One of the best classic adventure games out there, beats the original in every way!
Crash Bandicoot 2 takes right after the events of Crash Bandicoot. After defeating Cortex he falls from the sky into a underground area on his island, and finds a Crystal glowing. A year later we see Cortex in his space ship, which is called Cortex Vortex, whilst N Gin explains that in order to power up the Cortex Vortex, they need the 25 Slave Crystals, but they have no earth-bound operatives left. Cortex then reveals that if he can't use any allies to help, he'd use an enemy. Then we are introduced to another new character, Coco, Crash's little sister, who's battery in her laptop has run out, so you (as Crash) have to go get her one. This beginning part can be skipped, however if you want to understand the story it's best not to. Eventually you get transported to a Warp Room, where Cortex decieves the player trying to help you. At least in the sequel they actually have a more engaging story. N Brio appears from time to time, telling you that he can destroy the Cortex Vortex if he has all the gems, coloured and clear. The True Ending is good, but if you play Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped you'll probably figure it out.
The gameplay has slightly changed. In the HUD they'll be a Crate indicator, telling you how many Crates you've smashed. Gaining the Crystals is quite easy, they are simply spread across each level and are easy to get. Clear gems can be obtained by either entering a "Death Route" or smashing all Crates like in CB. A "Death Route" is simply a harder route, with more enemies and harder jumps, but can only be accessed if you don't die. If you do die, you'll either have to return to the level at a later time or simply return to the Warp Room and enter again. The Warp Room has a Save Point, meaning you can save whenever you want, and 5 levels spread about. Upon completion of the 5 levels and obtaining the Crystals, you'll go into the middle of the Warp Room onto the Warp Pad, and will ascend to a Boss. A returning favourite Ripper Roo makes a great comeback, apparently a lot smarter. The attack patterns are simple and won't take you 3-4 tries to defeat them. Coloured Gems are harder to get, usually involving going through a secret route, beating the clock or not touching one Crate. Of course you have to figure it out yourself, which is the only challenge in the game. Naughty Dog did re-create the Hog levels, but instead replaced them with a cute Polar Bear to ride on. They also re-created the Boulder levels too, and they are much more enjoyable now. There are Sewer levels, Wood levels and even Ruin levels, all very fun to play over and over again.
The graphics have had a signifcant upgrade, bright and vibrant colours in every level. The character animation for Crash has changed, making him look cooler and better. Crash has 4 new moves in the sequel, Crouch, which is performed by holding the Circle button, Belly Flop which is performed by jumping (X) and then pressing Circle, and Skid which is performed by running then pressing Circle. Crash can also Crawl, which is done by holding Circle and moving in the desired direction of your choice.
The lifespan isn't too long, but is suitable for the target audience. Maybe 2 hours tops for getting the Crystals and a few gems, and another hour or too for the coloured gems and Death Routes.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a brilliant sequel, looks like Naughty Dog learned from their mistakes, lets up the third one lives up to this.