Is our favourite Bandicoot going to be making a return to consoles this year? Or maybe even some time in the near future? Well, representatives from Sony are denying this with quite some force but at the same time hinting at it on social media. Tweets from PlayStation Mid East are either hinting at a new Crash game or they really enjoy winding up their fans. The loveable Bandicoot, and once the mascot for Sony, hasn’t been seen in a console game since 2008 but did make a few appearances in mobile games after that. I know when I first spotted this fan made Crash poster I got incredibly excited, sprung out of bed shouting “Ooga Booga”. I can’t be the only fan who wants to see Crash in full HD on the PlayStation 4, at this point I’d even take a remake of the forever classic first game. It’s not clear if Sony ever plans to bring back Crash but after the excitement this poster created surely they’d be stupid not to? If you’re listening Sony, we want Crash!

Crash Bandicoot was a must have for anyone who played video games in the 90s and a character that an entire generation of gamers is missing out on. Crash was a great example of what a puzzle/platformer should be, I think developers have lost sight of that, although I will admit Naughty Dog are killing it with the Uncharted games, oh and The Last of Us (they just rock). You could argue that Drake is this generation’s Crash Bandicoot, I mean there are some similarities between the games I suppose. Most notably running backwards while being chased by something, be it a boulder or a gang of heavily armed pirates. Ok, so maybe there aren’t too many similarities between them but both games contain the correct formula for the perfect action and puzzle combination. The puzzles in the Crash game might be a lot simpler than the ones found in the Uncharted series but I was much younger then, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. As a nostalgic person I would always choose Crash over Uncharted and as excited as I am for Uncharted 4 I would lose my mind if they made a new Crash game for the PS4. Like queuing up outside Game for the midnight launch in fancy dress as Crash or Dr Neo Cortex lose my mind.

To this day I still have nightmares about Ripper Roo, that insane blue kangaroo was one of the hardest bosses I faced and possibly responsible for my first rage quit. That evil laugh will be forever in my nightmares, but the urge to go back now and take him on is overwhelming. Other than the rare frustrating moment the Crash games were just great fun to play and a game every PlayStation owner had in their collection. As a character, I think he reached a wider audience than a lot of others at the time, to this day the only video game my girlfriend will play is Crash Team Racing. To the extent that when we moved in together I had to download it onto my PlayStation 3 but this is no longer an option now I’ve upgraded to a PS4, so as a household we are currently Crash-less. It makes me sad to think of all those other households out there in the world that are not only Crash-less have no knowledge of his existence.

Spare a moment to think about those youngsters who are just about to enter into a brand new world of gaming, what sort of gaming experience can they look forward to? Well, I guess they can play as video game versions of their favourite film and TV characters or as Lego versions in the hundreds of Lego games available. I just don’t have faith that these games will leave a long lasting impression on young gamers and have them feeling nostalgic in 15 years’ time. I feel that Crash is not only a good way to introduce youngsters to games but would be a great game to convert those who aren’t necessarily into video games.

With a new Crash game looking unlikely so far I thought I’d do my bit by throwing in some ideas for how they could bring Crash onto the PS4. Sony if you’re paying attention the possibilities are endless and here are just a few of my brilliant, smart and to be honest stupid ideas. Most of these are just rip-offs of other games with Crash in the title but I’m not being paid for this Sony!

• Crash Bandicoot 1-3 HD collection
• Crash Team Racing 2
• Crash Bandicoot (reboot the franchise from the ground up)
• Crash Attack (kind of like Super Smash Bros)
• Crash of Clans (Mobile game I think, I see it as armies of Bandicoots throwing Apples)
• Crash-out (sounds like a racer, but it’s actually an open world game like Fallout starring a loveable Bandicoot)
• Uncharted 5 – Drakes Pet Bandicoot (where do I send my money?)
• Crash Rock-Bandicoot (play along with Crash as we enter the music industry)
• The Last of Crash (survival horror starring a loveable Bandicoot)
• Crash Bang Wallop (No game idea I just wanted to write this down)

That’s all the ideas I have at the moment but feel free to send me the cheques when you’re up your eyeballs in cash (Cash-Bandicoot, get it?). Awful jokes aside why haven’t we had a Crash Bandicoot game for the next generation?

I get that Naughty Dog have been creating masterpieces left, right and centre but why has this incredible video character been left to die, or is he hibernating (quick google to see if bandicoot’s hibernate, nope they do not). Well, maybe Crash is a hibernating Bandicoot and is patiently biding his time to make the perfect return, maybe even this year or next. What I do know is that it’s about time we got a Crash game on our next generation consoles so pull your fingers out Sony, the world has asked so will you answer? #TeamCrash2016

About the Author

Stuart Purcell

Meanwhile, deep underground somewhere in Manchester, terrifyingly sinister plots are being schemed. But back in reality I’m usually just playing video games, reading comics and watching cartoons.