Crash Bandicoot 1–3

While Sega had Sonic and Nintendo had Mario, the PlayStation lacked a mascot face — until a bumbling marsupial in blue jeans escaped from the laboratory of a certain Doctor Cortex. Crash Bandicoot, the work of Naughty Dog from the years when it still made colorful platformers rather than the cinematic adventures of Uncharted, became the console's unofficial symbol and one of its most memorable heroes.

The trio of games gradually developed a clever idea. The first installment became famous for its unusual perspective — besides classic sideways movement, Crash also ran "into the screen," straight toward the player, often chased by a boulder, creating a tense, almost cinematic feeling of a hounded flight. The gameplay was brisk but, above all, demanding: precise jumps, smashing crates and collecting Wumpa fruit required a feel for timing and a hefty dose of patience.

The second installment refined the controls and level structure, while the third, subtitled Warped, added marked variety — levels set in various historical eras, motorcycle rides, flying and swimming broke up the established rhythm and gave the series a new lease of life. Naughty Dog moreover always bet on strong personality: Crash was an adorable clown without a single line of dialogue, full of grimaces and comic charm, and his world overflowed with color and humor.

One of the boldest marketing campaigns of the era erupted around Crash as well — the commercial in which the mascot mocked Mario right outside Nintendo's headquarters entered the history of the console wars as a symbol of the audacity with which the PlayStation fought for attention.

Today the trio ranks among the most beloved platformers of the PS1 era, and its popularity was confirmed by the modern remake N. Sane Trilogy, which made them accessible to a new generation. The difficulty remained, and so did the charm.

Why play it: An iconic and still demanding platforming trilogy, the unofficial PS1 mascot full of charm, humor and precise jumping design.