Following the critical and commercial success of Crash Bandicoot in September 1996, Naughty Dog immediately began work on a sequel. Having proved themselves as a developer capable of delivering a 3D platformer of the highest quality, the pressure was on to try and top an experience that was considered by many to be almost perfect. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Naughty Dog delivered and then some with Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.
Following the destruction of Dr. Neo Cortex’s castle and airship, the nefarious doctor discovers a cavern full of powerful crystals. Building a space station to harness the power of the crystals, Cortex almost has everything he needs. But he needs just a few more, and all of his operatives on Earth have died in the pursuit of them. Seeing the value of his nemesis’ skills, Cortex kidnaps Crash Bandicoot to collect the remaining crystals.
Following the destruction of Dr. Neo Cortex’s castle and airship, the nefarious doctor discovers a cavern full of powerful crystals. Building a space station to harness the power of the crystals, Cortex almost has everything he needs. But he needs just a few more, and all of his operatives on Earth have died in the pursuit of them. Seeing the value of his nemesis’ skills, Cortex kidnaps Crash Bandicoot to collect the remaining crystals.
Like all great sequels, Crash 2 uses the foundation of the first game as a springboard for new possibilities. The moment-to-moment gameplay formula remains the same. Navigating Crash through hazardous environments that feature a mix of 3D and 2D platforming sections, breaking boxes, collecting wumpa fruit, and crucially, not dying. The biggest difference here though is that you no longer simply need to finish the level, but you must also locate and claim each level’s crystal. Most of them are hard to miss, but occasionally you’ll need to do a bit of exploring to find it tucked away somewhere.
To compensate for this extra objective, levels never reach the occasional tedious complexity of Crash 1, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t challenging in their own right.
I think Crash 2 has the best difficult of the original trilogy, it’s slightly easier than the first game but it’s not a walk in the park like 3 is. You’re challenged but never frustrated.
The biggest challenge here comes from the increased scope of levels, there’s now branching paths to contend with, a greater range of environmental variety (jungle, snow, sewer, space, and more), and of course that elusive crystal.
Considering this was turned around in just a year, there’s a significant visual upgrade over the first game. Levels are much denser, filled with so many more moving parts and highly detailed scenery. Crash’s movement is also significantly more agile, allowing for seemingly faster traversal and more fluid transition of moves. It can be a saving grace in a tight spot, and the levels also take advantage of this by including a number of tricky jumping sequences.
Crash 2 is an overall improvement over its predecessor, which itself was excellent. The gameplay is expanded, but also refined. The levels have a far greater variety, and the game comes with a nice bump in visual quality. On the whole, you really can’t go wrong with Crash 2.
To compensate for this extra objective, levels never reach the occasional tedious complexity of Crash 1, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t challenging in their own right.
I think Crash 2 has the best difficult of the original trilogy, it’s slightly easier than the first game but it’s not a walk in the park like 3 is. You’re challenged but never frustrated.
The biggest challenge here comes from the increased scope of levels, there’s now branching paths to contend with, a greater range of environmental variety (jungle, snow, sewer, space, and more), and of course that elusive crystal.
Considering this was turned around in just a year, there’s a significant visual upgrade over the first game. Levels are much denser, filled with so many more moving parts and highly detailed scenery. Crash’s movement is also significantly more agile, allowing for seemingly faster traversal and more fluid transition of moves. It can be a saving grace in a tight spot, and the levels also take advantage of this by including a number of tricky jumping sequences.
Crash 2 is an overall improvement over its predecessor, which itself was excellent. The gameplay is expanded, but also refined. The levels have a far greater variety, and the game comes with a nice bump in visual quality. On the whole, you really can’t go wrong with Crash 2.