Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

"Superb game, but glitchy."

Crash Bandicoot 2 can be described with one word: ''fun''. It's not the most intellectual of games, nor the most pretty, but it's more fun than a barrel of LSD tripping monkeys. There're a few small glitches that make things annoying, such as levels sometimes refusing to load, but if you can ignore thesethe game is great.

Graphics: 8

Compared to current graphics, CB2 is not the most gorgeous game around. But considering it's a 5 year old PS1 game, I think I can be lenient. The level designs are superb, the textures are colorful and detailed, and the little, unnecessary details that make a game really worth playing are seen in over-abundance.

Sound: 9.5

This game has just what it takes, in both sound effects(SFX) and music. The SFX are well-done, funny, and believable. The sound quality is good as well, definitely a factor in older PS1 games. The music is VERY well done, being both entertaining(Or addictive) in its own right, in addition to setting the mood of the level perfectly. Anything from the fast-paced, slightly manic tracks in the ice levels, to the menacing, frantic sound of the 'chase' levels, to the eery, echoing, metallic-sounding music in the sewer levels, to the mysterious, tribal sound of the ruins levels. They cover every base, and look(Sound?) good doing it.

Storyline: 7

It's an action-platformer. The fact that they even tried to make the storyline interesting, let alone even came close to succeeding(It's no FF7, but it'll do) speaks well for the developers indeed.

Technical aspect: 5

The game is good in most ways, but it is very obviously an early game for the PSX. It's plagued with slower-than-necessary loading times, slow memory card reads/writes, the occasional polygon overlapping effect, and the game freezes when trying to load levels every so often. Definitely not a good thing.

Gameplay/control: 9

It's not really hard to make a good control scheme for a platformer(I mean; duck, jump, slide, etc... not complicated stuff), but CB2 does have a remarkably convenient, uncomplicated control scheme. Every move is simple, and logical enough to figure out without needing the guide book to learn the controls.

Overall(Not an average): 9

Like I said at the beginning this game is fun. It's very replayable(At least for those who aren't so lazy that they just beat a game the easiest way and get bored), funny, and just generally good all over. I definitely suggest buying, unless you just hate platformers in general.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/29/02, Updated 07/29/02