Don’t get me wrong, Nintendo and its various series are some of the most recognizable properties in any domain, but for me, there are just so many other games I’d rather get to, as opposed to playing what is, to me, yet another Mario game.

My indulgent parents, tired of my meatwad cries of “Mom, Dad, you ruined my life I want my friends there’s nothing to do here!!!!” finally broke down and bought my siblings and I a PAL PSX, which allowed me to view a cutscene on a European demo disk showing Snake about to face off against Raven, which only got me more excited.

My intro to Crash’s modern escapades came when I received a news alert a few years ago about the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, and though it wasn’t enough to get me gaming at the time, I definitely made a mental note that if I ever did seriously pick up a controller, this would be something I’d try shortly after that (knowing also, somehow, that many of the Crash games past the first three sucked).

“Fuck it, I love video games, they made me really happy as a child, it’s clear to me they still make me happy today, and if I can recapture just a little bit of the joy I felt as a ten year old hanging out with Chris and Matt, then the time and money will be worth it”.