Our man Crash made a huge splash years ago on the original Sony PlayStation. I remember going over to my friends house and him showing me one of the levels on the first game with Crash running towards me in a really wild scene. It's been too long and I've played too many games since then, but the whole craziness of the situation stayed with me even after all these years. And because of that, I have played many of the Crash titles that have come out and for the most part would say the games have always brought out some sort of fun. Albeit, sometimes more than others, but fun nonetheless.

So, if my above paragraph and sentence don't usher in a sense of foreshadowing, then I don't know what to tell you; just know that you are forewarned.

Since this is the DS version of this season's Crash title and I suspect that some of you will have played this game on the other systems, this is not even close to the same game. Last year's Crash of the Titans was a step in the right direction in the Crash series, especially with the fact that it was a decent DS game with a well-known game icon. This go around, Mind over Mutant takes a giant leap backwards and gives us a side-scrolling 2D platformer. In the game Crash must do battle with his nemesis Neo Cortex who has developed a new device for taking control of the minds of all of Crash's friends. Being the hero type, of course, Crash must save his friends by taking down Cortex and body jacking many of the mutants that he runs across.

At this point you should know that the same gameplay concept of taking over the more powerful or differently powered mutants does occur. The problem is, in the console versions the game has been realized much more and has a completely different "jack" system and the mutants are of more use. Now don't get me wrong, they do come in useful, I mean, you can't beat the game without jacking at least one mutant and you do get to keep them in your arsenal of tricks, but the game just simply misses the boat when it comes to fun. I hate to say that, but the bland 2D world that Crash runs around is completely inane; factor in the simply non-existent storyline and you will be scratching your head wondering what happened to Crash and all his glory.

Crash runs and jumps and does all his Crash-like things but the level design simply does not challenge our platforming appetite. I can appreciate a good side-scrolling platformer, but when the challenge is not there, or because it simply is no fun, then what's the point? Some fairly decent sprites and the game has a pretty clean look to it, but that's because there never is anything to really challenge the programmers. I don't want to beat up anybody for doing their job, but at some point, somebody on the dev team had to go off to an abandoned office to call their spouse, complaining about how bad this game is going to be. Ok, maybe not that bad, a call to the spouse is usually the be-all of frustration, but for all the clean-looking character models, the slow down and lag more than negates anything good.

The sounds also harkens in some sort of dread as the continuous looping starts at the title screen. The game is sorely lacking in sound effects and verbal attitude. Crash is the jester of the formerly powerful gaming mascots, and the lack of jester-like fun music and upbeat sound effects shows clearly to me.

Strangely there is the addition of Crash's sister to have her join you in a multiplayer adventure, but two copies of the game are required to do so.

I don't fault a game like this for not choosing to have much stylus action going on for it. There was a time when I hoped that each DS title had some unique gameplay in it with the stylus. But after many failed and forced attempts I have learned to take all DS games in stride. This one falls in the latter category; there isn't too much stylus action, but after playing through the game, I would say that there needed to be more. Clicking the mutant in your pocket or picking your nose isn't the best use of the stylus.

There are a few bonus scenarios that you can fall or stumble into that have you controlling Crash as he hauls furry tail in a timed event to get a new set of clothes, these events can also help out in legitimate ways as Crash gains some better abilities like higher jumps and better attacks. I would love to tell you they provide more, but these timed sprints are so tough to complete I wouldn't know what they fully do when you get each one. And oh yeah, there is one on every level.

Gameplay: 4.0
Its really a boring game. The characters have lost their pizzazz, the levels are uninspired, and the story line is confusing.

Graphics: 5.8
While the game has a certain polished look to it, the game fizzles out often with stuttering and slowdown.

Sound: 4.5
Nothing about this game's sound fits the Bandicoot moniker.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 4.5
Lacking in innovation, gameplay and fun, really.

Multiplayer: Unavailable
You can play via multi card play, I only had one card.

Overall: 4.4
I'm sorry, this game just really disappoints.