Collection essentials #351: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS1)

Here’s a case of a sequel that I don’t have a whole lot to say about. Crash 2’s gameplay is very much like the first game in a lot of ways, and it comes with polish and improvements.


The game has kind of a funny plot. The villain from the first game, Dr. Neo Cortex, captures Crash, but manages to convince the dumb bandicoot that he actually wants his help to save the world. And so Crash goes on a quest to gather crystals to supposedly save the world, only as you might guess Cortex doesn’t exactly have noble intentions. 


You’ll notice right away that Crash 2 has better presentation than the first game, with full-on voiced cutscenes and everything. There’s also a hub area where you can select levels and not necessarily in a strict order, which is cool. The DualShock controller came out after the release of the first game, so in this game you can actually use an analog stick to control Crash rather than just the d-pad, which is great for a 3D platformer! Crash got a couple new moves in this game too, including a body slam and a slide.


This is one of those games that wants you to go for 100% completion. My problem with games like this is that I always have a dilemma of whether to use some kind of guide or not. There are many things that you are very unlikely to find without a guide, but sometimes using a guide can take away the fun of finding secrets for yourself. It’s kind of awkward! I wish the game had some kind of hint system so you wouldn’t have to look for a resource outside of the game. If you do get 100% completion, you get treated to an ending sequence that has Cortex deliver a pretty funny line which reminds me of a certain quote from Monty Python & the Holy Grail.


Crash 2 is notably easier than the first game, which I think is a good thing for general audiences. But strangely, for me, I found that I missed the challenge of the first game! And so I think I actually like the first one a little more. It’s still really good either way, one of the finest platformers on the PlayStation and a worthy essential.


 

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