CELESTE

That Celeste, a small-budget indie game made by a tiny team, is unequivocally one of the best platformers we’ve played in years absolutely cannot be taken for granted. That, of course, is down to the fact that it works within its limitations to deliver something so unique and well-made. Particularly on the platforming front, it’s a game that can be gruelingly difficult. Even if you’re sticking to the critical path, grappling with Celeste’s demanding platforming trials can be quite the task, though it’s the optional content that really provides the truly difficult challenges. Thankfully, thanks to the game’s pixel perfect platforming and incredible level design, that rarely ever feels overbearing.

Please note that most if not all of these games are really great in their own right, and 100% completion criteria aren’t exactly indicative of the general experience of playing these games.

With that out of the way, let’s begin:

Yakuza 0

The Yakuza games are known for stuffing a ton of content into a rather small open-world space, and Yakuza 0 is no different. Completing the game to a 100% would require completing every side quest in the game, playing through all the minigames, eating all the dishes available at restaurants, and completing all related combat challenges. What makes Yakuza 0 a markedly more difficult game to tackle is the fact that some of this progress isn’t shared between Kiryu and Majima, so be prepared to spend dozens upon dozens of hours doing the same chores again and again if you wish to get that coveted platinum.

The bundle includes all the major Crash games that have released these last few years- including Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. It’s available on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and costs $199.99 on the former two, and $99.99 on the latter. Just for today though, it’s being sold at a heavily slashed price- $59.99 on all three platforms. All three of those are excellent releases, encompassing five great games in total, so if you haven’t given them a go yet, now’s your chance.

The future of Crash Bandicoot has looked to be in doubt these last few months. N.Sane Trilogy developer Vicarious Visions has been merged into Blizzard and is working on Diablo 2: Resurrected, while reports have suggested that Crash 4 developer Toys for Bob is one among several Activision studios that’s been brought in to focus exclusively on Call of Duty (though Activision says reports of layoffs at the studio are incorrect).

https://twitter.com/CrashBandicoot/status/1417925381043023872

It’s no secret that Call of Duty has been a money-printing machine for Activision for as long as the series has been around, but over the last couple of years, with the ridiculously successful Call of Duty: Warzone, the series has grown even more in prominence where Activision is concerned. A number of internal studios at the company have already been actively involved with the series’ development in some way, shape, or form, and now, it’s beginning to look like others are going to be roped in as well.

Recently, reports arose that nearly every Activision studio is working on Call of Duty, one of which was confirmed as Toys for Bob, the developers of Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. These reports also stated that there had been several layoffs at the studio, but according to Activision, that information is accurate.

In a statement provided by the company to GamingBolt, they said: “Reports of layoffs at Toys For Bob are incorrect. There has not been a reduction in personnel recently at the studio. The development team is operating fully and has a number of full-time job openings at this time. The studio is excited to continue supporting Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, and more recently provide additional development support to Call of Duty: Warzone.”

It’s interesting, because the aforementioned reports had former Toys for Bob staff stating that there had been several layoffs, which, of course, directly contradicts what Activision has said. It’s also worth mentioning that though Activision says Toys for Bob is going to continue support Crash 4, the game doesn’t have any major expansions or content coming up- at least none that’s been announced so far.

Activision recently announced that one of the best platformers in recent memory, the Toys for Bob-developed Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Switch in March. If you’ve been waiting to play the game on the Switch, we now know exactly how much system storage you’ll need for it- if you plan on doing digital, that is.

The game’s Switch eShop page mentions a file size of 9.4 GB, which pretty much falls in line with previous Crash games. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled had the same 9.3 GB file size, while Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy’s file size came in at 5.5 GB. In comparison, Crash 4 requires 30 GB of space on both PS4 and Xbox One.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is releasing for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 12, and will be coming to PC later in the year. It is currently available for PS4 and Xbox One. PS4/Xbox One players will also have the option to upgrade the game to its PS5 or Xbox Series X/S version for free.

In our review for Crash Bandicoot 4, we were full of praises for the platformer, calling it “a must play for everyone” and awarding it a score of 9/10. You can read the full review through here.

Earlier this year, just before the launch of the new consoles, we got a hit of nostalgia with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. While not actually done by the original developers, it’s framed as something of a long lost sequel to the original PlayStation trilogy, and we were big fans. It seems like it’s also teasing a new game in the franchise as well, but it may even be doing so for a comrade of the same era.

As noticed by Twitter user Spyro Universe, in the artbook dedicated to Crash 4, there is an artwork there and if you look at the bottom you’ll very clearly see a logo for a Spyro 4, something that the book directly points you toward in case you miss it.

Like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro began with a trilogy of titles in the PlayStation era, developed by Insomniac Games. That developer moved on and while there were sequels afterward  by others, the franchise never quite reached that peak again until those original three titles were remade a few years ago. Take into account we’ve had rumors that a new Spyro game was in the works, and there you go. It could just be a coy and playful reference, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Spyro follows the same path as his PlayStation bud relatively soon.

https://twitter.com/SpyroUniverse/status/1335962275849486341?s=20

Activision have dragged Crash back from the dead with multiple successful releases over the last few years. Just recently, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time launched to strong critical reception and what seem like solid sales. Now, however, it seems like Activision are already teasing their next Crash project.

The very first level in Crash 4 begins on a beach. There’s a small TV screen there that Crash can hit, which shows logos of all the numbered Crash Bandicoot games as you hit it. But as discovered recently by @kimmotman on Twitter, if you’ve finished the game with 106% completion, the TV screen also shows an additional mysterious logo right at the end for a fraction of a second.

The logo shows two streaks, one orange and one purple, around a Wumpa fruit, which might be suggesting some sort of an upcoming crossover between Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. A leak earlier this year suggested that Activision was working on a PvP Crash Bandicoot game, so it’s possible that they could be developing a kart racer or a fighter similar to Super Smash Bros. that uses characters from both Crash and Spyro.

This is all just speculation for now, of course, so don’t lock anything in as confirmed for now. That said, given how successful both properties have been for Activision since their revivals, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to see them joining forces for a service-based PvP game.

Meanwhile, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is currently available on PS4 and Xbox One. An ESRB listing for the Xbox Series X not too long ago suggested that the game might also come to the new consoles, while a Switch version has also been in the rumour mill.

There's a new image that appears on the TV after you beat the game? Teasing Crash 5 or a spinoff? #PS4share pic.twitter.com/w6cEKJwcaE

— Kevin Fagaragan (@KevinFagaragan) November 29, 2020

This secret seems to only work if you 106% the game.

— Kevin Fagaragan (@KevinFagaragan) November 29, 2020

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time launched earlier this month for PS4 and Xbox One, but questions of a Nintendo Switch version have persisted constantly. Seeing as Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy both eventually made it over to the Nintendo hybrid, most have assumed that Crash 4 will eventually do the same as well- but when?

Recently, some evidence may have popped up to suggest that it could happen sooner rather than later. As explained in a video by YouTuber Canadian Guy Eh, someone recently discovered mention of a Switch version of the game in its INI files. There is some evidence to suggest that developers Toys for Bob may have borrowed some of their code from Spryo Reignited Trilogy for the game as well, which would suggest that Crash 4 on the Switch could target a similar resolution and frame rate.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a Nintendo Switch version. Activision have previously said that they’re evaluating more versions for the game, while the source code of the game’s official website also mentions a Nintendo Switch version.

Currently, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is available on PS4 and Xbox One. In our review, we called it “a finely crafted platformer that can easily claim to stand among genre greats” and awarded it a score of 9/10. You can read our full review through here.

Recently, an ESRB rating may have spilled the beans on an Xbox Series X release for Crash Bandicoot 4. Read more on that through here.

The NPD Group has released data for video game hardware and software sales in the United States throughout the month of September, and looking back, it was certainly a busy month. Topping the software charts is Marvel’s Avengers, which also immediately becomes the seventh highest selling game of the year in the US, clearly having enjoyed strong sales out the gate.

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella notes on Twitter that in terms of dollar sales, Marvel’s Avengers has enjoyed the second biggest launch for a superhero game in the US to date, second only to Marvel’s Spider-Man. It was the best-selling game for the month of September on both PS4 and Xbox One as well.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars debuts in second place. It’s also become the tenth highest-selling game of 2020 right off the bat. The time-limited remaster collection saw 2020’s second biggest physical dollar sales launch of the year, second to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

Meanwhile, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 slots in at No. 4 for its debut. The collection of remakes’ strong critical reception has been reflected in its sales, enjoying the biggest launch (dollar sales) for any game in the Tony Hawk series, beating a record held until now by Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. 

NBA 2K21 debuted at fifth place, while Star Wars: Squadrons and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time came in at No. 9 and No. 11 respectively, even though they launched on October 2 (what with the period in consideration running up till October 4).

Meanwhile, on the hardware side of things, the Nintendo Switch, as it tends to be, the highest-selling console of the month. Spending in September 2020 stood at $277 million, 15% up from last year, driven largely by increasing Switch sales. Year-to-date hardware spending has climbed to $2.3 billion, which is 22% up from last year.

Crash Bandicoot’s resurgence with a couple of solid remakes recently culminated with the series’ first new game in years, with Toys for Bob’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. It’s turned out to be exactly the sort of game Crash fans had been hoping for, combining smart and tight level design with charm and a healthy dose of challenge.

To that effect, the game has been receiving plenty of praise from critics and audiences alike. To highlight some of that praise from media outlets and publications, Activision have released an accolades trailer for the game, which you can watch below.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is available now on PS4 and Xbox One. In our review, we called it “a finely crafted platformer that can easily claim to stand among genre greats”, awarding it a score of 9/10. You can read the full review through here.

You can also read about what we thought were the best secrets and hardest levels in the entire game.