Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Review - Quickies Don't Cut It 

Ah, that music in the opening seconds of the video. I'm 9 years old again. Oh, and good video as always!

Awesome review as always, you're production values are unmatched!

Personally my one clue for the whole Green Gem secret in The Eel Deal was when I saw all those nitros and just one box near the front, I thought "What's the point of all those nitros at the back, unless they're guarding something". I think it was the clever level design that made everything feel like it was placed with some rhyme or reason that made it not so cryptic. Anyways good review once again.

"Cold Hard Crash" can still go jump outta window for all I care.

Just rewatched this and... it deserves way more views !! Great job 👌

16:43 - I would say it's meant to make you think "why would they all be there if there was truly nothing behind them?"

This game in my opinion is the definitive Crash Bandicoot experience.

I really like your reviews! So detailed and informative! I look forward to your new videos. :)

Why are you calling tortoises as toads?

Great review as always mate!

Those guys with the mallets are somewhat of a threat when you are burried underground.

Cortex: "I need these crystals to prevent the destruction of the world that I definitely won't cause" Crash: *"Yeah this guy's legit"*

Cold Hard Crash was the absolute worst.

As always you've done some fantastic work here. The 31 minutes just flew by, and the whole "toad" thing isn't that big of a deal from an audience member's point of view. I'd also agree with most of what you've said about Crash 2, for what it's worth. It's clearly a marked improvement over the first in almost every way, and they simplified and toned down a lot of things to make it more accessible. I genuinely enjoyed my one finished playthrough of Crash 2. I guess what I really want to say about the game (and Crash games in general for that matter) is that I'm really not a fan of the side quests. Let me put it this way: I beat Crash 2 about four years ago, and never knew any of the side pathways or optional levels were in the game. I never even knew that Dr. N. Bryo (is that how it's spelt?) was part of the plot. I wasn't interested in finding the box gems, because I did and still do consider them not fun to get, and I never knew about the colored gems because (four years ago, anyway) I never happened to stumble across any of the hidden areas. I think a large part of why I had the experience I did is because I came into Crash 2 completely blind. I didn't know what colored gems were/did at all and didn't know about the intricacies of the side quests. I'll accept the majority of the blame for not doing the research, and at the end of the day I still enjoyed Crash 2 well enough just going for the normal ending. But I tried giving the game a second playthrough recently on my PSP with the intention of fully completing it, and I found that if the side quests in this game aren't being frustrating or unrewardingly meticulous, they're just flat out cryptic. For that reason, I don't understand why so many people find fully completing Crash games so appealing. I don't find breaking every single box in the level to be a rewarding use of my time; I don’t feel like I'm accomplishing anything by doing so, and the fact that you can't see a box counter during the level (kudos to Crash 3 for fixing that) or that you have to redo everything if you don't get them all discourages me further. And then there's the cryptic stuff. I'm surprised you didn't mention the Blue Gem in the first level, which I think is a huge offender. You just *have to know* not to break any boxes in the first stage, which is near impossible to do by accident because there's a wall of boxes you can't jump over without breaking them unless you do a high jump in a very specific way, and you're not going to do that if you don't know you're not supposed to break the boxes. Personally, I never would've thought to jump on that Nitro staircase, cues aside, and I could swear that those little ice platforms in Bear It (or whatever it's called) weren't there when I played the level recently, even though the camera panned down to a similar looking island. I appreciate the addition of checkpoints for box gems and whatnot, but it feels like a guide is all but required to fully complete this title. I don't mind having to glance at a guide to find one or two things I missed or can't find, but when I feel obliged to look up every single stage to determine whether its worth breaking boxes because of the open possibility of there being a box laden pathway I can't access without a colored gem I can’t get yet, that's where I draw the line. If you and many others find fully completing these games fun, more power to you. As for me, I think I'll stick to bare bones completion.

Man, these reviews deserve way more views, especially considering the amount of time and effort that goes into them. Good job ^_^ Though I'm curious as to how you feel about the N.Sane trilogy. :3

2:41 Yeah I think the reason why Crash went with it because of this theory...Crash was actually playing with Cortex..This is evidence due to the N.GIN fight..., but although I agree with that theory I still say either way goes, but I won't say Crash is not that dumb in my case, and I believe Twinsanity took it too far on that stupidity, and even much worse in Crash Titan series...Ohhh gawd that was bad...Good beat em' up though. Then I also even have more theories beyond that like Crash hit his head like Goku did in the 1st part where crash fall from the castle which you wouldn't think anyone would have survived that fall..Heck the bigger indication is when he said "Uh-oh" as a smart human instead of the "woah" he now says...So what I'm saying Crash was smart, but gotten brain damage due to the fall, but still remembered what his goals are...Then Tawna ditching even also gave that a further reason. lol Then the last theory is that Cortex that Screamed so hard on the way down that he became Clancey Brown that next day. lol

Great review, RZ. This is by far my favorite Crash game on the PS1. I do like Crash 3, but the vehicle segments can be annoying ESPECIALLY when collecting the gems. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on that game eventually. Btw, those are turtles, not toads. Haha. The things that hop in Crash 3 are toads. Also, damsel in distress...not disguise. That would've been interesting if the damsel was in disguise, haha.

The trick to easy backtracking in this game is knowing which checkpoint boxes to leave alone or break. I personally never found the backtracking that annoying and just thought of it as challenges like any others. Didn't find the jetpack sections particularly bothersome either. Using up and down to go in and out of the screen *would* have been confusing though. Side story: I didn't own a memory card when I first got this game and still managed to find all the gems on my own in single sessions so when people complain about something in this game being *IMPOSSIBLE!!!* I can confidently say that they're wrong.

Great review Retro! :) I will say I like Crash 2 a lot more than the 1st game. Crash 1 isn't bad but at times things like the controls can be too stiff for my liking. Crash 2 on the other hand is quite smooth to play. Though yeah since you said the bosses to you were really underwhelming you might enjoy Crash 3's bosses more.(They're way better than the 2nd game.) I would say this is one of my favorite PS1 games up there with Pacman World 1 and Metal Gear Solid. Though yeah I wonder do you take requests? If so could you review Pacman World 1 on the PS1 sometime? It's a really underrated 2D Platformer on the Playstation that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves.(Oddly it's sequel on the other hand gets lots of praise but barely anyone mentions the 1st game.)

Do you plan on reviewing the N-Sane Trilogy anytime soon?

There is no damsel in distres in Crash 1. Once you got the secret ending you knew Tawna was waiting for the hero all the time. She literally stands there behind the curtain ready to board the big bird and maybe even look out for Crash. But he seems to make it in time after all. But you knew this, didn't you.

you got a new sub bro✌

One thing I find, the first game didn't really have a "no death" thing going on, it's just that dying would reset the crates, so you'd have to go back and break them a second time. It still is best to just beat it in one run cause the camera is terrible for going backwards (srsly, why couldn't it pull back just a little extra?). I only point this out cause I've seen some people quit out stages if they died before the first checkpoint, which makes something already frustrating that much worse. As always though, great video.

OHMYGOD CRASH BANDICOOOOOOOOOOT!

Though I played wrath of Cortex - crash of the titans. But since I've seen 100% completed longplays of all of the three games but when the N.Sanity comes out, I think I'll have the most fun with 2.

4 YEARS LATE SQUAD WHERE YOU AT?!?!?!!?!!!?!?!?!?

I loved this video but one thing I think you could improve is the background music. For example, when you spoke about the animal stages, the clips kept changing and so did the music. I think it's better to mute the gameplay and instead put game music in the background instead, but that's just my opinion.

seeing reviews of games i played and loves entertains me, (obiv)

but how crash meet coco tho xD

5:08 Unless I’m mishearing things, I can’t help but be slightly perplexed by the fact that RetropolisZone referred to the turtles/tortoises as “toads”. Toads=Turtles/Tortoises WHAT?! Unless he’s referring to their actual enemy name. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on this.

I must say good review...Especially the fact it's not just some 20 minutes although I will say I think you might want to check that wording...Like saying it's water when it's actually mud, and toad when it's actually turtle...Funny crap. To be honest I can not believe that not a whole lot of people don't watch you, and stuff as you provide alot of goods in your videos. Plus not much of a biased opinion.

The first good game imo

I love Crash 2, it's my favorite by far, but I agree the bosses kinda suck. The last one is very anticlimactic :/

You sound like Hiccup from How to train your dragon ;q

12:41

Hear pre console...apologize

I hate crash 2 honestly my least Favorite crash game but 3 Warped is the best one

Loved the N same trilogy.. worth every penny!!!

If you ever want advices about your reviews is just this one is sadly becareful when talking about the spoiling stuff like the final boss, and the completion part unless it's that horrid in your favor, but not regardless of age as newcomers will still tap these old franchises so I thought I let you know even if I already completed this game many others have not..So not saying you should change it, but I bet you get others that would say "HEY YOUR SPOILING THE GAME BRUH" in cases like this one 12:11. when you said it's the final face off.

The music in Crash 2 is sadly forgettable.