Graphics: Each level in Crash of the Titans has its own theme, taking you from a lush tropical environment to an industrialized factory. Unfortunately, the game looks like a glorified PS2 offering. While the level presentation is huge in scale, the textures are stretched out to the point of lacking detail. Despite this, there’s a surprising stutter in the frame rate which hindered my ability to time jumps.

The character models are decent, though. While Crash stands out, the others lack character and appeal, especially the mutants. The models really take a back seat during cut scenes. The facial animations are broken and have a glossy coat, like they’ve been dipped in canola oil. The gameplay animations aren’t fluid at all. Across the board, the animations are either too stiff or too loose. Radical missed the happy medium.

There is a silver lining in Crash of the Titans: the level diversity. Even though the levels had no cohesive association to one another, I enjoyed going from the tropics to a factory in the middle of a dust bowl. Aside from the levels, there are some impressive depth of field and motions blur effects, too. There are also some good particle effects. In the end, though, considering what the 360 can do, it’s very disappointing to see Crash debut with this lack of flare.

Interface: The interface works well overall. Progress updates are given when necessary and then vanish. I do wish the status of upgrades were more apparent. The collection of mojo is necessary, but you’re not given any indication of how much more you need for the next upgrade. Another plus, though, is the menu system for selecting an unlocked level. Each stage has its own set of voodoo dolls to show what’s unlocked and to give status reports of Crash’s progress. This fits the vibe and nature of Crash of the Titans in an easy and accessible way.

Gameplay: I can’t say I had a blast playing Crash of the Titans. As a platform game, it’s below average at best. The main thing that hurts the score is predictability. You’ll find yourself in sequences of fighting and platforming so routine, your eyes will almost glaze over. Surfing breaks some of the monotony, but even these sequences become somewhat of a nuisance and seem out of place at times.

The game does do a good job of introducing new beasts to jack. For the most part, they don’t present much of a challenge, although in the later levels, when they decide to start blocking, you’ll be forced to use combos. Once you figure out the system of jacking mutants, though, the gameplay becomes repetitive and far too easy.

Crash of the Titans does offer a healthy amount of item collection. For any person willing to find everything, go for it, although the monotonous nature of the game hindered my desire to search every nook and cranny. The Mojo Room Games, for example, are supposed present unique challenges; instead, they offer the same trial time and time again: race against the clock, destroy objects, defeat all of the mutants — you get the point.

The length of Crash of the Titans is another concern. It shouldn’t take more than 10 hours to complete the game in its entirety. It took me six — and I can’t find any reason to go back to do it.

Multiplayer: The co-op mode is the most satisfying aspect of Crash of the Titans. Not only does it make the gameplay easier, but I also used something I haven’t applied for a while in an offering like this: communication. The application of Leapfrog Mode makes things more complicated because after one player jumps, the other player has to be on their toes to follow through with the same action. In the end, the co-op mode is the highlight of Crash of the Titans; it made the experience more enjoyable and even bearable.

Sound FX: The audio is probably the strongest aspect of Crash of the Titans. For the most part, it’s quite appropriate. You’ll hear crates break apart, footsteps on various terrain and ambient noise that draws you into the game world. Where Crash of the Titans really shines, though, is the voice acting. It’s very good. Each character is enhanced with a believable persona portrayed by the actors. I just wish Crash hadn’t come off as a buffoon. His only attempt at speech is a babble that takes away from his character. When using 5.1 Surround Sound, I came across an interesting bug. In some cases, the audio of the enemies in front of me would come out of my rear speakers. For the most part, though, the sound effects come together very well and add a touch of immersion to the game.

Music: The music for Crash of the Titans doesn’t enhance or take away from the gameplay; it’s just there. That said, it is appropriate for each level setting; upbeat tropical music plays during the tropical levels and so on. In addition, the music intensifies when you transition into battle sequences, which is a nice touch. Other musical cues occur when you jack a mutant. In all, the music comes together well.

Intelligence: Cortex should have thought this one through when creating the mutants because their intelligence is terrible. I understand the target audience is the younger crowd, but come on. Many mutants just stand still and take hits, and only two mutants block effectively. Even then, the blocks can be broken with effective combos. The one thing the mutants do correctly is strike when necessary using long and short range attacks.

Difficulty: Crash of the Titans has three separate settings Easy, Normal and Hard. Considering the challenges platform games are supposed to offer, there aren’t any to be found, even on Hard.

Overall: Crash is in need of a makeover. While the platform and combat elements mesh together rather well, Crash of the Titans doesn’t do much to evolve the series. The jacking of mutants is interesting, but in the end, this game has a “been there, done that” feel. It’ll be interesting to see where Sierra takes this franchise. As of right now, though, Crash is still in a state of limbo.