Crash: Mind Over Mutant - Reception

Reception

Reviews for the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of Crash: Mind over Mutant were generally positive. Dakota Grabowski of GameZone considered the game "slightly better" than Crash of the Titans, noting improvements in controls, gameplay and storyline from its predecessor, but lamented that "the camera almost ruins the whole package." The Wii version of Crash: Mind over Mutant was also met positively, though not to the same degree as the PlayStation 2 version. Louis Bedigian of GameZone stated that the young demographic of the Crash Bandicoot series "may be annoyed by the camera and/or repetitive objectives but will be entertained by what is the best Crash game developed in a long time – and one of the best Mario clones released for Nintendo Wii." Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report, meanwhile, felt that "the charming story and genuine humor" of the game were "overshadowed by the shallow gameplay."

Reviews for the Xbox 360 version of Crash: Mind over Mutant were mixed. Christopher Ewen of GameZone praised the series' transition into a free-roaming gameplay environment, but felt that the game was too easy. Matt Casamassina of IGN found the game to be "exactly like its predecessor: a mildly enjoyable beat 'em up romp that's sure to satisfy younger players, but won't provide much that seasoned players haven't already experienced before". Andy Eddy of TeamXbox praised the game's strong voice acting, but noted the uninspired gameplay, which was "not very consistent in its fun generation." Justin Calvert of GameSpot claimed that the game "has too much backtracking and too many camera problems to make it recommendable". Official Xbox Magazine concluded that "there's very little about Mind over Mutant that makes it worth your $50 or the four hours it takes to complete." Dan Pearson of Eurogamer criticized the game's fixed camera, extensive backtracking, useless mission log and dated concepts. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer proclaimed that the game's "unpredictable framerates, extensive backtracking, and the guarantee of one death caused by faulty camera positioning for every platforming segment" made it "a mess of a game, and a new low point for the once-loved marsupial."

The Nintendo DS version of the game received generally negative reviews compared to the console version. Mike David of GameZone denounced the game as the "first really disappointing Crash title", while Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report felt that the game "leaves much to be desired in terms of depth and level design." Craig Harris of IGN affectionately christened the Nintendo DS version a "boring, drab, uninspired beat 'em up with none of what made last year's game so good on DS."