Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

I've always had a bone to pick with this game as I never understood why it was the best crash bandicoot game in the franchise, this is because I feel that everything it did to improve on the original the third game did way better as this retains some of the worst aspects of the first entry in the franchise that game did away with.

My biggest issue here is how hard this game is, specifically the fact that its difficulty is cheap rather than rewarding as there are multiple stages that require backtracking in order to collect everything in a level. The issue here is that that game has a static camera, meaning that it doesn't change outside if it's predetermined set whenever you move back or forward in a stage. Obviously, this is fine in the chase sequences given that's where the challenge comes from there, however needing to navigate these levels going backwards in order to smash every box in a level due to split paths is rather tedious given how the game doesn't accommodate for these split paths which is frustrating if you want to beat the game 100%. The worst thing is that the developer decided to hide boxes off screen, meaning that it's possible to miss boxes even after combing through an entire level due to them never appearing on screen despite them breaking should you know where to look for them. I don't know how anyone was able to beat this game 100% without having to use mods to extend the camera out I bounds given how walkthroughs didn't exist when this game first came out. It's actively easier to find the hidden exits in each level than it is some of the boxes to give you an idea of how cheap their placements are. I think the developer was also trolling players by having death routes that don’t lead to gems given how they can only be accessed by not dying in a level, this is especially tedious in one of the space levels that requires you to backtrack to a death route in order to break every box in said level, with the backtracking if course being harder than the actual route itself.

Those are all of my complaints, and while there's a ton of them that prevent me from loving this game, I will say that it's far from a bad game overall as the core mechanic the franchise is known for is intact here. Plus, its immensely satisfying once you beat the game given how cheap and often times degrading the journey is to do so. The levels are well constructed if you take out the split paths some of them have, although it doesn't escape my notice that they're just levels from the first game but with a winter setting even if they're much better designed this time around. I also appreciate the game relegating the no dying rule to simply accessing a bonus path as that mechanic was brutal in the original game. Another improvement is the cast of characters as the new line-up each have much better personalities this time around as well as the returning characters receiving an upgrade in this regard. It's a good-looking game for its time, helped by good stylisation that was somewhat absent in the original game.

It's a mixed bag for me, primarily due to how cheap the difficulty is but also having even positive elements be present in the next entry in the series.

O melhor da trilogia original e um dos melhores plataformas 3D de sua geração.

Refinou todos os aspectos possíveis do antecessor e adicionou mais um sem número de elementos interessantes. Pontos mais cruciais, o humor e o gameplay encontraram um balanço excelente aqui, cada qual com seus méritos.

Crash 2 is a game that brings back lots of memories, I remember having this on PS1 not long after it came out, I believe my parents got the game for me. My first game on PS1 was Crash Bandicoot and I got this not long after and played both those games to death as a kid. 2 was always my favorite of the trilogy, it had the most memorable levels, the best secrets, the best music, and everything just stood out. Crash 2 was a huge step in the right direction for the series, the first game was a bit hard and unpolished, but this fixes the problems, and more levels have you moving forward rather than sideways. Crash 2 had a greater variety of level design than the 1st, it had additional abilities like sliding and belly flop, it had more well-designed and less frustrating bonus stages, plus you got the really fun polar bear stages.

Crash 2 is just a fun platformer that is a bit easy, but at the same time just has tons of great levels. Sure its not a perfect game, the boss fights are still pretty damn easy and a bit bland outside of the N Gin fight, the game does reuse a few level designs a bit too much (I mean how many snow levels are in this game?), and there are some really obscure secret gems that you'd never be able to get unless you looked up a guide (which as a kid I was lucky enough to have the strategy guide for this). Also the final 2 areas were a bit more bland to me than the first 3, maybe its just me but I really did not like those levels where you are in complete darkness or the levels where you are chased by bees. And let's not forget the final boss in this game just sucks, there's no forgiving this poor excuse for a final boss, he's just way too easy and short.

Still, this game is still a lot of fun and has 30 levels, plus collecting the gems in this isn't difficult like the first game and actually offers a secret true ending. Coco makes her first appearance in this too, and while she doesn't have much a role, its still a nice addition, and the voice acting in this is pretty solid compared to the first game. I just really enjoyed the improvements this made over the 1st game from the addition of the nitro crates, the improved controls and platforming, the music, level design, and overworld hub. Sure there were a few levels I found annoying and awkwardly designed and the game is fairly easy and has no extra content, but its a game I enjoyed and played a lot as a kid growing up and still find it enjoyable to replay today. Sure there have been better platformers to come since then, but Crash 2 will for me be one of the best games on PS1 and will always bring back great memories of my childhood, and also the best designed of the original Crash trilogy on PS1.