Crash Team Rumble: Deluxe Edition

Crash Team Rumble does a great job of transforming Crash into a unique, flavorful multiplayer game with some incredible maps and fun characters, but a lack of modes, some balance problems, and an irritating unlock system means it’s more of a snack than a full meal.

Toys For Bob reinvents the bandicoot for a modern multiplayer audience, and the results are impressively deep.

Crash Team Rumble could be viewed as the natural progression of difficulty in the Crash Bandicoot franchise. It takes an entirely different type of preparation and offers a different reward, though. Crash Team Rumble's take on multiplayer platforming madness is unique, with enough depth to keep you on your toes after hours of gameplay. Those searching for a fresh take on the long-running series should give it a try.

It’s a bold move to go with a premium package on top of a season pass model with a smaller release like this, but that’s what we have at the moment. It’s hard to predict how Crash Team Rumble ends up in six months, but I hope it’s still around, and the team is able to just facilitate what is working without corporate meddling. Whether or not enough people feel like spending $30 minimum to stick around and find out is up in the air.

I don’t think Crash Team Rumble is going to be the next big live service craze, but it has its moments, I can’t help but pity a game that feels like the odds are stacked against it. I guess now I’m just left to see whether or not future support helps the game pick up steam, if Activision flips the switch and makes Crash Team Rumble a free-to-play game down the line, or if the plug gets pulled before either of those things happen.

The online multiplayer space is so competitive that it's tough to judge whether Crash Team Rumble will be able to carve out its own niche and warrant support beyond what Toys for Bob has already committed to. However, those who give the game a chance will find a really fun fight for Wumpa Fruit with varied classes and characters. Addictive just enough to look past the lack of local play and potentially long load times, Crash Team Rumble is worth trying - even if you wish Crash would just stick to what he's known best for: platforming.

While I feel the live service elements are out of place, I ultimately can't hate the final product. Crash Team Rumble is a blast, one that's easy to learn and hard to put down.

Crash Team Rumble builds out a fun and engaging skeleton for a Crash-inspired multiplayer game; it just doesn’t have enough meat on those bones to keep the experience engaging. This is one Bandicoot you may not want to unleash.

Those that give Crash Team Rumble a chance will find fun, fast-paced platforming gameplay that rewards coordinated teamwork but is still perfectly entertaining with randoms. Toys for Bob has proven that the Crash Bandicoot-style of platforming is right at home in the online multiplayer space, but the game's longevity is a legitimate concern. Anyone interested in the game should jump in now while the community is most active, but those that don't want to risk spending $30 on a game that may fall off in a few months may be better served waiting to see if Crash Team Rumble gets a free-to-play re-release down the road.

It's worth playing now, and it'll definitely be worth playing much more in the future.