Crash Bandicoot was originally released on the PlayStation in 1996, which is also the year I was born. That game was incredibly popular and loved, and all my friends had only good things to say about it. I never played it. No, I did not have my PlayStation at that time, I had a SNES. It was two years after that I got my PlayStation, and it came with a copy of Crash Bandicoot 2. Since that was the first one I had I will review it, and you will read it.

Crash Bandicoot 2 is in every way a sequel to the first game, improving on everything that the original had – as far as I know. The original only used two abilities, jumping and spinning. This one by adding a single button, increased how much could be done with the game drastically. This may possibly be the greatest sequel ever made, and in a year no less.

The game starts off as most do, with a cut scene. This cut scene is set immediately after the end of the first game - Literally. And then the initial reason to play. Crash is sleeping on the floor, looking particularly stupid whilst his sister, Coco is using her laptop... in the middle of a jungle for some reason. Her battery runs out, and instead of charging her laptop like anyone else would, she instead sends her brother Crash to go find a new one. It is strange how she never considers the fact that you are not going to find a battery in the jungle, but that is irrelevant. The game play seamlessly starts here, in which crash leaps up passing over control to the player. I like this style of combining game play with cut scenes, and Naughty Dog seem to know that all too well considering that they still do it with the Uncharted games.

Once this small stage is done, the main area of the game is accessed. The warp rooms each have five stages to play, and a save point. The save point does exactly what you would expect it to, so I won’t explain it. Each stages gateway is adorned by appropriate decoration from its stage. In the centre there is an elevator which allows Crash to go between the different warp rooms. The elevator is also the access to the bosses which allow you to then go to the next floor. Don’t let that make you think that you have to fight them every time you go up; it is just the first time. I was young, so I never wanted to go down it so I did not have to fight the boss again. Each warp room has a theme to it in which at least two levels in it will share. I love the amount of effort to make the warp rooms look good. Each gateway looks unique (except in the last one, and even then they have slight differences) and are a great way to get into a level. The Crash Bandicoot games that came after followed a similar fashion (all two of them) with the warp rooms, but condensed them into one large one. They are good, but will never give me the same feeling that the one in the second game did. I miss the feelings I got from that. I will replay the game, just for the feeling that the warp rooms gave me. I doubt anyone else would get this feeling; it is a personal thing to me.

The stages are brilliantly designed in a way where you expect everything in it to happen despite having never seen it before. The stages each have different themes, such as woods, snowiness, rivers, and even space stations. The amount of variety is amazing and despite not every stage being completely unique in theme; it will feel in every way a different stage as they will throw in some rather impressive design choices. Stages will give you one obstacle. It is easy to get through. It will give you another, also easy to get through. It then piles them on top of each other in different ways ensuring that you learn the stages without upping the difficulty too much. In each stage there are your regular assortment of enemies – ones that go up and down, left and right, and ones that chase. It’s rather standard enemy design, but they are placed so well that it only makes too much sense and compliments the stage greatly.

The stages are full of the obligatory collectables, in this case apples, (though the game calls them Wumpa Fruit because how-the-balls-would-I-know?) which after collecting 100 give an extra life. In each stage there is a crystal to collect, which is required for you to get to the next warp room – there are 25 of these crystals. There are also the gems which are not required, but are a nice distraction and (they also get you a different ending) have different ways of being acquired. The regular, clear gems are obtained for getting all of the boxes in a stage. The other gems each have their own method of being obtained, whether it is a secret, or a weird way of beating the level – I’m not telling you.

Each stage is also full of boxes (yeah, I forgot to put this in earlier) which not only are useful for getting the clear gems, but all serve different purposes. The regular boxes which have nothing special about them will give you apples. The ? Boxes will give you more apples, and occasionally a completely different item. The ! Boxes are switches. The TNT boxes are well... TNT – they explode. (Oh, and do not spin or slide them, instead jump on top of them else you will burn.) The related Nitro boxes are new to this game and kill you on contact. (I did not know that when I was young and thought that they were the same as the TNT. I lost many a life that night.) The bouncy boxes which are adorned by vertical lines do exactly that. The metal boxes which must be body slammed. I think there might be a few more as well – and all of these boxes must be smashed in order to get the clear gem.

Each stage has a bonus stage in it (I am going on about the stages a lot – that’s because there is so much to say about them) which allows you to get some extra apples, lives and boxes and are a requirement for getting the gem. In bonus stages you can’t lose lives, and instead will just lose everything you found in the bonus stage. If you do screw up, you will be warped right outside of it giving you another attempt until you beat it. There are also extra paths in stages which you can take if you have had no deaths in the stage. These are incredibly hard and I was amazed to have beaten them all. This leads on to my next topic, the amount of content in this game is stunning.

Every stage has secrets in it. And they are rarely blatant. Usually they consist of doing something in a specific way or going through a fake wall. (Surrounded by nitro boxes nonetheless) There is even a secret warp room which can only be accessed by getting to a specific spot in certain stages! The amount of secrets is gobsmackingly huge. These secrets are the usual way of getting the coloured gem, and if you want to get them, you will exhaust every possibility because the game gets no less fun when you are searching for them. I will give you one hint; you can get the blue gem by doing the opposite of a clear one.

The games graphics are strange, and rather akin to Spyro the Dragon’s. (Another favourite from when I was young.) The characters are lacking in texture but instead use gradients and flat colours. This sounds bad, but combined with the general art style and the lighting; it looks pretty good in game. The stages in the game are quite a contrast to this; they are brilliantly textured and have tons of detail. It still amazes me today how it can have so much on screen and have so much detail on the tiny (huge) 32 bit machine. Each stage, even if it shares the same theme as another, will look completely different due to the genius graphical design. Because of this alone, I can remember the layout of every stage (though regrettably, not each ones name) and I am able to play through perfectly based on the background alone. The characters are beautifully animated with Crash having several idle animations, and his famous ‘I got a gem’ dance and not to forget the fact that Crash has a death animation for every possible way of dying. All of the animation is smooth and helps the game play greatly.

The controls to this game are incredibly tight and far improved over the first game – you can even use that analogue stick in this one. (Not that I ever did) In this one Crash is now able to crouch, slide, slide jump, and body slam. These are all done with the circle button. By adding one button they have massively expanded what can be done with the game and improved how the player is meant to go through it. Adding the slide has also increased the enemy variation as some have spikes on top of them. The controls are easy to learn and you will understand them fully through a single stage. Speaking of which, the stages will sometimes change how the game is controlled by giving you a jetpack, a surfboard, a polar bear or even becoming 2D at parts. This variation during stages keeps what was in no way repetitive game play from ever becoming repetitive. Crash is even affected by the environment where he will slip on ice, wade through thick mud, or digs into certain parts of the ground.

The boss battles in the game are while fun, far too easy. They are brilliantly imaginative and well thought out, but you will get through it on your first time. The bosses are brilliant characters and each has their own unique personality despite only being seen once in the game. I just wish they were not so easy. Their only purpose in the game is to get beat so that you get to the next warp room. The boss battles have variety, but it does not matter as you will beat them so quickly. Speaking of which, the final boss (which to no surprise is Cortex) was pathetic which really ruins the end of the game. When you go through tons of stages to get the last boss, you expect it to be a true test of the skill you have developed over the course of the game, but no – it is a jetpack race/fight hybrid which requires no skill at all. Cortex only takes a few hits. N. Ginn was a harder boss who took more hits.

The soundtrack to this game is stunning. Nearly every stage has its own theme and they are more memorable than the ones in the first game, and set the mood greatly. The variance is music is about as varied as the stages. (So greatly) The music is another way that I remember the stages as they are all so well done. The first games music seems to have tried to play it as safe as possible with the soundtrack while this one explores different genres and still sounds like it was made by the same composer. (Speaking of which, they are made by the composer of the music of the first game) The games sound effects are incredibly fitting. There is not a single mute thing in the game and every creature has its own sound effect. The sounds for things that are not creatures are all cartoony and go well with the animation. The game is even fully voice acted, making the cut scenes that much more special. (And not a single FMV in the game)

To conclude, finish, and wrap up (all at the same time) I will have to say this. I bloody love this game so much! This game was my childhood and is such a masterpiece. If you have not played it, play it. If you have played it, play it! This game is fresh despite being everything we have seen before. This game is a true masterpiece and quite possibly the greatest sequel to a game and quite possibly the greatest 3D platformer on the PlayStation. I love this game, and you will too.

I have beat Crash 1, Warped and Crash Team Racing and have been wanting to get this one to finish off the Playstation 1 series. I reminder was in order and i just got one...

Great review. Tons of detail, history, personal opinion, instruction.

I also feel that the bosses are pretty easy in Crash Games. The final boss of Crash 1 is a joke. Getting 100% is not though which makes it awesome.

Good stuff dude.

Awesome review! There is an insane amount of detail here, and yet it all seems fresh and never bores or tires the reader. Just a great review here. Also, I laughed at several points, which is a nice touch. Great work here, man.

Eirinn : Thanks. Considering your job, that means a lot from you. I will try to keep the quality up.

Tails the Fox : This is just beautiful, man. Your staff position was well-earned.

GuardianZack : Thanks. That's such a nice thing to say. Thank you so much. It feels so good when you go to do something special (This review) and people like it.

Thank you everyone who read this.

Tails the Fox : I'm a writer myself, and a talented one at that. Not to toot my own horn, but it's one of the only things that I am truly good at. English Literature was always my major subject, and I pretty much failed at everything else. I have to say, that you have my respect as a writer. You should take journalism when you get to college.

GuardianZack : I'm already in college. I am doing courses on design and development of games. I want to make games, but I am not sure what part of it I wan't to do. And I am not surprised that you are a talented writer. Why else would you be a reviewer and a review reviewer?

Tails the Fox : great review , it has a lot details . Keep up the great work .

Just like to point out a error though it is very small but it bugged me 

You say at the start of the game she runs out of battery? Actually she don't she infact says the word ''fried'' meaning its had it and can't be charged at all even with a new charger haha

Great review though could be less detailed on personal views I find that very off putting