Crash Bash

Crash Bash is a party video game developed by Eurocom and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation.

Crash Bash is the fifth installment in the Crash Bandicoot series. It is the first Crash Bandicoot game not to be developed by Naughty Dog (who had left the series to develop the Jak and Daxter series), the last game released for the PlayStation console, and the first in the party genre (the second being Crash Boom Bang! six years later). The game's story centers on a contest of minigames held by Aku Aku and Uka Uka to decide whether good or evil is the strongest.

Gameplay
Crash Bash is a party game for up to four human or computer-controlled players. The game features several rounds of minigames in which the goal is to defeat opponents by reducing their health to zero or otherwise knocking them out. The last player standing wins the round, and the first player to win a set number of rounds wins the game. The main mode of play in Crash Bash is the Adventure Mode, in which one or two players must win all 28 levels to complete. The player must win every collectible in each arena before advancing to the next. An arena boss minigame is unlocked when the player accretes a set number of collectibles. Minigames include races and other player elimination games.

The premise of the game's plot is an argument between Aku Aku and Uka Uka over whether good is stronger than evil. They decide to hold a team-based contest.

Development
The game was designed by Mark Cerny and developed by Eurocom. The music is composed by Steve Duckworth.

Reception
The game received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Human Tornado of GamePro noted that the collection of minigames was built for four simultaneous players and added that the game was more fun with more people. Shawn Sparks of Game Revolution praised the "solid" graphics, number of minigames and "great" multiplayer. Doug Perry of IGN concluded that the game was unoriginal and shallow but worked as a "social magnet amongst the geek elite". Ryan Davis of GameSpot described Crash Bash as rather dull and mediocre.

Crash Bash received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.