervillain Studios)
Year: 2007

Main Version Info

What will it be?
Story and characters [On/Off]
Generalities [On/Off]
Moves [On/Off]

Story
All is peaceful in Wumpa Island, Crash Bandicoot's new home. As Aku Aku sleeps and Crunch does his workout routines, Crash helps his sister Coco build another one of her gizmos. No sooner would they be rudely interrupted by none other than the usual bearded scientist, Dr. Cortex himself. Paying a visit to the bandicoots in his hovercraft, Cortex obnoxiously announces his "triumphant" return. Aku Aku volunteers to give him the old one-two, but he gets trapped in a cage in a moment of distraction. Coco goes through the same treatment, while Crunch is trapped on ice by a laser. As Cortex sets off with the captured prizes, Crash's good arm manages to throw Coco's machine at Aku Aku's cage, making it fall off somewhere in the woods.

After Crash frees Aku Aku, the two of them find themselves fighting strange mutant creatures of great proportions. Luckily for them, Crash can control these creatures with the help of Aku Aku's mystical powers, something that may just come in handy. The duo eventually arrives at the Mojo Temple, where they see Cortex's airship. Mojo is the essence of life itself, and this confirms Aku Aku's theory: Cortex and Uka Uka are stealing all the Mojo from the temple so they can make their mutants bigger, stronger and meaner. After our heroes make their way to the top of the temple, they find Cortex and Uka Uka, holding Coco as a hostage. Cortex reveals his evil plan to them: with the help of his mutated minions, he intends to build a giant robot - The Doominator - to crush Wumpa Island. Uka Uka sets off with Coco and the Mojo, while Cortex stays to watch one of his giant freaks destroy Crash. This doesn't go as planned, however, and Cortex is forced to flee when Crash gains the upper hand.

It's now up to Crash and Aku Aku to rescue Coco, fight Cortex's mutant army and stop The Doominator from being finished. But as they set off on their journey, a certain someone shows great disappointment towards Cortex and announces his replacement...

Characters: Crash Bandicoot/Coco Bandicoot/Crunch Bandicoot/Aku Aku/Dr. Cortex/Nina Cortex/N. Gin/Tiny Tiger/Uka Uka

Generalities
Whereas Twinsanity improved and expanded upon the original Crash formula, Titans makes a complete departure from the previous games in the series, to the point that it it's not really a platformer anymore (for the most part). This is a 3D beat 'em up with hints of platforming here and there.

The game has 3 difficulty settings, so you can just choose what suits you better: Easy is recommended for beginners in general, Normal is recommended for the majority of players, and Hard is only recommended if you're a real expert (it is a very tough cookie if you're new to the game). Depending on the setting you choose, the enemies' aggressiveness and intelligence differs, as well as the number of hits you can take. Speaking of it, the AI in this game is very impressive.

When you first play the game, it is essential that you keep in mind how the gameplay is almost completely different from previous titles. Titans introduces two major innovations to the series: combat and Jacking. While Crash still runs, jumps and shimmies, the game focuses a lot more on defeating enemies with the use of various close combat moves. Crash must make use of various melee attacks and execute combos, kicking and punching his way through. As you collect Mojo (the common pick-up in this game), you slowly gain new moves and upgrade old ones, such as Crash's trademark spin attack. Both Crash and the enemies are a lot stronger than before, which is why most of them have health bars now. This new combat system may seem a little daunting to fanatics of the old mechanics, but rest assured that it's very easy to use, so you've got that going for you. The game is roughly 70% combat and 30% platforming.

Enemies are abundant and varied, and also much meaner than before. Some are still Crash's size and are usually weak, but most are monstrosities who are much bigger than Crash- the namesake Titans. There are 12 different Titan species throughout the game (plus 3 bosses), each with its own set of moves, size and strength. Some are only thrice as big as Crash, but others are enormous. This is where the best part comes: after you've beaten a Titan to an unconscious pulp, you can take control over its mind. Crash slams Aku Aku onto the Titan's face and jumps to its back, and from there on, you're in control. This is called Jacking, and you'll be doing it a lot in this game (not just because it's cool, but also because you're required to). You can use all the attacks they were using against you, including special moves. With a Titan, it's much easier to beat up other ones, and the smaller enemies practically become harmless prey for fodder purposes. It's also the only way you'll get to control the bigger ones. Think of it as a sort of food-chain: you beat up a medium-sized Titan, Jack it, use it to beat up a bigger one, Jack that one, and so forth. With this, you can (and must) take control of the giant bosses, who make all the other Titans look like dwarfs. You can unjack a Titan at any time (or you'll jump off if it runs out of health), but it's also possible to jump from Titan to Titan, provided they're unconscious. If a Titan is unconscious for too long, it disappears. Although the game is essentially the same in all of the console versions, the Wii one is definitely the best choice, for it makes great use of the Wii Remote for the special attacks. You get to perform them by doing the same gestures as the Titans, such as pounding your chest when using the Scorporilla.

Though in much shorter doses, the platforming parts are still present. Crash still breaks Crates here and there, he still has to go through jumping puzzles, and he's also gained an air slide move: you can use Aku Aku as a slide-board any time you like, and in some segments, you'll automatically do this to travel across long valleys and tunnels. Think of it as Twinsanity's Humilliskating, but faster and with a lot more freedom in control. Some rails require grinding to get across, but Crash does that automatically.
Then there are arenas called Mojo Rooms. Every level has one of these, but they're always completely optional. To get through them, just perform the task you're given (collect Mojo, masks, defeat all the enemies, etc.).

As mentioned, Mojo spheres are scattered everywhere, so pick them up for new moves, health upgrades and extra lives. There are also Freejack masks that allow you to defeat an enemy in a single blow, regardless of how big it is. Wumpa Fruits give you health now, and golden Wumpa Fruits award you extra lives. Voodoo Dolls can be unlocked by doing certain tasks or finding them in the levels. With these, you can unlock concept art, enemy profiles and skins (costumes). Wearing an enemy skin allows you to defeat anyone from that species in a single hit, so use them if you're having trouble in certain levels (wearing a Magmadon skin is useful for areas full of Magmadons, etc.). Skins are unlocked by Jacking a number of Titans or defeating a lot of fodder enemies. Additionally, each level has a ranking- Completed, Bronze, Silver or Gold Idol. To get a Gold Idol, you must defeat a preset number of fodder enemies, perform a certain amount of combos and get the 3 toilet-like Spybots in the level (all in the same go, or you will not get Gold).

A definite step back is that the game does not let you explore the environments (although fanatics of classic Crash won't have any problem with this, granted). Whereas Twinsanity and CrashTTR allowed you to go wherever you wanted, Crash of the Titans only lets you go where you're supposed to, so expect straightforward paths and plenty of invisible walls. Additionally, you cannot control the camera, as it moves on rails, though it always lets you see everything you need. Whenever Crash goes behind a wall or an object, you will always see his silhouette in front of it, regardless of the object's thickness. This clever trick lets you keep track of Crash at all times without the need of controlling the camera.

Graphically, the game is just beautiful. Although the framerate is generally lower than in Twinsanity (especially in the PS2 version), the lush scenery and the graphical quality are true eye-candy, with pastel-toned backgrounds and lots of detail wherever you go. The levels seem like living works of art (fireflies passing by, geckos climbing up rocks, birds in the background, and much more). The cutscenes are all done in real time with in-game graphics, but they still manage to be some of the best in the series, with fluid character animations and excellent dialogue. It's too bad there are so few of them. Despite this, they present a considerably annoying problem, since like in Twinsanity, you can't skip them whatsoever (and most of them are pretty long too).
The music is very unique. It's the kind of music you can randomly listen to and immediately associate with the game. The music differs with the situation or area you're in, always suiting every moment and putting a stop to the 'one-tune-per-level' habit.

Lastly, there is pure, fun drop-in/drop-out multiplayer co-op. This long string of words means that a second player can join in and out at any time during the game, with absolutely no extra loadings or restarts. Just connect a second controller, push the button and you're set! Just the way every game should be, really. Co-op is one of the best aspects of the game, and therein lies much of the game's fun. Carbon Crash (a white-coloured Crash copy) pops up, and the second player controls him just like with the normal Crash. The screen will not be divided in two, so you'll be able to see your surroundings normally. But this also means both players need to be on-screen in order to go through the level, so even though each Crash can get quite a bit far away from the other, you can't leave your partner behind (and why would you?). In co-op, both Crashes gain a backpack with which to carry the other one around. This is a really cool aspect, because if things get too rough for either player (or if one of them is just not good with jumping puzzles, for example), that player can just pop into the other one's backpack and get carried inside. When it's safe, just jump back out. You can change the backpack options from Leapfrog to Piggyback. Leapfrog is set by default. In this setting, the person in control switches to the other one each time they jump, so this is the best choice for cooperating in jumping puzzles. With Piggyback, you can just carry or be carried all the way, which is best used when your partner can't jump for beans. When one of the Crashes dies, his player will have to wait 5 seconds before re-joining (it only counts as a lost life if both Crashes die). Lastly, you can always attack your partner if he's doing a lousy job, or engage in mindless brawls against him. If you have the game, a second controller and someone to play with, you really have no excuse not to play this game in co-op.

Character Moves:

Crash Bandicoot
Jump- Crash jumps in the air. For a higher jump, press the jump button longer.
PS2/PSP: X
X360: A
Wii: A

Double jump - Press the jump button twice to go twice as high.
PS2/PSP: X, X
X360: A, A
Wii: A, A

Glide- Press the jump or kick button in the air repeatedly to glide.
PS2/PSP: X repeatedly
X360: A repeatedly
Wii: A repeatedly

Back flip- Pull the left analog stick in the opposite direction Crash is facing and press the jump button. Crash will jump much higher than usual. Combine with the Double Jump for maximum height.

High jump- Rotate the left analog stick and jump to go extra high.

Light attack- Press the punch button various times in succession to do light combos and defeat enemies.
PS2/PSP: Square
X360: X
Wii: B

Heavy attack- Press the kick button for a heavy kick attack. This is useful for breaking an enemy's guard. Hold down the kick button to charge it and deliver more damage.
PS2/PSP: Triangle
X360: Y
Wii: Z

Block/Dodge- You can defend yourself against light attacks by holding down the block button. To dodge, hold down the block button and move in a direction.
PS2/PSP: R1
X360: RT
Wii: C

Grab ledge / Shimmy- To grab a ledge, jump up to it. Shimmy with the left analog stick and jump to climb up. Press the kick or Jack button to drop down.

Swing from ropes- Jump into a rope or vine to start swinging. Use the left analog stick to thrust back and forth and gain momentum. Use the jump button to leap onto another rope.

Tic Tac- To climb up a tall structure, position yourself between two walls and jump into one of them. Jump again to bounce off to the other wall, and repeat until you reach the top.

Jack/Unjack- After you've stunned a Titan, you can mount and control it by pressing the action button near it. To get off, press the action button again. You can jump from Titan to Titan with this button too, provided there is one stunned nearby.
PS2/PSP: O
X360: B
Wii: Flick nun-chuck or D-pad Down

Aku Air Grind (Story upgrade)- To use Aku Aku as a slide-board, jump and press the block button. Crash will do this automatically in certain segments. While sliding, press the punch button to attack, the jump button to leap (twice if needed) and the kick button to end your slide. The slide's duration can be upgraded progressively with Mojo, up to a maximum of 15 seconds.
PS2/PSP: X, R1
X360: A, RT
Wii: A, C

Norris Roundhouse (Mojo upgrade)- Press the punch button thrice in a row for a light combo.
PS2/PSP: Square, Square, Square
X360: B, B, B
Wii: X, X, X

Old-Skool (Mojo upgrade)- This is Crash's old spin attack. Crash will get dizzy if you use it for too long, but the spin's durability can be upgraded progressively with more Mojo, until it lasts forever.
PS2/PSP: Rotate left analog stick + Square repeatedly
X360: Rotate left analog stick + X repeatedly
Wii: Swirl the remote or rotate the control stick + B repeatedly

Gyro Jackhammer (Mojo upgrade)- Crash performs a strong breakdance kick.
PS2/PSP: Rotate left analog stick + Triangle
X360: Rotate left analog stick + Y
Wii: Swirl the remote + Z

Double Whammy (Mojo upgrade)- After kicking, Crash delivers a swirling blow.
PS2/PSP: Triangle, land, Triangle
X360: Y, land, Y
Wii: Z, land, Z

Triple Dragon (Mojo upgrade)- Crash does a powerful 3-hit combo that ends in a headbutt. Each hit can be charged when landing.
PS2/PSP: Triangle, land, Triangle, land, Triangle
X360: Y, land, Y, land, Y
Wii: Z, land, Z, land, Z

Chin Tickler (Mojo upgrade)- Press the punch button twice and then the kick button to do an uppercut.
PS2/PSP: Square, Square, Triangle
X360: X, X, Y
Wii: B, B, Z

Board Slam (Mojo upgrade)- Punch, punch, kick and kick to slam Aku Aku onto a face.
PS2/PSP: Square, Square, Triangle
X360: X, X, Y
Wii: B, B, Z

Spin Dismount (Mojo upgrade)- Dismount a Titan and finish it off at the same time.
PS2/PSP: Rotate the left analog stick + O
X360: Rotate the left analog stick + B
Wii: Swirl the nun-chuck + D-Pad Down

Armpit Fart- Crash does fart sounds with his armpit.
Wii: Point the remote towards your armpit and shake the nun-chuck.

Spike
Claw Combo
PS2/PSP: Square, Square, Square
X360: X, X, X
Wii: B, B, B

Spike's Surprise
PS2/PSP: X
X360: A
Wii: Raise the nun-chuck and the remote at the same time