Before Naughty Dog made games about mass murderer “everyman” Nathan Drake, they made platformers – quite good ones too. Crash Bandicoot was created in conjunction with Universal Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment, and really set the standard for platformers on the PlayStation.
Crash Bandicoot was one of that games that really helped to change the fortunes of the PlayStation in its early days. The game also arguably made a name for its developer, Naughty Dog, a company which has gone on to become one of the best technical studios in the world. Pity about what happened after Naughty Dog stopped making Crash games, though.
Pretty interesting stuff. I’ll always wonder what the second game would have been like if they weren’t so heavily influenced by Grand Theft Auto III, however.
Naughty Dog co-founder Andy Gavin has written a rather interesting post on his blog providing insight into the localisation process for Crash Bandicoot and its sequels.
Back in the 90s, Naughty Dog was one of the few companies delivering quality PAL conversions – most other companies simple slapped some borders on and slowed the game down by 5 frames per second (looking at you, Square and Capcom).
A future blog post will examine the Japanese localisation of the game. Given the different character design and tone of the Japanese versions, that should be one insightful article.
Every great developer has to start somewhere – even Naughty Dog.
Way of the Warrior is a 3DO exclusive fighting game that was heavily influenced by Mortal Kombat. It was developed by Naughty Dog when the studio was just a two man operation: Jason Rubin & Andy Gavin. The game was developed on a shoestring budget, with the developers and their friends and family serving as the characters in the game, using cheaply made costumes. The digitised footage used in the game was shot in the hallway of developers’ apartment building. Still, the game proved effective enough for the Naughty Dog duo to get a three game contract with Universal Interactive Studios, which led to the creation of Crash Bandicoot.
