Crash Bandicoot is back and better than ever.
The first game was a good demonstration of what the Playstation was capable of.
It was a great game that will always be entertaining but the series really took off with the second
game, Cortex Strikes Back.
The game is essentially Crash Bandicoot 1, but improved in every way.
To say the story is simple is like saying a dog covered in poop is just in need of a
bath.
After being defeated, Cortex finds a bunch of crystals and learns of their power.
He must collect all 25 crystals in order to control an unstoppable force.
But because Cortex is lazy, he kidnaps Crash and tells him if he doesn’t get the crystals,
Earth will be destroyed.
So Crash is out to collect all the crystals so Cortex can save the world, or so he thinks.
So you go through each level, collecting a crystal near the end.
The levels are very similar to the first game.
They are narrow 3D rails.
You will be running forward, or towards the camera.
These are not like Mario 64, which were large, open worlds, free for you to explore.
Mostly, what you see is what you get.
These are very primitive 3D, but that is the charm of the Crash series.
They still feel like the 2D platformers, just with that added dimension.
This doesn’t mean that the levels don’t offer anything, not in the least.
You will fall into pits, jump over waterwalls and ride on polar bears.
There are secret areas, but these are normally fairly obvious with a giant question mark
on the ground.
Not as subtle as in the first game.
This game does also tone down the difficulty a little.
The game still presents a nice challenge but it is not as brutal as the first game.
Also the game’s bosses are much improved.
Instead of being just a bigger enemy and a waste of time, they are more creative and
take some strategy to bring down.
Everything is improved and more polished from the first game, while still retaining that
feel.
The worlds are broken up by a large warp zone area.
Each one has 5 different worlds you can go to.
This is a big improvement over the first game.
While the first game was more like Super Mario Brothers, this one is more like Mario Brothers
3, giving the player more options on what they want to do next.
And this is great, because the levels themselves are very diverse.
I personally love the levels that have you riding along the back of a polar bear, because
how often do you get to do that.
The levels are brought to life with some great graphics for the time.
The level effects specially, looked great for their time.
All the environments look different enough that each one looks completely its own.
Of course there is your standard jungle level, but also snow and water levels.
And everything looks much better than the previous Crash Bandicoot game, especially
the characters.
Crash looks considerably better and so do the levels.
But the graphics are not just dependent on the textures but also style.
The art direction fits this game so well that it makes this game still look great even today.
Crash Bandicoot was one of the best game series on the Playstation, and Crash 2 had a lot
to do with that.
While the first game introduced people to the world of Crash Bandicoot, this is the
game that brought the series to new heights.
It is still one of the best ways to go back and remember the greatness of the past.