Crash Commando, for lack of a better explanation, is like a 12-player online game of Contra, or Abuse, if you've ever played that on the PC. It is a run-and-gun genre 2d side-scroller, but borrows from more modern game design with 2 'layers' of depth (foreground/background swapping accessible by tunnels) and ridiculously excessive cartoon-gore (everybody explodes into a shower of blood).
There are a few game modes (e.g., deathmatch, team deathmatch, objective) and a variety of primary weapons, alt-second weapons and vehicles. The game supports single-player offline with bots, has leaderboards, Warhawk styled online ranks and includes trophies.
I've had CC since it launched Thursday, and have mixed feelings about it.
First off, I think it is reasonably priced at $9.99. That's an excellent value, and makes this game pretty much risk free. So for that reason, I do not regret purchasing it -- it's brought me ten bucks worth of enjoyment, and I can see myself playing this at least up through the release of KZ2, unless Santa brings me Socrack for Christmas, anyway.
That said, I have some questions about Crash Commando's longevity, as the game play itself is really very simple, so it wears out fast unless you're the alpha-type personality that has decided you're going to be hardcore-CC and rule the game and grief the n00bs.
CC is good in small doses and an excellent diversion from all the other rehashed multi-player crap. It's the game I pined for 20 years ago (player v player Contra). Sadly, that's basically all it is, and that aspect reminded me why I beat Contra & Super C in four hours way back when and rarely ever played those games again. Like most other things that are appealing on the principle of being retro, some things are better left remembered.
Contra was AWESOME in 1987. Now? Not so much. CC, I think, is the same. It IS an excellent game, and one I've absolutely enjoyed, but it's not something I lose myself in for anymore than two hours.
Right now I'd recommend it. Ask me again in two weeks, though.
