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My all-time favorite character has starred in 15 games so far, spanning across three generations of consoles. And yet I only loved the first 4 of them . Ever since the original developer, Naughty Dog, dropped the character to work on the hugely popular Jak & Daxter series, his later games have been consistently forgettable. I am of course talking about Crash Bandicoot.

The original Crash Bandicoot game was my first taste of home console gaming. Up until then, I’d only ever played Game Boy titles such as Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong. Crash changed everything.

There’s no real explanation for why I love Crash Bandicoot more than any other videogame character. Likewise, I can’t explain why, years after I bought my last Crash fix (Crash Nitro Kart on PS2- hugely disappointing) I still check review scores and videos of the new games.

In my opinion, the first three Crash games are the some of the best examples of simple gameplay mixed with 3D graphics. Get to the end of the level, collect the crystal/gem and take out as many enemies and crates as you can along the way. Oh look! This enemy can’t be killed by a spin or jump- let’s wait for him to turn around and attack is exposed behind. And things didn’t get any more complicated than the addition of an unlockable bazooka in the third game. That’s why I loved it.

The original games were also memorable for the boss fights. Again, things would always follow a simple pattern that would never take you more than a handful of lives to discover, but they were always enjoyable. Who doesn’t remember flying through space blasting N. Gin’s giant robot, leaping between platforms to avoid Ripper Roo whilst activating bombs or battling with Cortex whilst Aku and Uka duke it out? Epic.

And then there was Naughty Dog’s last ever dance with the franchise – Crash Team Racing. As competent a racer as Mario Kart 64, and the first Crash game that allowed you to play as a host of different characters from the Crash universe – the Polar bear was always my racer of choice.

But all that seems like a lifetime away and things have taken a turn for the worst. From the frustrating and dull mini-game title Crash Bash, to the almost unrecognisable Crash in the Crash of the Titans and Mind Over Mutant games, Crash seems to have lost his sparkle. I’d much prefer Crash to be abandoned than continue on his current path. It’s also strange to think that the kids playing the games today are likely to be ignorant of how great the series once was.

Then again, somewhere out there are kids who adore the new Crash, who will look back on those games with their own fond memories. So although I personally loath the new games, I’m glad my old buddy Crash is still being enjoyed today. Because that’s why we all waste our lives bashing buttons in the first place, isn’t it?

What about you guys? Do have a favourite game character, and what you think of the current games featuring that character in comparison to the older titles? Or maybe your personal favourite has been forgotten in time. If so, would you like to see a current-gen revival of the franchise?