Philips Magnavox Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution Trigger Happy User Manual
Page 155
Trigger Happy
157
Luigi bashing their enemies with huge mallets in the
1980s is a direct homage to such exaggerated cartoon
violence as that found in Tom and Jerry.
Now, with vastly increased graphic power, the
multi-million-selling Crash Bandicoot 3 (see fig. 8) is
as gorgeously colored, smoothly animated and
thoroughly entertaining as many Warner Bros.
examples. (While it is a very simple game to play, it is
superior to cleverer examples like Ape Escape, Donkey
Kong 64 or Spyro 2 in terms of sheer visual splendor.)
Crash 3 is particularly successful in replicating and
extending the tradition of humorous cartoon deaths—
which, like videogame deaths, are only ever temporary.
The eponymous orange marsupial, Crash, can get
flattened into two dimensions by a rolling boulder and
will wobble around piteously; he can get blown up by a
mine and jump, singed and yowling, into the air; he can
fall down a crevasse and have his ghost hauled
heavenwards by an angel; or he can bump into a malign
puffer fish and suddenly balloon to twice his size.