Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

I played this game during my trip to Texas. My cousin brought his Play Station to our hotel (We're almost 11! Except he's 1 month older). We played this a lot!!!! I stunk at this game for a while. Then I got the hang of it.

I've play the Crash Bandicoot games. They're fun.But CB2 is more fun!!!!

If you like video games with fun boss levels, wierd looking characters and 3D stuff, you'll LOVE this!

Let me start off by saying, that I am a HUGE fan of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot games. 1, 2, warped, CTR, and CB are all pretty sweet games. But overall, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is my favorite of them all. Let me tell you why.

1) The Levels: Overall, this game has twenty-five levels of non stop fun. Though elements from the first game were used, there were new level types such as taking a jetpack and travelling through a space ship, and old elements were reinvented as well. For example, you run from a boulder in the first one. In the second one, you run from a huge polar bear. Pretty sweet and fun levels.

2) The challenges: Now believe me when I say that this game is freakin hard at times. At least, if you wish to get a 100% finish. Multiple traps, tricks, secret passage ways, if you want it all, be prepared to look around quite a bit. Well, not a bit. A lot!!! For example, you know those nitro boxes that you can't touch? Well in a level, there is a pile of them, set up to look like stairs. You can actually hop on those ones and not blow up. Get to the top of the pile and you end up in a secret warp room. I'm sure you wouldn't think about diving in a hole and uncovering a bonus room. Yup, very challenging.

3) The Characters: We are introduced to some of the Major characters in the series. Coco Bandicoot, Crash's lil sis, N. Gin, and Tiny Tiger. We also get to see Ripper Roo again. One of the particular bosses didn't last. The komodo bros. I think they were in CTR, but that's it.

Overall (Yeah, I use that word a lot) This game is freaking awesome! 10 out of 10, baby! Favorite and best Crash Bandicoot game ever!!!

I was feeling a bit down so I thought I play Crash Bandicoot 2 on my PC and I gotta say this really is the best PS1 game there is. I remember going to an EB games and buying PS1 games and one of them being Crash 2. I was hoping it was the Crash Bandicoot Warped game I played at Toys R Us with a little bandicoot riding a Tiger cub on the great wall of China. It wasn't what I wanted but I sure as heck wasn't taking it back.

Cortex Strikes back's plot is that Dr. Cortex wants the Crystals back now he must get Crash to help him. But Dr. M Brio will compete against Cortex.

Crash Bandicoot 2 Cortex Strikes backs is such a good game. This game oozes detail that Naughty Dog can only care about. Sure they may not be bad in other sequels but Naughty Dog has that kind of love and charm only people who work for Universal and Sony can provide .

Crash 2's gameplay is such an improvement from Crash 1. There are now Knee slides and body slams that Crash can perform to stomp turtles. A huge improvement from just spinning and getting mogged by boars from the original.

There is a sense of nonlinearity in a linear franchise. Split paths as you can collect crystals to help Cortex or Gems to get then . Crash will travel from Snow worlds and Green rain forests to sewers and science levels.

The bosses are fun and there is more story telling to the levels like the first being a tutorial.

There are even racing and chase levels. Go up a stream in a motorized surfboard run away from giant polar bears! Or even giant boulders.

Bonus rounds all about. Complete time trials too.

Crash can unlock secret levels by finishing others and getting secret colored gems.

Crash Bandicoot 2 has such amazing 3D graphics for a console. For something only using 1kilobites per texture and only the most polygons to spare this game really oozes personality and a strange sense of immersion that can only be found in an old Naughty Dog game. First of all, Cash himself is super expressive. His animation is super fluid and nice to look at. When Crash tumbles into a room from a rolling boulder he gets exhausted and his ears overlap.

This is so reminiscent of old Looney Tunes cartoons. Every level is super vibrant yet quite literally gritty and takes advantage of the PS's relatively low polygon count. All the world loads up and with out much pop in or glitches. It really is the perfect looking PS1 game. Whenever Crash dies, he'll either turn into ash or turn into a digeridoo playing angel.

The music is made by Mark Mothersburgh. Now every song sounds like 'Whip it' just to make things super zany and I love it even more for it. The reverb of the PS1's audio makes it so much better to hear.

Overall, Crash 2 has aged so well that I can't help but glaze it.

All right! It id official! After ten years of playing this game I finally started a new game and in four days I beat the game for the first time ever. Only three levels and one boss level challenged me really, really much. The game-play was excellent. Only problem is I am used to using the L3 pad as my directional pad it got just a little out of hand with Crash just walking occasionally and nearly running into an enemy or falling down a pit.

Crash 3 was a great sequel but a little too hard for me to beat. Although I am currently trying to beat it. But this game remains my favorite compared to others because I beat it for the first time ever and it is the only Crash game I ever beat.

I will never forget this game, ever! 10/10

I know some people will say the original is beast and warped is the best but I believe the 2nd installment in the Crash series beats all. Even the if the new crash games are average, they still don't have the hype and enjoyment like this one.

Gameplay: 10/10 - The gameplay is by far excellent and there is nothing wrong with the controls. Everything is very stable and you can move crash or an animal around freely.

Landscape and Graphics: 9.5/10 - All the environments and textures and colours truly bring this game to life and when you instantly pop this into your play station, you will already have the feeling that you will love this game and that you will want to stay on it.

Music Score: 10/10 - The music in this game is very true to the gameplay, the Crash character and even to the game itself. Even other crash music came along in the other games, but this track will never be beaten. Being honest, playing and owning every crash game, i find that you will get the best music in this one! Overall and concluding, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back! is a very powerful and very playable game which will have you scoring to grab the crystals, restore the gems and kick Cortex's ass. Nuff said people.... 10/10!