Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (released as Crash Bandicoot XS in Europe) is a platform game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America on February 25, 2002 and in Europe on March 15, 2002. The Huge Adventure is the seventh installment in the Crash Bandicoot video game series and the first Crash Bandicoot game to be released on a handheld console. The game acts as alternate sequel to the first four mainline games, and its story centers on a plot to shrink the Earth by the main antagonist, Doctor Neo Cortex, through the use of a gigantic weapon named the "Planetary Minimizer". The protagonist of the story, Crash Bandicoot, must gather Crystals in order to power a device that will return the Earth to its proper size, defeating Doctor Cortex and his minions along the way. The game stemmed from an agreement between Universal Interactive Studios and Konami that enabled them to produce and publish (respectively) a Crash Bandicoot game for next-generation handheld game systems, ending the franchise's exclusivity to Sony-produced consoles. Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure received generally favorable reviews from critics. The game was praised for its graphics and overall design, but critics noted the game's lack of innovation.