We've got a brand-new Crash Bandicoot game on Xbox today! Crash Team Rumble is officially available on the Xbox Store as of this afternoon, but in terms of the reviews, there are only a handful in the wild right now.
Nevertheless, we wanted to at least round up these early impressions so you can get an idea of whether Crash Team Rumble is worth your money. They're mostly pretty positive so far, although they do highlight some downsides as well.
Without further ado, here are some review examples from across the web:
Digital Chumps (8.5/10)
"Crash Team Rumble from Toys For Bob is quite fun. It features a balanced system of gameplay, some fun characters with unique gameplay styles, and a nice set of maps that complement strategy and quick gameplay. The leveling system may work its way to max quickly, but it doesn’t detour how much entertainment you’re going to get from this title.
The biggest concern with this game is longevity and variety. It’s nice that Toys For Bob laid out a roadmap to tame some of this worry, something most companies don’t do well nowadays, but only the future seasons will tell the dedication to the title."
Shacknews (8/10)
"On paper, Crash Team Rumble looks overly simplistic. When given the elevator pitch, it sounds needlessly complex. In practice, it's just right. A party-style competitive multiplayer platformer set in the Crash world and utilizing the Crash mechanics is a lot of fun. There are enough nods to the series to make fans happy, but there's enough of a solid core design to appeal to everyone. Add in cross-platform play and private lobbies, and this is a well-put-together effort from the team at Toys for Bob."
PlayStation LifeStyle (7/10)
"Regardless of its question-mark-filled future, Crash Team Rumble is an uncomplicated, yet entertaining multiplayer experience. Crash and the other characters all control well and the core systems are solid, meaning there’s enough here even if you’re not a bandicoot-obsessed fan that knows the difference between Aku Aku and Uka Uka.
The appeal doesn’t go far beyond that, though. It’s hard to imagine wanting to sink hundreds of hours into it since the simplicity that makes it approachable keeps it from true greatness. Yet not every game has to become a new obsession, and Crash Team Rumble is content to be just another, if comparatively brief, addition to you and your friend’s game night routine."
Hardcore Gamer (3/5)
"The dream of marrying the classic Crash Bandicoot formula with a competitive multiplayer experience is a good one. It’s actually quite fun, as Crash Team Rumble proves. The unique blend of characters, powers, mechanics and maps can lead to wacky matches that prove the foundation for an incredible multiplayer experience is there. The problem is that Toys for Bob needed to fill that foundation to create an experience whose fun can last more than a handful of matches."
As you can see, Crash Team Rumble appears to be off to a good start with the critics, although there's a long way to go over the next few days! Pretty much everyone seems to be in agreement that the gameplay is good fun, but there are question marks over how much longevity the title will have.
Not that it really matters just yet, but the game has a Top Critic average of 74 on OpenCritic.