Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 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.

Story
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 power 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.

Intro Story
Cortex: Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

-He falls to the ground-

-He lights a match-

Cortex: Ha ha ha ha ha, crystals, of course...(match dies out) doh!

-That says: One year later-

-Go to a Cortex Vortex in the space station-

N. Gin: But Dr. Cortex, to reach full power, we need not only your master crystal, but also the remaining twenty-five slave crystals on the surface. How do you expect to retrieve them when we don't have any earth bound occupants left?

Cortex: You fool! Do you think I'm unaware of the situation? If we don't have any friends left on the surface, then we need to find... an enemy.

-On the surface of the planet-

Coco: Crash? Crash! Crash. My battery is fried. Make yourself useful, big brother, and bring an extra battery for me.

Ending Story
Cortex: Ha ha ha ha... Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, My plans are nearly complete, and I have you - Crash Bandicoot to thank for! N. Gin? What's happening? Who's trying to steal our signal?

Coco: Crash! Cortex isn't going to use the Crystals to contain the planet's energy. He's going to harness their force and use it to power his super Cortex Vortex he has built on his Space Station! One blast of the ray will cover the entire world turning everyone into Cortex's mindless slaves! Crash, don't let him have the crystals!

Cortex: N. Gin, you fool! She's telling him everything! Ah, yes... we're back. Pardon the, uh, interruption. Crash, bring me Crystals!

Cortex: Nooooooooooooooooooo! You haven't seen the last of me, CRASH BANDICOOT!

Coco: Crash, what do you suppose happened to Cortex? And what about the Cortex Vortex? It's still up there...

100% Ending Story
Brio: You have aquired all the Gems! Incredible! Ha ha ha! Crystals are not the only means of harnesing planetary energy. Right! The Gems have that ability as well, and with them, I can destroy the Cortex Vortex forever... ha ha ha! Let me warp you to my complete laser installation!

Brio: We are ready Crash. Would you like to do the honors? Ha ha ha!

-beam destroys Cortex Vortex, and a piece falls towards Earth...-

Game
Crash Bandicoot 2's game play is largely similar to that of the original. However, they are some differences. 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.


 * Warp Room 1 (N. Sanity Island)
 * Turtle Woods (Crystal, Clear Gem and colored gem run: Blue Gem) Music by Hans Zimmer: Forest and Forest Skull Route
 * Snow Go (Crystal, Clear Gem and colored gem run: Red Gem) Music by John Williams: Ice and Ice Skull Route
 * Hang Eight (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by David Newman: Jet board Water and Jet board Water Skull Route
 * The Pits (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by Hans Zimmer: Forest
 * Crash Dash (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by James Newton Howard: Chase
 * Ripper Roo theme by Mutato Muzika


 * Warp Room 2 (Wumpa Island)
 * Snow Biz (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by John Williams: Ice and Ice Skull Route
 * Air Crash (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by David Newman: Jetboard Water and Jetboard Water Skull Route
 * Bear It (Crystal, Clear Gem) Music by John Williams: Polar Bear
 * Crash Crush (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by James Newton Howard: Chase
 * The Eel Deal (Crystal, Clear Gem and colored run gem: Green Gem) Music by Alan Silvestri: Sewer and Sewer Skull Route
 * The Komodo Brothers theme by Mutato Muzika


 * Warp Room 3 (Pinstripe's Lair)
 * Plant Food (Crystal, Clear Gem and colored run gem: Yellow Gem) Music by David Newman: Jetboard Water
 * Sewer or Later (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Alan Silvestri: Sewer and Sewer Skull Route
 * Bear Down (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by John Williams: Polar Bear
 * Road to Ruin (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by James Horner: Ruin and Ruin Skull Route
 * Unbearable (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by James Newton Howard: Chase and Chase Skull Route
 * Tiny Tiger theme by Mutato Muzika


 * Warp Room 4 (Lower Part of Cortex Castle)
 * Hangin' Out (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by Alan Silvestri: Sewer
 * Diggin' It (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Jerry Goldsmith: Digging and Digging Skull Route
 * Cold Hard Crash (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by John Williams: Ice and Ice Skull Route
 * Ruination (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by James Horner: Ruin and Ruin Skull Route
 * Bee-having (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Jerry Goldsmith: Digging and Digging Skull Route
 * Dr. N. Gin theme by Mutato Muzika


 * Warp Room 5 (Cortex Space Station)
 * Piston it Away (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Danny Elfman: Space Machine and Space Machine Skull Route)
 * Rock It (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by Marco Beltrami: Space Jetpack
 * Night Fight (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Hans Zimmer: Forest and Forest Skull Route
 * Pack Attack (Crystal and Clear Gem) Music by Marco Beltrami: Space Jetpack
 * Spaced Out (Crystal, Clear Gem 1 and Clear Gem 2) Music by Danny Elfman: Space Machine and Space Machine Skull Route
 * Dr. Neo Cortex theme by Mutato Muzika


 * Warp Room 6 (Cortex Castle Ruins)
 * Totally Bear (Clear Gem) Music by John Williams: Polar Bear
 * Totally Fly (Clear Gem) Music by Hans Zimmer: Forest Skull Route

Trivia

 * In the NTSC version of this game Tiny Tiger is oddly listed as Taz Tiger in the pause screen. This is fixed in the PAL version. Taz Tiger was probably just a prototype name.


 * The secret Warp Room is made of the ruins of Cortex Castle, N.Brio's mutation destroyed the castle in Crash Bandicoot 1, but N.Brio uses it as the base for his laser beam.