Crash Boom Bang!

"Crash: Boom, Bang!" is a Crash Bandicoot title from VU Games. As for being released on Crash's 10th anniversery, it's also his first appearance on the Nintendo DS. It was also the worst recieved of the series so far.

Story
from Crash Mania

The Viscount is a very ambitious man. His life's work, as well as his grandfather's, were spent on chasing a very elusive relic, and one that can change the life of whoever touches it - the Super Big Power Crystal. This mighty gem can award its holder their greatest wish, but the effect will only apply to the first person who touches it. In a dark stormy night, The Viscount thinks of a plan to help him find the Super Big Power Crystal. He will be using his money to organize a worldwide Cannonball Race. All of it is actually just an elaborate scheme to have other people finding the stone for him, and he knows just the perfect crew for the job. After mailing Crash, Coco, Dr. Cortex and a few other familiar faces, the chosen ones are delighted by the large sum of cash being offered to the winner - $100 000 000! After everyone meets up in the Viscount's city, a mad race for money begins, with its unsuspecting contestants bringing The Viscount one step closer to finding the key to his ambitions.

Generalities
from Crash Mania

Crash: Boom, Bang! is the first game in the series to be created and developed in Japan, one of the most Crash-loving countries there is. It is also Crash's third party game (if you count Fusion) and his fourth handheld outing, this time for the Nintendo DS. The Japanese style is evident in the character visuals and anime references. The graphics emphasize this aspect with the use of cel-shading, a first for Crash. The music is somewhat mundane. Not bad at all, but not all that good.

Like Crash Bash, this game challenges the player to perform a lot of different tasks. Unlike Crash Bash, the tasks are much simpler, more random and more numerous. There are mini-games that involve piloting a plane, riding a pony, blowing into the console to fill a balloon, or even making a pizza as fast as possible. The learning curve is a bit tough, and it won't be surprising if you get lost or have no idea what to do next. Since the instructions are simplistic and don't really explain much, you're often better off finding out what to do for yourself. However, once you finally know what you're doing, the game actually becomes quite easy. Every mini-game can optionally be played by just touching the screen, but this may require some time to get used to. The mini-game hubs are composed of different locations around the World, but they're all boards (as in, home-game boards). You use an item and watch as your character walks along the board, receiving good or bad effects from certain houses, and engaging in mini-games along the way. You can only save your progress once you clear an entire hub. This is one of the worst aspects of the game, since simply saving the game can be very time-consuming, and it forces the player to rush through the game.

Boom Bang makes good use of the Touch Panel. Using wireless LAN, you can play against nearby friends who also have the game. Sending messages to them with the Touch Panel is always a nice idea. You can scribble, send icons, and so on. You can use this to your advantage too, because you can block their view sometimes, or trick them into making wrong choices (for example, in a card mini-game, you can tell your friend which card to pick if you're on the same team, or trick him into picking the wrong one if he's your opponent). Actually, that's just about the only purpose for sending messages, since you need to be close to your friends in order to play with them anyway.

The game's short longevity, tough learning curve, saving system and the fact that it doesn't feel Crash-like are some of the reasons why you might be uninterested in it, other than the fact that Crash just works better as a platformer.

Game Modes

 * Adventure - The all-purpose story mode that is always present in spin-offs. As usual, you can unlock most of the available stuff here. Hard Mode will be available once you clear the normal Adventure Mode.
 * Festival - Good for a single play or a series of matches against the console or your friends.
 * My Room - It displays each character's personal bedroom, along with the items you have unlocked.

Characters

 * Crash Bandicoot
 * Coco Bandicoot
 * Crunch Bandicoot
 * Dr. Neo Cortex
 * Fake Crash
 * Pura
 * Pinstripe Potoroo
 * Tawna
 * The Viscount
 * Aku Aku
 * Uka Uka
 * N. Gin (Cameo)
 * Tropy (Cameo)
 * Tiny (Cameo)
 * Polar (Cameo)
 * Lab Assistants (Cameo)

Other Links

 * Crash Boom Bang! at Crash Mania
 * Crash Boom Bang! at IGN
 * Crash Boom Bang at Gamespot