Crash of the Titans is the newest addition to the Crash Bandicoot series. Crash has been around for over ten years now with countless games available for just about every system out there. Honestly, the graphics in Crash haven't changed that much in the last ten years, but would you really want them to? Yes, they have gotten better. You don't feel like you're watching a PSone game. One of my friends that was watching me play stated "I just can't play anything that's not next gen." If you're like him and looking for mind-blowing graphics that push the limits of the console, then Crash isn't for you. If you're happy playing a nice looking platformer or if you enjoyed the previous games, you will enjoy this one too.

The music in Crash of the Titans makes you think of jungle tribes with drums and tambourines on a lot of the levels. The levels each have different background music and the sound effects are well done. The monsters' attacks each have their own sounds, so you can tell what is happening and who is hitting you, based on the noises. I like the paw print noises on the loading screens. They're just a cute bonus.

Crash of the Titans is played exactly as it always been. Why mess with something that works? You start the game with a cut scene of Crash and his friends. Unfortunately, Dr. Neo Cortex and Nina Cortex crash the party, freeze Crunch, and kidnap Aku Aku and Coco. Crash has to set off and rescue them before something else bad happens.

In Crash, you go through consecutive levels. Each one is played from one end to the other in a very linear manner; there are no turns, and you don't have to search multiple paths to figure out which one is right. You don't roam around a huge board for hours. You just have to survive on the main trail. There are no controls to change the camera angles either. But since you're going from one end to the other, you shouldn't need them. For the areas where you do split off to take one trail at a time, the camera will turn itself for you. At times, I would have liked to have been able to turn the camera to get a better idea of where I was trying to jump to so that I didn't fall off of the screen, but it's just not available.

Through the levels, there are several things for you to try and collect. Each enemy you kill and many items that you can destroy give you Mojo. Collect enough Mojo and you get upgraded attacks and free lives. There are power-ups that aid Crash. The Wumpa Fruit raise Crash's health and the rare Golden Wumpa Fruit give Crash an additional life. There's a Mojo Multiplier that gives Crash double Mojo for a limited time. The Free-jack mask makes Crash super strong temporarily. There's also Feathers that will boost his board-sliding speed. Also keep an eye out for Voodoo Dolls to unlock some really cool concept art for each level.

At the end of each level, you can get a trophy - Gold, Silver, or Bronze - depending on how well you did on the level. If at any time you want to replay a specific level after you've already beaten it, you simply go to that level screen and choose Replay Level. It's a good way to get a better trophy or find things you missed on the first run. There's several other choices available on the level screen.

You can also play Crash in Co-op Mode. At any point in the game, player 2 can press (O) on their controller and will then appear in Crash's backpack. You can play in Leapfrog Mode or Piggyback Mode. In Leapfrog Mode, you'll swap control after a new jump, swing or slide. You have to be ready at all times to take control when it is passed to you. In Piggyback Mode, you jump in and out of the backpack when you are needed.

There are different ways to explain the difficulty of a game. Crash of the Titans is a platformer. If you are new to platformers, you're going to have a learning curve to get past quickly. You aren't going to get lost, because this isn't a game where you need a map. But you will have to get used to timing jumps and searching for hidden objects. Some objects require you to do back flips to get to. Some will appear out of reach until you learn the different ways you can bounce Crash off of things. Crash does give you the option of Easy, Medium, or Hard at the beginning of the game.

Another thing that is somewhat difficult to get used to is jacking. Each monster that you jack has different abilities, so you have to learn which ones you need for what. They have at least two different attacks/abilities for you to use, but they do have their limitations. Some of them can hurl objects at targets that are out of your reach but aren't strong enough to break walls, some of them can break through walls but can't throw, and some can kill almost anything with a single hit but are very slow moving around. I would also recommend learning which monsters are stronger, especially if they happen to look just alike other than the color of their fur. At various times, you'll have to jack your way up the food chain by using one monster to jack an even more powerful one, so that you can beat the boss you need to get past.

Crash is controlled by using every button on the controller. The Left Analog stick or the D-pad moves Crash around the screen. I would recommend using the Analog Stick personally. It just gives you better control. The (X) button is used to make Crash jump. Pressing it twice will make him double jump, and pressing it repeatedly will allow him to glide over long jumps. The Square button pressed repeatedly will also let him glide and it is also his Light Attack. The Triangle button activates the Heavy Attack. If you hold it down, it'll let Crash do a Charge Attack. The R1 button blocks enemy attacks.

A very important part of Crash of the Titans is jacking. To jack an enemy, you first have to attack them until they are stunned. The tougher the enemy, the harder it is to stun. After they're stunned, press the (O) button to jack the monster. You can stun a monster from that one and jump right onto the second one by pressing (O) again after the second one is stunned. You also use (O) to get off of the monster after you're through with it.

I have enjoyed the Crash games since the first one I played ten years ago. Crash of the Titans is a good addition to the series. If you liked any of the previous ones, you'll definitely enjoy this one.