I grab my sniper rifle and begin my march to an enemy outpost, which is where the  computer system holding my precious data lies in wait. I shift plains to the other level of the battlefield and it seems as though I have snuck into the enemy stronghold undetected. To protect my back, I set mines by the entrance to the data post, and begin the download. The nervous twitch starts to kick in, the data has almost finished downloading and I’m anxious to get out of hostile territory. Finally complete! I sprint out the front door and run for my life, as well as the win.  I’m home free, or so I thought.. My Jarhead lets out a painful groan and explodes into a chunky red mist, leaving me in wait to begin my march again in the next life.

The thrill of Crash Commando (CC) is one that we gamers have experienced for many years now.  Red vs. Blue, rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, jeeps, tanks.. sounds like every other first person shooter (FPS) out there right? Well, CC actually executes this content in a way that gamers have never seen before. This isn’t some cheap knock off FPS, this is a side scrolling shooter at its best.

It’s exclusive to the PS3, and it couldn’t feel more at home as the controls for CC are spot on, never feeling clunky or misplaced. I’ll have to admit that I wasn’t thrilled when I saw the control layout, but after one match everything felt so natural that I didn’t have to second guess any moves I made. Shifting plains through set portals, rolling across the ground or even through the air to dodge bullets and rockets, flying over enemies with the jet pack (that’s right, everyone has a jet pack!), sniping them as you zoom by and it all feels so fluid.

The camera on the other hand isn’t quite as nice to players. There are many times when you’ll find yourself chunkified without ever seeing an enemy. Granted this only happens when you aren’t looking in the direction of said enemy, it can be frustrating at times. Players just need to make sure and keep an eye out in all directions so they don’t get caught by the enemy with tunnel vision. (A nice feature is the ability to adjust the camera distance, suiting it exactly to your preference.) Over all the camera works well, ensuring that you can see a vast range of the battle field and navigate the map easily. Speaking of map navigation, CC works on two playing fields at all times. Players can see everything happening on the opposite side and at some points can even use turrets to reign death on their enemies from across the map. This system works amazingly well and adds awe inspiring depth to each map.

Gameplay consists of both single and multiplayer modes, with the single player mode (Boot Camp) mostly subbing as a tutorial for the real meat (online play). Boot Camp runs through 16 levels, 8 of which you’ll be a member of the Grunts faction and 8 that will pit you in the Jarheads faction. While they are essentially just multiplayer games with bots, these 16 levels increase in difficulty as you progress, making sure that you’re more than ready for online play by the time you finish them. As a matter of fact, the last few levels of Boot Camp were so tough that if you miss a shot or hesitate one second you’ll be spending the majority of your playtime in the dead zone, waiting to respawn.

The multiplayer supports online chat with the press of a button, though I found that there are still very few gamers with headsets on the PlayStation Network, if you have a few friends with headsets that shouldn’t be a problem. This game begs for players to utilize team work, so if you’re going to jump online with CC please get a mic! Online game modes include:

• Deathmatch & Team Deathmatch- which are fast paced free-for-all frenzies or team based skirmishes. To win you just need to cap a target kill number. Bots can be included in this mode both off and online.

• Map Objectives- pits two teams against each other, with one team attacking and the other defending. Attackers must complete a set list of objectives in a set amount of time while defenders fight them off. There are two types of objective game modes; 1. Espionage and 2. Sabotage.

1. Espionage- Attackers must download data from four data terminals that are scattered across the map and bring them to their HQ to upload via satellite.
2. Sabotage-Attackers need to destroy three clusters of control panels. Each cluster contains three panels that need to be bombed individually. Planting a bomb is the only way to destroy a panel, and once planted, the bomb must be guarded as enemies have the ability to defuse bombs.

With Map Objectives begging for team cooperation, it’s a shame there is no option to group together and join games as a clan. The only chance groups have of getting together is coordinating their entrance into a room, or creating their own and waiting for other players to join. This isn’t a huge problem, but it’s not a problem that a team based game should have. We can always hope for an update on this one, though the game suffers very little because of it.

The great thing about CC is that developer EPOS Game Studios picks its target and lands a bullseye. CC is not trying to be anything more than simply exist as a fun and frantic multiplayer experience. This trailer says it all:

So if you’re looking for a great game to keep you laughing and entertained for hours on end, then Crash Commando is the one for you. Though more game modes and more maps would have been nice, it’s hard to complain about when this stellar title only costs 10 bucks. This is a must buy for any shooter fan on the PS3.

[rating:4.5/5]