4.5/5 ★ – james_i_think's review of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.

This holds a special place in my heart as it was the first Crash game I ever owned and played. It makes an excellent sequel to the original and I personally think it's the best entry in the Naughty Dog trilogy. The addition of crouching, sliding and body-slamming adds a great amount of variety to the gameplay and how the challenges in each level can be approached. The environments and level types are all scaled up from the solid foundation that was Crash 1, with probably the best visuals and music in the series. And, most importantly, the difficulty curve is very fair. The addition of the (slightly wonky) jetpack levels to accompany the animal riding segments make a fun distraction that pose a reasonable challenge, while the difficulty in standard levels is a good challenge for novice players and a fun concentration exercise for those more familiar with the game. Even the secret levels (minus the backtracking) only really reach the kind of difficulty that was fair for the normal levels in Crash 1. Unfortunately, the bosses are the weakest in the series. They’re basically like the battles from Crash 1 but made really, really easy. The fact that they’re built up more than the first game as well only adds to the disappointment. But, in terms of 100% completion, I think this is the best game in the trilogy for it. The secrets are fantastically hidden, making exploring every nook and cranny of the levels a fun addition. Most of the gem challenges are very satisfying, but the levels that require some ridiculous backtracking with a camera that does not allow you to see any obstacles behind you are a bit of a pain to get through. Still, I'd easily call Crash 2 one of my personal favourites. If you were only going to try one game from the Crash series, I would easily recommend this one.