Crash is back, and this time he's ready to journey to the furthest corners of the Earth to save the world!
Graphical Crash 2 is a huge leap from the original. Textures are now smoother and the colour backgrounds are looking even lush than before. Crash's dazzling new animations are that bit more impressive with some brilliant character models. While model's themselves have only had a few modifications, these small incremental changes have added twice as much life to the characters. For instance Crash now breaths heavy after long or tiring runs and all the attack functions feel much smoother. The gorgeous water effects from the first game have returned and like everything else they look a whole lot better too. Visual quality and iconic style of the game is definitely sure to interests other while you play.
If the specula shine of Crash 2's ice levels don't warm your heart then the catchy tunes are sure to get you. Right from the get go, the game opens with a poppy space theme with wind instrument accompaniment that fits the genre perfectly. The Warp Room music is also particularly good. Almost like the dramatic countdown on a game-show you know your going to win. Bubbly! Sound effects too are hardly a slouch. From humorous death animations to a baby polar bear, they don't disappoint. A large cast of four or more main characters means Crash 2 ups the anti with some welcome voice acting from Vicki Winters and of course the ever present Brendan O'Brian as evil genius 'Cortex'.
However, easy on the eyes and easy on the ears does make a hit when come to games. Crash Bandicoot was renowned for its addictive pick-up-and-play controls; does it have the gameplay to match? The short answer: yes, yes, YES. As with the previous adventure you are given a centre world 'hub' to traverse. In this case it's five warps rooms that can only be unlocked after collecting all of the crystals in each area and defeating the boss guarding it. Progression is linear but with the option to take on any of the fives level currently open (in a Warp Room) Crash 2 is more sympathetic than its level-by-level predecessor.
There is a lot of variety to be had to in the game outside of the normal platforming challenges. With jet-surfing, riding a baby polar bear, jetpack flying and the traditional Indian Jones style 'boulder dash' the game has enough to keep even the most enthusiastic of Crash fans happy. For a few weeks at least. Boss battles have been well balanced with difficulty coming from learning each bosses attack patterns and then exploiting their weakness. Tiny maybe be big but, he sure isn't that smart. On the controller side, Crash has now been give a sporty new 'crouch' button (O) in addition to his spin and jump attacks, and holding down the 'L1' button will now make him perform a 'high jump'. Advanced moves, in the form of 'slides', 'spin-jumps' and 'slide-jumps' have no be added bring a new depth to the series. Not to mention make some the challenges a tad harder.
Without a doubt Crash Bandicoot 2 is the best platformer available for the PS1 and a showcase title for the system. Even with the 6-7 hours it will take you to complete, its still has more to offer in the form of gem challenges, hidden levels and some novel time trial sections. Controls that have been refined to proved deeper gameplay and complement some the game's new and crafty platforming puzzles. Less linear than its brethren and even easier on the eyes, Crash Bandicoot 2 is a triumph of video game design. You don't just need this in your collection, it IS the collection.