Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

"A great game that's better than the first (and maybe the third)"

Crash Bandicoot 2 is a really great game. I thought that it was one of the best games I have ever played. The graphics and gameplay is excellent. It was much better than the first Crash game and it might be even better than Crash 3. It doesn't seem like a popular game because nobody has reviewed it on this site. I would highly suggest buying it if you like the other Crash Bandicoot games or at least renting it.

Graphics: 10
The graphics in this game are spectacular. I thought they were the best graphics I had ever seen when I first saw them. The characters look much better than the first although they have the same look as the first game. The different enemies all have kind of a weird look but they are all detailed and look good. The various levels of this game are all very detailed as well. I love those little cut scenes with Cortex and that hologram machine. I must say that these are my favorite graphics of any Crash game.

Audio: 9
The music is really great. The music is always kind of weird but it goes well with this game and sets the perfect mood while you are playing. It sounds like music that a tribe of people in the jungle would play (with some exceptions). I could always listen to the music because it puts you in a good mood even though it is odd. The sound fx are great too. They are kind of basic, which is the only problem I have with them but other than that there are good. Listening to Crash jump and break a box or do a spin move is all heard crystal clear. Also the voice-overs are also suprisingly good. Although the audio effects are almost identical to the other Crash games they are still great in this game.

Gameplay: 9
This game has got to be one of the most fun I've ever played. Many levels have a fun twist to them which makes the whole game fun. There are a whole lot of levels too so you'll be playing for a while. The levels aren't that easy either so you won't be disapointed at the length of this game. Also you still have to get crystals in this game which I don't like doing because it's annoying to go looking for some crystal that's somewhere in the level. That is really the only problem with the gameplay. I thought that this game should be considered a classic because it is great in all aspects especially in gameplay.

Control: 8
This is probably the worst part of this game. The controls work good and Crash responds well to the controls. The problem is when you have to make a jump to some moving platform or something and then you constantly miss. Usually platforms to jump on are small and you need to be accurate. The controls work well but sometimes it just doesn't help especially in later levels where there are more ways to lose and you need better reflexes. All of the Crash Bandicoot games are like this but it always seems to be somewhat annoying that when you make Crash jump to platforms that he can die repeatedly and that makes the controls seem bad.

Story: 9
The story of this game is pretty good. It seems that the world will be soon destroyed and Cortex asks Crash to crystals for him so that he can save the world. This story has some plot twists although you'll probably guess what happens in the story like 10 minutes after you start playing because it's not a hard story to guess about. The story starts out kind of odd because you are trying to find a battery for your sister's computer in the jungle (that's the odd part) and you end up going to help Cortex save the world. The story is good but it kind of seems like other Crash games. I won't spoil anything but it seems kind of repetitive now but oh well it's still good.

Replay: 8
You'll probably won't replay this game at all. You can choose to go back and play levels you played before which is why I gave this category an eight. This is because you might want to collect gems along with collecting crystals (you get a different ending if you get all of the gems). Personally I like collecting the gems better because I like that ending more. You'll probably play levels many times before you get all of the gems or crystals. If you like other Crash games you probably will like this game. I suggest you rent it or find somebody who has it first though because it can be very irritating to lose repeatedly at one jump so you might not like that. I think this game is should be worthy of being called a classic because it is definately a great game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99