Combat takes a bit of practice. There isn't as much smashing and stomping as in the original series. Instead, there is a lot of hand-to-hand combat in which you'll be expected to throw a lot of kicks and punches. There is something more immediate and gratifying to this style of combat. If something pisses you off, you can react immediately, instead of having to position yourself, aim, jump, and land on the offender's head. The DS offers good control, but my advice is to forgo the touch screen during the platform action. You'll need all hands on the face buttons, and fortunately you can use the B button in place of the touch screen and the microphone. Those features are just too awkward to use when you're in the heat of battle or otherwise attempting some tricky moves.

Mini-games are featured, which do put the touch screen and stylus to good use. In one such game you'll use the touch screen to move a creature that's positioned on a ball. The stylus lets you navigate your way through an obstacle course by dragging it left or right on the screen. You can also play the popular Japanese game of Pachinko with the stylus. Overall the commands are tight and responsive, which is essential for a good platformer. The game is linear, but there is just enough freedom in certain regions to let you explore for alternate paths and hidden items. All of these platform elements will keep you entertained, as well as challenged. Just trying to collect all of the items in any level will certainly test your mettle.

Crash of the Titans has a colorful, cartoon vibe to it that doesn't skimp on detail. The levels are large and display plenty of 3D depth, even if some of the backgrounds aren't totally interactive. The characters are artfully rendered with smooth animation. Crash moves gracefully, and his face displays expressions that his voice can't. Much of the voice work is repeated, and the music is looped. The sound effects are the only reason to have the volume on.

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Crash of the Titans is this Bandicoots comeback game. It's arcade-style fun that is sure to please gamers of all ages and styles. It's games like this that made us all gaming fans in the first place. My major criticism is that is only takes an afternoon to complete.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

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