Games

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Naughty Dog

1997•Platformer•PEGI 3•About 9 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventurecomedyfantasyscience fictionanimalsfastfresh & originalimaginarysimplelinearglossyall consuming questfighting evilfish out of water/culture clashhuman spirit/resilience/survival

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeAn otherworldly platformer, glossy rather than gritty. Best if you like polish over grit.

Pace: balanced · Originality: balanced · Tone: balanced · Weight: balanced · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: very linear · Look: glossy · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

83 / 100

542 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is the second game in the Crash Bandicoot series, and the sequel to the original game. The gameplay is largely similar to that of the original, as players make their way through a limited environment whilst breaking crates that contains bonuses. The goal of the game is to gather 25 crystals for Crash's nemesis, Doctor Neo Cortex. The crystals are scattered between 25 different levels accessible via Warp Rooms, which are hub areas of the game. A level is cleared by collecting its respective crystal and reaching the end of its path, which returns Crash to the Warp Room.

Summary: IGDB

Story

After the last battle with Crash Bandicoot, Cortex is thrown down to Crash island and fall in a cave filled with glowing crystals. Convinced that they hold tremendous power, he takes one and gets back onto his laboratory. One year later, Cortex and his new assistant Dr. N. Gin rebuild an upgraded Cortex Vortex in outer space which will turn everyone on Earth into his mindless slaves. But they need 25 more crystals to reach the Vortex's maximum capacity, and they do not have any of their operatives left on Earth. Cortex then devises a plot to manipulate Crash into retrieving the crystals for...

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureComedyFantasyScience fictionAnimalsAll consuming questFighting evilFish out of water/culture clashHuman spirit/resilience/survival

Keywords

MascotDeathDoctorFlightMultiple endingsSnowTeleportationSequel

Details

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publishers: Universal Interactive Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: 6 November 1997
Series: Crash Bandicoot
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Android, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Third person
Time to beat: 6h rushed, 9h normally, 12h complete
Age rating: PEGI 3
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.