5 Crystal Dynamics Games You Forgot Were Awesome

Crystal Dynamics started as an offshoot of The 3DO Company, which means it spent its early years developing for the powerful 3DO console. Since those early years, the developer has grown into one of the best in the industry, thanks in large part to its excellent Tomb Raider reboot. While most fans know the company for its work in the Lara Croft universe, Crystal Dynamics has plenty of other solid games that more players should check out. These games run the gamut of genres, showing that Crystal Dynamics has plenty of chops.

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Here are five underappreciated Crystal Dynamics games.

5) Crash ‘N Burn

There was a 2004 version of Crash ‘N Burn that I wouldn’t suggest you play, but this is not that game. Eidos, which owned Crystal Dynamics in ’04, for some reason decided to reboot the classic 3DO racer, but brought in developer Climax Racing instead of going back to CD. That turned out to be a mistake because it’s a massive step back.

The 1993 version of Crash ‘N Burn was a pack-in with Panasonic’s 3DO, and served as a visual showcase for what the system could do. It was visually striking for the time, with many calling it the 3DO’s best-looking game during its early days. Really, the only knock on Crash ‘N Burn is that, despite the name, there’s no crashing. You’d think this was a vehicular combat game, but instead, Crystal Dynamics just made a gorgeous racer.

4) Pandemonium 2

The original Pandemonium was developed by Toys for Bob and published by Crystal Dynamics. However, when CD decided to make a sequel, Toys for Bob was busy working on The Unholy War, a weird fighting game that mixes in elements from the strategy genre. So, Crystal Dynamics took over for Pandemonium 2.

To be fair, they didn’t make many changes. Outside of the character redesigns, which are one of the big negatives about the sequel, this plays mostly like a new level pack for the original game. The reason I have it ranked slightly higher is that it does feature better visuals. That said, both games are worth playing if you’re looking for an underrated platformer.

3) Project: Snowblind

In 2000, Eidos Interactive published Deus Ex, which was a game-changer for shooters. It offered an unparalleled level of player choice, letting you approach each situation however you want, leading to creative solutions that were not possible in other games. From there, several developers tried to create their own version of an immersive sim, including Crystal Dynamics.

In fact, Crystal Dynamics almost just made another Deus Ex game. At the time, CD was also owned by Eidos, and Project: Snowblind started its life as part of the Deus Ex series. Eventually, the team moved away from that idea, but the roots of Deus Ex are still in the final product. Player choice remains the focus, and while Snowblind doesn’t quite reach the same heights, thanks in part to its short run-time, it’s still a blast to play through.

2) Gex: Enter the Gecko

To be clear, if you played the next two games, you absolutely remember them. They don’t quite fit in with the headline of this article, but they’re some of Crystal Dynamics’ best works, and aren’t talked about enough these days. Gex: Enter the Gecko is such a big jump on the original, giving Crystal Dynamics its own beloved 3D platformer.

The reason why it works so well is that Crystal Dynamics brought in the big guns to write this parody-driven classic. Rob Cohen, who wrote for The Simpsons during its heyday, worked on the script, helping create most of Gex‘s great one-liners. And Dana Gould, who would later also go on to write for The Simpsons, voiced Gex, adding his own comedic flair to the vocal booth. Then, CD added solid platforming gameplay, making Enter the Gecko one of the best of its era. Just don’t play it on Nintendo 64.

1) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Again, if you played a Legacy of Kain game, you would never forget it. The series is one of the best of the late ’90s and early ’00s, but has been chronologically underplayed and underrated. The original game, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, was developed by Silicon Knights, but they had a falling out with Crystal Dynamics, which led to CD taking over for the sequel.

Thank goodness they did. Don’t get me wrong, Silicon Knights’ original is a great game, but Soul Reaver is one of the best games of all time. Directed by Amy Hennig, Soul Reaver‘s plane-shifting gameplay was great, but it’s the data-streaming game engine that was a game-changer, because it eliminated load times on the PlayStation. It did end on a somewhat frustrating cliffhanger, but Crystal Dynamics eventually made good on it a few years later.

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