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Crash: Mind Over Mutant is the latest Crash Bandicoot game. It was released on October 7, 2008 in the USA and on 11 October in PAL regions. The Nintendo consoles it was released on are Wii and Nintendo DS. It follows on form the previous game in the series, Crash of the Titans and features the return of the "jacking" feature.
Gameplay[]
In Crash: Mind Over Mutant, players control Crash Bandicoot as he explores Wumpa Island and its surrounding environments to uncover the "NV", a personal digital assistant created by Dr. Neo Cortex. Unlike Crash of the Titans, Crash: Mind Over Mutant is a free-roaming mission-based game where players must talk to non-playable characters to complete goals. Characters with exclamation points give out important details to continue the story.
Additionally, there are special items that enhance Crash. Golden stopwatches have the player play a nanogame that involves collecting or breaking certain objects to earn bonuses. A pair of red running shoes temporarily increase Crash's kicking power and his running speed, and the "Quad Damage" power-up temporarily multiplies Crash's damage output by four.
Combat[]
Crash can perform either light or heavy attacks, and can also block, dodge, counter, and break an enemy's block. For each enemy defeated or object destroyed, Crash picks up a magical orb called Mojo that can be used to upgrade his abilities.
A majority of the enemies require one combo attack for Crash to defeat, but the larger enemies, called "Titans", require multiple attacks. As a Titan takes damage, a star meter appears over its head to show how close they are to being stunned. As in Crash of the Titans, players can "jack" a Titan, meaning they can take complete control of it, while they are stunned. Player-controlled Titans have moves similar to Crash whereas some Titans have the ability to fire projectiles.
In addition to having more health, Titans also have a purple Titan meter that, when full, allows them to use special attacks. Each time a special attack is used, the player must wait for the Titan meter to refill.
New to this game, Crash can store Titans in his pocket and pull them out when needed. While riding Titans, any Mojo that the player collects goes to the Titan rather than Crash, which upgrades that Titan's ability instead of Crash's.
Cooperative Play[]
With two Wii Remotes and Nunchuks, a second player can join in at any time. While the second player initially appears as a floating mask, they can attack enemies by firing magic projectiles. By pressing the Minus Button, the second player's character can enter and exit the mask.
After a while, the second player will be able to play as Crash's sister Coco Bandicoot.
Plot[]
Reception[]
The Nintendo Wii version of Crash: Mind Over Mutant received average to generally positive reviews. Matt Casamassina of IGN rated it a 6.9 out of 10, praising it for being "the first good Crash game in a while", but criticized the game's camera angles, stating that they "almost ruined the whole package." GamePro rated it a 7.5 out of 10, praising the graphics and improved gameplay over Crash of the Titans. The game was also nominated for Nintendo Power's Best Platformer of the Year award in 2008, but lost to Kirby Super Star Ultra.
The Nintendo DS version, by contrast, was met with mostly negative reviews. Mine David of GameZone called it "the first really disappointing Crash title", while Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report criticized the game's depth and level design. IGN's Craig Harris criticized the overall gameplay as "a boring, drab, uninspired beat 'em up with none of what made last year's game so good on DS."
External links[]
- Crash: Mind Over Mutant at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Crash: Mind Over Mutant at GameFAQs
| Crash Bandicoot series | |
|---|---|
| Main series | The Wrath of Cortex • The Huge Adventure • N-Tranced • Purple: Ripto's Rampage • Crash of the Titans • Crash: Mind Over Mutant • Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy • It's About Time |
| Racing/Spin-offs | Crash Nitro Kart • Crash Tag Team Racing • Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Crash Boom Bang! • Skylanders: Imaginators |
| Related | Crash Bandicoot • Dr. Neo Cortex • Spyro Sony • Activision • TT Games • Vicarious Visions • Radical Entertainment • Toys for Bob |
This Wii-related article is a stub. Please help by expanding it. 
This Nintendo DS-related article is a stub. Please help by expanding it.