New games release on Xbox One and Windows 10 every week, and it can be quite difficult keeping track them all, especially during the summer when so many blockbuster titles are taking up people’s attention with their expansive marketing campaigns. Some of the games reviewed this week you may not have even heard of. This time around, we’re taking a look at Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Pro Cycling Manager 2018, and Tour de France 2018.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a collection of three well-known games that are regarded as some of the best platformers ever made. Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped are all part of this collection. Players can relive all their favorite moments in fully-remastered graphical glory.
Crash Bandicoot revolves around Dr. Neo Cortex and his plan to take over the world. Cortex wants to create genetically-engineered animals to do his bidding. To create his minions, Cortex kidnaps as many animals as he can. Unfortunately, Crash’s girlfriend just happens to be one of his victims. Players take control of Crash as he runs, jumps and spins through thirty levels of intense action on three different Australian islands.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back witnesses the return of Dr. Cortex. However, this time he’s asking for help from his archenemy Crash Bandicoot. The game features larger environments, new animations, and a whole lot of colorful characters. One of the biggest additions in Crash Bandicoot 2 were the jet packs that let Crash navigate zero-gravity levels.
Lastly, Crash Bandicoot Warped is a time-traveling adventure. It features new gameplay like scuba diving, riding a motorcycle, and even going airborne. You can also play as Coco! Players gallop along the Great Wall of China on a tiger or go extreme on a ski. You must prove your skills with new abilities like the “Body Slam”, “Super Slide”, and “Death-Tornado Spin”.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy looks absolutely stunning on Xbox One. Unlike the PlayStation 4 Pro version, this edition seems to be much higher resolution and, according to certain reports, runs at native 4K. Unfortunately, the frame rate is only 30 FPS and we would’ve liked to see a 60 FPS mode. Many games offer a 1080p 60 FPS option on Xbox One X aside from 4K 30 FPS.
Overall, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a great addition to the Xbox One catalog and it’s encouraging to see a PlayStation 4 exclusive of this important make its way to other platforms. If you loved the originals, this version makes the cult classics even better. Every Xbox One owner should play this game because it’s just that good and gives you great insight into the early days of our favorite hobby.
9/10
Xbox One X
Pro Cycling Manager 2018 and Tour de France 2018
You might be wondering why we’ve included two different games in the title. Pro Cycling Manager 2018 and Tour de France 2018 are essentially the same game but they’re known by different names depending on the platform. Pro Cycling Manager 2018 is the PC version which seems to have more features than its console counterpart known as Tour de France 2018.
The easiest way to explain the difference between the two would be that the PC version is more like a cycling business manager and the console game is just about racing. Tour de France 2018 features a new “Professional Leader” mode, new “Classic” races, and some other improvements. On the other hand, Pro Cycling Manager 2018 features “Contract Negotiations”, “Transfers”, a “Sponsor System”, and much more. On many levels, Pro Cycling Manager 2018 is a much deeper experience which is oddly missing on consoles.
It’s unclear why this is the case because this is the first time we’ve seen such a distinction. While both versions look the same, the added features on PC make it the place to be. Players might assume that bicycling is a basic sport but Pro Cycling Manager 2018 and Tour de France 2018 require you to manage energy levels and stamina. Making sure you’re operating at peak performance and aren’t too tired is the real game mechanic here. Imagine if you had to monitor your fuel levels in a racing game and concentration. This is the same level of complexity. ‘
Overall, Pro Cycling Manager 2018 and Tour de France 2018 are great games but Pro Cycling Manager 2018 edges out Tour de France 2018 because it features more modes. We would’ve loved to see deeper game mechanics make their way to Xbox One. Hopefully this won’t be the case in 2019 but until then — if you have a moderately powerful PC — pick up Pro Cycling Manager 2018 instead.
Pro Cycling Manager 2018
9/10
Windows 10
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Tour de France 2018
8/10
Xbox One X
Out of all of these games, we would recommend Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy the most. It’s a lot of fun and gives you that nostalgic feeling of playing old-school platformers. All of the titles this week provide their own unique experiences, so give them all a shot if you’re interested. It just depends on what you like but we all have our favorites.
