Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
| Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Crash Bandicoot (Part Two): Cortex Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Naughty Dog |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Playstation Network |
| Release | NA October 31, 1997 PALDecember 1997 JPNDecember 18, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a platform game and the sequel to Crash Bandicoot. It was developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation video game console and released in the United States on the Halloween of 1997.
Taking place in and around the fictional N. Sanity Island, Crash Bandicoot 2 follows the anthropomorphic bandicoot Crash. Crash is abducted by the series villain Doctor Neo Cortex, who has apparently turned over a new leaf and is now willing to save the world. Crash is then thrust into several parts of N. Sanity Island in order to gather Crystals and allow Cortex to contain the power of the upcoming planetary alignment and keep the planet from being destroyed. He is joined by Coco, who is suspicious of Cortex's true intentions, and partially by Doctor Nitrus Brio, who tries to convince Crash to gather Gems instead of Crystals.
On July 26, 2007, the game became available for download on the PlayStation Network, making it playable for both the PSP and PS3. However, like MediEvil and Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! it was removed a week later due to technical problems. It was re-released on the PlayStation Network on January 10, 2008
Gameplay
Crash Bandicoot 2's gameplay is largely similar to that of the original, but introduced a lot of elements that became staples for later games. Instead of the map system from Crash Bandicoot, the game's flow is now managed via Warp Rooms, consisting of 5 levels each, which can be visited in any order.
Players make their way through a limited environment while breaking crates, each of which containing some kind of bonus. In the middle of each level (except some hidden levels) lies a Crystal. Collecting a crystal from all five rooms in a Warp Room opens up the boss battle, and defeating the boss unlocks the next Warp Room. Breaking all of a level's crates earns the player that level's clear gem. The player can collect additional clear and colored gems by finding and touching them. If a player collects all of the gems in the game, the secret ending is activated.
Crash has several moves: jump, spin attack, body slam, slide, duck, crawl, and an extra-high jump performed by sliding or ducking and then jumping. Previously, sliding and body slamming (which both include the O button) were not possible in the original, because both square and O activated the spin attack. Stepping on a question-mark platform/trap door takes Crash to a bonus level. If Crash can get to the end of this section, he can keep any Wumpa Fruit, Extra Lives he finds, as well as the number of Crates smashed. Falling out of these levels does not make Crash lose a life and he can reattempt the area, but he will lost any Aku Aku masks he has. Going to special locations, where something is somehow out of place, brings Crash to one of five secret levels.
If the player manages to reach a certain point in some levels without losing a single life, the player can hop onto a platform with a Skull and Crossbones logo on it. This takes Crash to another path in the level of the main path and contains boxes and other secrets one might notice not being found on the main path. Several levels with this have a special gem other than the one for breaking all the crates in a level.
A new item called the Nitro Crate is introduced, which explodes if Crash touches it. At the end of a level with many Nitro Crates is a green ! block that explodes all the Nitro Crates in the level, which is required to get a clear gem from that level. Also introduced in this game, on top of riding a polar bear, is the ability to ride a jetboard over water, and fly through low-gravity areas on a jetpack. On some levels, Crash can also dive under some surfaces to hide from stinging bees.
Plot
Setting
The environments in Crash Bandicoot 2 are varied, ranging from the forest/jungle/beach levels of Crash Bandicoot and the snow-filled Second Island, to the catwalk-filled insides of Cortex's space station, in which a jetpack must be used to navigate through some areas of the station. Much of the game is set on the very islands that Crash navigated through in the last game, while the last fifth of the game takes place in Cortex's space station.[1] The jungle levels were originally to have featured ground fog, but this was abandoned when magazines and the public began to brutalize other developers for using fog to hide polygon count.[2] The snow levels have become one of the more memorable locales among fans due to their plentiful effects, such as falling snow and reflective ice.[2]
Characters
While traveling on his adventure alone, Crash receives messages in the Warp Room from Doctor Cortex, his younger sister Coco, and the deranged scientist Doctor Nitrus Brio, Cortex's former right-hand man. The game also introduces Doctor N. Gin as Cortex's new right-hand man, while also marking the return of the insane kangaroo Ripper Roo and the introduction of three new enemies: the Komodo Brothers Joe and Moe, and the musclebound tiger, Tiny.
Story
The original Crash Bandicoot largely took place in the Wumpa Islands off the coast of southeast Australia. During an experiment, Neo Cortex and his assistant, Nitrus Brio, created Crash Bandicoot in an attempt to create a general for Neo's "Cortex Commandoes", but when Crash was inserted into the unfinished Cortex Vortex, he was deemed a failure, and was chased out of Cortex's castle. Before a female bandicoot could be experimented on, Crash returned to the castle, rescued the female, and attempted to escape on Cortex's airship. When Cortex tries to destroy Crash, he ends up plummeting to his supposed doom, leaving Crash to escape.
At the start of the game, Cortex is seen having survived his fall and landed in a damp cave, where he finds a large Crystal that proves to be useful for his upcoming plans. But to obtain the full power needed for these plans, he will also need 25 additional Crystals scattered throughout the Wumpa Islands. Without any comrades of his own, he captures Crash Bandicoot and convinces him to gather the Crystals for him, with the promise of the use of the Crystals for good. His true intentions are revealed to Crash by his sister Coco once all of the Crystals have been gathered, and Cortex is defeated just in time for the Cortex Vortex not to be used. In the game's epilogue, Doctor Cortex's space station is destroyed by Doctor Nitrus Brio, setting the stage for the next game.
Crash Bandicoot Part Two Characters
PlayStation 3
 | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. (March 2008) |
Classic games in the back! For the first time on The Special Edition of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 5 boss, 27 levels and 25 crystals. Up next: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped on PlayStation 3.
Reception
Crash Bandicoot 2's public reception has been overall positive in terms of critical reviews and acclaim, with an average rating of 89% on Game Rankings.[3] GameSpot stated the game was a major improvement over its predecessor, praising the game's graphics and soundtrack, rating the game 8.6 out of 10[4] in comparison to their rating of the original Crash Bandicoot as 6.8 out of 10.[5] IGN, which rated it 8.5 out of 10, praised its graphics and controls but criticised its repetitive level design.[6] Over three million copies of the game have been sold.[7]
References
- ^ "Crash Bandicoot 2 Gallery". Retrieved 2007-06-23.
- ^ a b "Setting". Retrieved 2007-06-23.
- ^ GameRankings Retrieved 2007-07-9
- ^ GameSpot review Retrieved 2007-07-09
- ^ GameSpot Retrieved 2007-07-09
- ^ IGN review Retrieved 2007-07-9
- ^ Sales Retrieved 2007-07-09
See also
External links
