Crash Bandicoot (character)

Crash Bandicoot, or simply Crash, is a popular video game character of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot series created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin.

In the games, Crash is described as a genetically-advanced Eastern Barred Bandicoot whose quiet life on a three-island chain (southwest of Australia, according to the instruction manual of the first game in the series) is frequently interrupted by his nemesis Doctor Neo Cortex, and must defeat him to put his life back in order. He is often accompanied by allies such as Aku Aku, Coco Bandicoot and Crunch Bandicoot.

Conception and creation
Crash was created by Naughty Dog intentionally as a character unique to the current design of the 3D genre, being able to portray multiple emotions merely by facial expression (a feature rare then due to basic technology in games). The choice of an obscure, commonly unknown animal was commonplace in the platforming industry at the time. Crash's final design (created by cartoonist and Spyro the Dragon designer Charles Zembillas) seems to be largely based on traditional Western animation, progressing as time does.

Personality
Naughty Dog once referenced the development of Crash as a character both "goofy yet heroic", and being able to portray it well. Originally however, he took the role of a silent protagonist and thus expressed little of his personality or opinions (a trait developer Jason Rubin later claimed to regret), though in more recent games he has played a larger role.

Crash's personality is hard to pinpoint, sometimes varying from game to game. Overall, he has a rather wacky, comical, cartoonish personality akin to a tornado. His demented behavior was in fact extended to actual hostility in Crash Tag Team Racing, in which he took pleasure in acts of hurting Park Drones and even himself. Despite this, however, Crash is usually kind-hearted and laid-back, rarely ever showing true sorrow or anger (though he detests evil, such as Cortex), though he is also rather simple, to some fans almost to the point of retardedness and lack of awareness. Indeed, Cortex, in Crash Twinsanity, remarks "With my mighty intellect and your vacuous stupidity, we'll be unbeatable!".

Abilities
Crash's most common ability is his tornado spin, upon which he twirls insanely to hit a nearby opponent, similar to the tornado spin of the Looney Tunes' Taz. The power of this attack varies in different games, to the point he can spin constantly or even float on air when using it. He can also spin objects, living or not, to gain a better hit radius. Like other platformers, he can also jump on opponents as well as slide and body slam. A large amount of special abilities can be obtained in various titles. Crash can also ride a whole range of vehicles, such as motorcycles, biplanes, wave-boards, 4X4 jeeps, karts and a whole range of other cars. In a common tradition to the platform genre, he can also be seen riding a minecart at times.

Appearances
Crash, being the titular character of the series, has appeared prominently in every game as the protagonist and a playable character.

Naughty Dog era
Crash debuted with the release the 1996 of the video game, Crash Bandicoot, in North America. Described as an ordinary bandicoot who was evolved by Doctor Neo Cortex and subsequently rejected as the general of his Cortex Commandos, Crash assumes the role of the generic hero attempting to rescue the damsel-in-distress Tawna (and N. Sanity Beach) from the evil scientist, who aims for world domination. In virtually all the games he has featured in, Crash is not very vocal. One of the few vocalisations he makes is his to-be trademark cry of "Whoa!" whenever he was hurt or killed, which lasted until Crash Twinsanity. His only ability is his classic spin attack, though he's able to defeat his enemies by jumping on them, too.

In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash sleeps soundly until his sister, Coco, awakes him and commands him to deliver a new laptop battery. Halfway through his trip, he is abducted by Doctor Cortex, who tells him that he needs 25 Crystals from different locations around the world to save the planet from the devastation of the upcoming planetary alignment. But Doctor Nitrus Brio contacts Crash, warning him to collect Gems, not Crystals, having developed a grudge on Cortex, most likely due to Cortex taking the credit for his creation of the Cortex Vortex. The reason N. Brio needs the Gems is if he is able to get all the Gems, he can finally get his revenge on Cortex and bring his downfall. Crash must decide rather to collect Crystals or Gems. Crash has gained some new techniques, such as the High Jump, Crouching, Crawling and the Body Slam and is shown to be able to ride a polar bear. Crash also performs a unique dance after the completion of each level and boss.

In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, immediately after Cortex Strikes Back, Cortex's ruined space station plummets to the Earth and destroys a large monument in the middle of the jungle, releasing an evil entity known as Uka Uka. Many eons ago, Aku Aku, Uka Uka's twin brother, locked him there to keep the world safe from his evil. With his newfound freedom, Uka Uka teams up with Doctor Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy to collect Crystals and Gems from the past. Crash and Coco have to stop them and save the world again. Crash's personality hasn't changed at all in this game, except that he has a fondness for a yo-yo. He also gains five new moves after he defeats each boss and is shown to be able to drive a motorcycle.

Traveller's Tales era
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex takes place years after the events of Warped. Crash decides to take a break at N. Sanity Beach. Little do the Bandicoots know that Doctor Cortex, Uka Uka and many other villains are holding a bad guy convention and plotting his demise. All is well until a volcano erupts, a thunderstorm brews and a tsunami ravages the coastline. Crash is informed that the Elementals have been unleashed and that he must use Coco's Portal Chamber to gather Crystals and put the Elementals back to their hibernation state. Crash has learned to drive a lot more vehicles in this game and appears to be a little less intelligent. He also can tip-toe on Nitro Crates.

In Crash Twinsanity, set three years after the events of The Wrath of Cortex, Crash once again lives a peaceful life, digging up stuff at the beach, when Cortex, poorly disguised as Coco, calls for him and lures him into the bay, introducing him to the 40-feet-tall Mecha-Bandicoot. When Crash defeats the robot, Cortex attacks Crash, sending both of them "rollerbrawlling" through a cavern, eventually coming across the Evil Twins, who've come to destroy Crash's island and devastate Earth. Crash and Cortex must team up to save their dimension. Crash's ability to show emotion through his face only is taken to the highest level possible, as he is completely silent throughout the whole game, making him a lot dumber. He smiles a lot in this game, too. He can use Cortex as a weapon, being able to throw him, spin with him and swing him like a hammer with no effort at all, suggesting that he's gotten stronger.

Radical Entertainment era
In Crash of the Titans, Crash travels with Aku Aku to save his recently-kidnapped sister, Coco Bandicoot, from Neo and Nina Cortex. Crash has changed a lot in this game. He has gotten tattoos, rough fur, noticeably shorter than his sister Coco and has learned some basic combat. He can learn more by collecting the new Mojo. He also can hijack monsters (the Titans mentioned in the name) by stunning them, jumping on their back and using Aku Aku to take control of their minds and force them to do his bidding. He can also babble as a more efficient and more loveable form of communication. It is also here were he speaks his first real English word, "Pancakes", for which he has picked up a liking.

In Crash: Mind Over Mutant, Crash has to save his friends from Cortex and Brio who invented a device to control everything on Wumpa Islands.

Other appearances
Crash is a playable character in all three of the Crash racing titles. In Crash Team Racing, Crash and his friends prepare to enter a kart-racing tournament being held. However, this attracts the attention of Nitros Oxide, who challenges the fastest driver on Earth to a race. In Crash Nitro Kart, Crash is relaxing when his entire house is abducted. The Bandicoot family exit the house and finds themselves on another planet. Cortex and his cronies have also been abducted. A giant holographic display appears and explains that he is Emperor Velo XXVII, ruler of his planet. He has heard word about their racing skills, and that they must race to entertain his people. If they do not race, he will destroy the Earth. Both Team Bandicoot and Team Cortex accept, and they now must race on a number of tracks and defeat Velo, with the intention of returning to Earth. In Crash Tag Team Racing, Crash and the others agree to recover the Power Gems of Von Clutch's MotorWorld and find whoever stole them. Crash's character is portrayed differently in this game. He is able to speak gibberish and, unlike other games, takes a sadistic pleasure in the pain and suffering of chickens and MotorWorld's Park workers.

Crash is also a playable character in the Crash party games. In Crash Bash, Crash's sleep is interrupted by Aku Aku, who has summoned him to take part in a battle of good and evil against Uka Uka in a series of minigames. In Crash Boom Bang!, Crash is one of the attendees of the World Cannonball Race.

Crash is the main player character in the Game Boy Advance titles. In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Aku Aku sends Crash on another mission to gather Crystals, which Coco can use to build a device which will reverse the effects of Cortex's Planetary Minimizer, which has shrunk the world to the size of a grapefruit. In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced Crash awakes to find Crunch and Coco being abducted by a strange vortex. When the vortex begins to take him, he is rescued by Aku Aku and the vortex ends up taking Fake Crash. Aku Aku informs Crash that N. Tropy is behind the abductions, and that N. Tropy has used N. Trance to hypnotise Coco and Crunch into working for him. Crash must rush to save his friends and defeat N. Trance and, ultimately, N. Tropy.

In the crossover game Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Crash and Spyro's arch enemies, Ripto and Neo Cortex, have decided to team up and attack the heroes' worlds. Crash and Spyro must join forces to defeat them. Crash also appears in the other game of the crossover, Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy.