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    Crash Time Series

    This arrived yesterday and I've cleared a few of the training missions. The game comes out some time in 2012 for the UK under the name Crash Time 4 however this new 3DS release in fact shares nothing in common with the actual Crash Time 4 that is limitedly available on 360, PS3 and PC.

    Out now under the Alarm fur Cobra 11 brand in the rest of Europe (and still very limited in numbers) the game abandons the niche series open world city design for single missions that take place on looped freeway sections. The freeway sections are too short leading to repetition though the change in design has led to something more akin to Chase HQ as players chase down and catch criminals on the run.

    The 3D effect is pretty standard with the usual racer 'tunnel' appearance and there seems to be a fair amount of unlockable cars ranging from the initial police car to pick up trucks and racers. Those who have followed the series will be aware that the games are very euro-centric and have little audience outside of that zone which the games tend to reflect. Crash Time 3D is less heavily euro heavy than those games and all the in game text is in english rather than the native german thankfully. The frame rate can stutter quite easily and visually the game is like a sharp PS1 game meaning that for most gamers it won't even register on their radar.

    The game isn't a great one and perhaps it will only be those who stuck with the quirky full console entries that will be forgiving enough to get enjoyment from this games simple, almost arcadey charms. Had the game been a super budget release it might have had better merit but it seems the game will maintain its import full price tag which is frankly too high considering the developers dodged making a visually competent open world entry which the handheld is more than capable of.
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    #2
    Crash Time 3 is the greatest 360 racing game of all time. The same guy plays nearly all the male roles, often having a conversation with himself. Most of the cast don't speak English as a first language and mispronounce words (siren becomes sireeeeen for example) and the humour is very, very German (everyone is obsessed with breakfast). Missions make no sense, veering between gritty realism and utter farce.

    Which is why I want this, badly.

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      #3
      That's probably the biggest shame with the 3DS game as it's very bare bones. There's no story, no dialogue or anything like that so it's pure objective based.

      On the flip side, I've also managed to score a copy of Crash Time 4 on PS3

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        #4
        I hate you. I need that game.

        One benefit to living in France is I get to watch Alert fur Cobra dubbed in French, which makes an already badly acted and ridiculous show even worse/better. Put it on BBC3, late evening on Friday with a bad English dub and I bet you'd get a million viewers plus.

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          #5
          I've decided, given the uber niche nature of the series, that this thread would be better served to cover them all. Now that I'm relying more on back log I've started playing these whilst the PS3 installs stuff. I've got Crash Time 3D plus 2-4 to go through. I remember playing the demo's on XBL and being somewhat lost with them but curiosity and a cheap price won be over and I picked them up. I need to really spend proper time with the new 3D entry but at the moment I've started with Crash Time II.

          I skipped one as I'd picked up enough entries without paying ?13 for probably the ropiest entry so here we are. I'm on the 360 version of II and so far it's a surprisingly entertaining game. Visually it's not high detail but it's clean looking and runs smooth. The handling is solid and fun and surprisingly the frames are solid too with little loading and few repeated buildings and textures. I know from the demo of Crash Time IV that the games use exaggerated versions of real german cities and this one features a lot of jumps and broken bridges however few of the cars seem able to make the jumps. The satnav isn't always correct on the best route but a few retries on the more awkward missions usually sees the right path become clear. The music is limited and forgettable and the voice acting is comically terrible however one of the 'stars' is doing his best Ringo Starr impression which adds no end of appeal.

          So far, it's cracking budget fun

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            #6
            i want to like them (as they sort of reminded me of super runabout), but lets be honest- they are pretty ropey

            horrendous voice acting, ropey car damage (the amount of damage your car takes to get to 100%, is insane) and confusing, poorly designed waypoints and location (i remember getting lost in a factory car park for about 10 mins) lol

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              #7
              Absolutely, the idea that they were originally full blown releases is boggling. I'm quite curious as to how much they'll differ over the course of the series (it's quite impressive it's still going considering how obscenely niche it is). For a budget price though they hold up quite well.

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                #8
                I really like the lighting in the PC version of CT4. That is about it though.

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                  #9
                  I have the first 3 games on the 360. I love them - their brilliance is in the fact that they're so hilariously bad.
                  Last edited by Plough Boy; 12-01-2012, 21:40.

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                    #10
                    Only ever seen one of these on 360 in Grainger Games and assumed it was from a publisher as dodgy as 'Phoenix' on the PS2, quite glad to hear they are *proper* games, if more "budget n' fun" than "epic n' shiny". Runabout 3 on PS2 was execrable, need some kind of fun, similar, simple racer to fill my periods of 'gamer's block'.

                    They sound thoroughly up my street, thanks for this thread.

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                      #11
                      PS3 was taking ages to download stuff last night so I got a good sized chunk of Crash Time 2 done. The game doesn't really explain its mechanics so I only just worked out every vehicle has nitrous (which just made jumps much easier) and flags next to cars and locations which means theirs missions there

                      Took me a while to work out how to trigger the RC Bomb kart too. Some funny set ups involving a Go-Kart race and a formula 1 car. It's so scattershot as to the scenario's it'll throw at you.

                      I've pretty much done with the 3DS entry now so will be selling that on. It really is ropey and reminiscent of some of the iOS fare you get but the bitesize missions suited play on the bus so I got my fun from it. Shame it isn't a more traditional entry like the console versions though.
                      Last edited by Neon Ignition; 12-01-2012, 08:28.

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                        #12
                        You will be selling the 3DS version directly to me.

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                          #13
                          What's the ps3 on like as I found a copy but it's ?39

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by cavalcade View Post
                            You will be selling the 3DS version directly to me.
                            You better move quick then!

                            I've not tried the PS3 one yet (gonna work through the series) but I tried the demo of it on 360 and it seems like more of the same. The lighting and reflections have improved though.

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                              #15
                              THIRTY QUID! You iz havin' a giraffe.

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