The Nintendo Switch 2 needs this infamous Crash Bandicoot game

I bet the first character you think of when it comes to party games is Mario. It doesn’t matter who you are or even whether you like to party with the Italian Plumber and his pals; Mario has been hosting these shindigs since 1998 to the delight of players around the world. Well, what if I told you that we don’t need another gathering with Mario (even if we will most definitely get one) but that we need to bust some moves and play some minigames with a wumpa-loving marsupial instead? The Nintendo Switch 2 needs Crash Bash.

Crash Bash first burst onto the scene 24 years ago today, releasing in North America on November 7, 2000, and coming to Europe a few weeks later on November 29. If you ask me, it’s still one of the best party games you can play, a sentiment the masses likely don’t share, given the bashing the game has received over the years, but if there’s one thing the world can’t get enough of these days it’s nostalgia, and the fifth oldest Crash Bandicoot game has that in spades.

Perhaps the biggest problem Crash, Cortex, and the gang faced was being compared to the Mario Party games and lacking originality. However, I think it’s a good time. The characters are great (Koala Kong is my boy), and I really enjoy most of the 28 minigames on offer. I miss the days of Polar Push. Knocking my opponents off the ice and watching them turn to ice was pretty satisfying. I also have to give a nod to the Ballistix and Pogo Pandemonium minigames, which were equally as fun, albeit very competitive.

There’s a good chance you might not know what these minigames are if you didn’t own a PlayStation, as Crash Bash is a PS exclusive – the last Crash Bandicoot game to be, with every subsequent entry appearing on multiple platforms. This is just another reason that Crash Bash needs to be on the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s a classic party game that has a limited audience.

Plus, the most recent Crash Bandicoot game, Crash Team Rumble, though also a party game, is absent from Nintendo’s current console, so it’s high time Switch players got in on the action. Mario’s games are great, but so are Crash’s adventures, and he has much better dance moves.

If you want to get together with Crash and the gang for a party on a Nintendo console right now, you’re only hope is Crash Boom Bang, though even I’ll admit that isn’t one of the best DS games you can play – it has 37 on Metacritic for a reason.