Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

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Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Developer(s)	Naughty Dog
Publisher(s)	SCEA
Release date(s)	October 31, 1997 December 1997 December 18, 1997
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Kids To Adults (K-A) ELSPA: 3+ OFLC: G
Platform(s)	PlayStation
Media	CD-ROM

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (クラッシュ・バンディクー2 コルテックスの逆襲!, Kurasshu Bandikū 2: Korutekkusu no Gyakushū!^?, lit. "Crash Bandicoot 2: Counterattack of Cortex!") is a platform game and the sequel to Crash Bandicoot. It was developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation and released in the United States of America on the Halloween of 1997.

Taking place in and around the fictional N. Sanity Island, Crash Bandicoot 2 follows the anthropomorphic bandicoot Crash. Crash is abducted by the series villain Doctor Neo Cortex, who has apparently turned over a new leaf and is now willing to save the world. Crash is then thrust into several parts of N. Sanity Island in order to gather Crystals and allow Cortex to contain the power of the upcoming planetary alignment and keep the planet from being destroyed. He is joined by Coco, who is suspicious of Cortex's true intentions, and partially by Doctor Nitrus Brio, who tries to convince Crash to gather Gems instead of Crystals.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
- 2.1 Characters and creatures
3 Reception
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Prologue

The original Crash Bandicoot, released on August 31, 1996, largely took place in the islands off the coast of southeast Australia. During an experiment, Neo Cortex and his assistant, Nitrus Brio, created Crash Bandicoot in an attempt to create a general for Neo's "Cortex Commandoes", but when Crash was inserted into the unfinished Cortex Vortex, he was deemed a failure, and was chased out of Cortex's castle. Before a female bandicoot could be experimented on, Crash returned to the castle, rescued the female, and attempted to escape on Cortex's airship. When Cortex tries to kill Crash, he ends up plummeting to his supposed doom, leaving Crash to escape.

[edit] Plot

At the start of the game, Cortex is seen in a damp cave, where he discovers a large Crystal, and has a flash of inspiration. One year later, he is seen in a space station, being told by his new assistant N. Gin that to harness the Master Crystal's power, he will require an additional 25 "Slave Crystals", which are scattered across the Earth. Cortex then abducts Crash (while he is searching for a spare battery for Coco's laptop) and persuades him to gather the Slave Crystals, telling him that he will use them to harness the planetary energy of the aligned planets and prevent Earth from certain doom.

Throughout his quest, Crash is contacted by Coco, who is continuously searching into Cortex's scheme and trying to figure out what Cortex is really using the Crystals for, as well as Cortex's former assistant, Dr. Nitrus Brio, who tells Crash that if he truly wants to save the world, he must collect Gems instead of Crystals, so that Brio may use the Gems to destroy Cortex. He is also Crash's primary opposing force, claiming to use all of his strength to prevent him from gathering crystals.

At the end, when all of the Crystals are collected, Coco reveals that Cortex actually intends to harness the force of the Crystals to turn every single human being on Earth into Cortex's mindless slaves with his new and improved Cortex Vortex, and Crash defeats Cortex once again, banishing him deep into space, but leaving his space station operational. After Crash gathers all 42 Gems, Brio uses the Gems to destroy Cortex's space station with a laser beam, temporarily ending Cortex's threat.

[edit] Setting

Screenshot of one of the snow levels of Cortex Strikes Back.

The enviroments in Crash Bandicoot 2 are varied, ranging from the forest/jungle/beach levels of Crash Bandicoot and the snow-filled Second Island, to the catwalk-filled insides of Cortex's space station, in which a jetpack must be used to navigate through some areas of the station. Much of the game is set on the very islands that Crash navigated through in the last game, while the last fifth of the game takes place in Cortex's space station.[1] The jungle levels were originally to have featured ground fog, but this was abandoned when magazines and the public began to brutalize other developers for using fog to hide polygon count.[2] The snow levels have become one of the more memorable locales among fans due to their plentiful effects, such as falling snow and reflective ice.[3]

[edit] Gameplay

Crash Bandicoot 2's gameplay is largely similar to that of the original. Players make their way through a limited environment whilst breaking of crates, each of which containing some kind of bonus. Breaking all of a level's crates earns the player that level's clear gem. The player can collect additional clear and colored gems by finding and touching them. Colored gems activate secret areas. If a player collects all of the gems in the game, the secret ending is activated.

Crash has several moves: jump, spin attack, body slam, slide, duck, crawl, and an extra-high jump performed by sliding or ducking and then jumping. Stepping on a question-mark platform/trap door takes Crash to a bonus level. Going to special locations, where something is somehow out of place, brings Crash to one of five secret levels.

Also, if the player manages to reach a certain point in some levels without losing a single life, the player can hop onto a platform with a Skull and Crossbones logo on it. This takes Crash to another path in the level of the main path and contains boxes and other secrets one might notice not being found on the main path.

[edit] Characters and creatures

Although Crash goes through much of Crash Bandicoot 2 alone, in some of the snow levels he hitches a ride on a Polar the polar bear cub as to get through these levels quicker. Much of the enemies found in Crash 2 are simple woodland creatures, such as armadillos and large birds. A boss character is fought after the completion of each Warp Room, the first three being under the control of Doctor Nitrus Brio.^[1] The last two boss fights are against Neo Cortex's assistant N.gin and Neo Cortex himself (respectively).

[edit] Reception

Crash Bandicoot 2's public reception has been overall positive in terms of critical reviews and acclaim. Over three million copies of the game have been sold.[4] Most major reviewers have given ratings within the 80-100% range.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Doctor Neo Cortex: Crash, I have discovered that the opposition is being masterminded by Doctor Nitrus Brio, the inventor of the Evolvo-Ray. (Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back)