Spyro the Dragon (Sony PlayStation review)

Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: 1998

Spyro the Dragon is a platformer and the first of three games for the franchise on the Sony PlayStation.

+ Expansive levels are a joy to wander (particularly when gliding across perilous gaps) and there's a wealth of secret areas.

+ Gives you tons of freedom and there's always several levels open if you've finished exploring the world's main hub.

+ Game's collect-a-thon nature is highly addictive, and thankfully save points are plentiful to bank your current totals.

+ Optional challenge areas resemble Pilotwings (1991, SNES) and offer up some fun flight-based objectives against the clock.

+ Draw distance is superb and the game hides loading screens in a way that's as seamless as possible given CD limitations.

- Controls can often feel too slippery, (especially when using the Supercharge dash) and the bosses are a complete pushover.

- Music is thematically appropriate, but the tracks are generic and do nothing to enhance the worlds they're wrapped around.

Jumping Flash! (Sony PlayStation review)

Developer: Exact, Ultra
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: 1995

Jumping Flash! is a first-person platformer that's exclusive to Sony's 32-bit console.

+ Stages feel like large playgrounds that encourage you to explore and decipher how to reach far-off objects / platforms.

+ Draw distance is terrific and the ability to shoot enemies at range from higher platforms gives you a tactical edge.

+ Despite the atypical viewpoint, it's very easy to position yourself for a landing thanks to a handy guide shadow.

+ The surprising indoor levels are a nice diversion and resemble a first-person shooter like Doom (1993, MS-DOS).

+ The bosses are super fun and only get better as you progress due to their shifting attack patterns during battle.

- Features only six short worlds (that contain three levels each), so it's unfortunately an all-too-brief adventure.

- The unlockable Extra Mode (where the location of items is altered) is a rather cheap way to artificially extend play time.

Crash Bandicoot (PS1 review)

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: 1996

Crash Bandicoot is a platform game by Naughty Dog who later went on to develop The Last of Us and the Uncharted series (PS3).

The first thing I noticed is how bright and colourful the graphics are; each location is full of personality and Crash has some excellent, fluid animation. There's a good mixture of levels in here too including 2D and 3D stages as well as areas where you need to avoid huge enemies while constantly running towards the screen. One of the problems I experienced was depth perception; the camera is zoomed in too low making it tricky to judge distances between platforms. This results in many deaths as you struggle to accurately position your character. The game has some tough platforming and lots of trial and error is required to complete later stages. This leads me to my main gripe; you can only save your game in particular levels and you have to collect all three hidden items in one area to get this opportunity. Once you have these you'll get access to a Bonus Stage where you have to perform some difficult jumps to actually reach the save point. If you fall down or die you're sent back into the main level and you'll need to play several more stages before you're given another chance. If you lose all your lives it will load your last save meaning you'll frequently lose 30 minutes of hard work! It isn't an overly long game at just 31 levels but the punishing difficulty and annoying save points mean that the length is artificially raised as you replay the same sections over and over again. Weirdly, the bosses don't put up much of a fight and it's really not worth your time to see the bland ending. The SFX are nice but the music is lackluster with no memorable tunes.

If you enjoy trial and error gameplay you might enjoy Crash Bandicoot but for me it was like banging my head against a brick wall. The core mechanics are great but rarely did I find myself enjoying the experience due to its glaring flaws with camera positioning and save points.

Random trivia: Bizarrely, the code name used during development was Sonic's Ass Game as the developers found it amusing that the camera was positioned behind Crash!