Game Debate #196: Crash Bandicoot 2

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[Gloves | 11,777]

Never played it. Would like to but I need to play the first game first (and obtain copies of both). 

[wongojack | 214]

I can't remember if I've played this.  I know I played the first game and a sequel, but I may have skipped #2

[MegaMan52 | 2,445]

8/10

Played it more than any other Crash Bandicoot game, and remember I got it when it was released. Was listening to the game's soundtrack on Khinsider a month or two ago.

Still have the shirt that I got with the game in 1997: 

Edited March 21 by MegaMan52

[G-type | 2,481]

PS1 is just not a platform I ever will revisit, outside of maybe 3 or 4 games

[mbd39 | 2,020]

8/10

More polished than the original but less challenging.

 

[Sumez | 2,951]

A step down from the first game, and not as good as the third, but it's fine. 

I wrote about this game at length not even a year ago:

 

Edited March 21 by Sumez

[TDIRunner | 2,737]

Easy 10 for me.  My absolute favorite of the series.  It took everything from the original and improved on it.  I believe 2 is more challenging than 1 in terms of level design, but I agree that 2 is much easier to 100% compared to 1.  The graphics still look beautiful today.  

Edited March 21 by TDIRunner

[AstralSoul | 502]

2 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

Easy 10 for me.  My absolute favorite of the series.  It took everything from the original and improved on it.  I believe 2 is more challenging than 1 in terms of level design, but I agree that 2 is much easier to 100% compared to 1.  The graphics still look beautiful today.  

Agreed. Crash 2 is the peak of the series. Crash 1 is definitely more challenging IMO but 2 is the perfect balance. 3 was too easy imo. Crash is one of my favorite series even through all the ups and downs. 10/10 easy.

Edited March 21 by AstralSoul

[mbd39 | 2,020]

Just now, AstralSoul said:

Agreed. Crash 2 is the peak of the series. Crash 1 is definitely more challenging IMO but 2 is the perfect balance. 3 was too easy imo. 

I thought that 3 got hard at the end. I never beat it, but I beat the first two.

 

[Brickman | 3,984]

2 was definitely the best in the series even if it wasn’t quite as hard. They took what worked and made it more fun. Peak Crash imo.

8/10.

[Webhead123 | 675]

Played the first Crash (original and remaster) but never any of the sequels or spin-offs. The first game was fine enough as an early 3D platformer but didn't exactly blow me away. I own the N-sane Trilogy, so I guess that gives me an excuse to fire up Crash 2 at some point but it's not truly a priority for me.

[fox | 1,667]

2nd game is where Crash really hit it's stride.  Great title played thru it a few times.  Also the remake is solid, check it out.

[Sumez | 2,951]

Anyone who thinks 2 is the best game of the series should try playing 1, 3, or 4

[Brickman | 3,984]

1 hour ago, Sumez said:

Anyone who thinks 2 is the best game of the series should try playing 1, 3, or 4

I have played all of those and 2 is the best of them all. Definitely found the right balance with 2.

[Sumez | 2,951]

50 minutes ago, Brickman said:

I have played all of those and 2 is the best of them all. Definitely found the right balance with 2.

I'm actually really curious why you'd think that. Do you think getting all boxes is more enjoyable when you can keep resetting at the latest checkpoint until you get them - banging your head against the wall, instead of needing to learn the stages and play well? I understand that it's probably more stress-free, but to me it just becomes tedium instead.  

Getting them all in Crash 2 really felt to me like I was just doing work, rather than playing a game. The worst part was when getting them relied on some obscure secret you couldn't possibly tell up-front, such as going to a different stage entirely and standing in an inconspicuous spot in order to get warped to the first stage, and get access to a bunch of crates there. That's just god damn weird!

Maybe it's just that I'm generally more into straight forward arcade-style video game with a gameplay focus, but I find the streamlined focus of Crash 1 way more enjoyable.

And as for all the things Crash 2 adds, I'd say 3 does the same thing, but better.

[Brickman | 3,984]

43 minutes ago, Sumez said:

I'm actually really curious why you'd think that. Do you think getting all boxes is more enjoyable when you can keep resetting at the latest checkpoint until you get them - banging your head against the wall, instead of needing to learn the stages and play well? I understand that it's probably more stress-free, but to me it just becomes tedium instead.  

Getting them all in Crash 2 really felt to me like I was just doing work, rather than playing a game. The worst part was when getting them relied on some obscure secret you couldn't possibly tell up-front, such as going to a different stage entirely and standing in an inconspicuous spot in order to get warped to the first stage, and get access to a bunch of crates there. That's just god damn weird!

Maybe it's just that I'm generally more into straight forward arcade-style video game with a gameplay focus, but I find the streamlined focus of Crash 1 way more enjoyable.

And as for all the things Crash 2 adds, I'd say 3 does the same thing, but better.

I didn’t go for a 100% so maybe that‘s where the difference is.

I enjoy the challenge of 1 but I overall find the levels in 2 to be more enjoyable. The environments look better and the gameplay is mixed up just enough not to feel tedious (like 3). The soundtrack is also the best.

For me it goes 2-1-4-3.

[Sumez | 2,951]

3 hours ago, Brickman said:

I didn’t go for a 100% so maybe that‘s where the difference is.

That would definitely make a difference.  Without going for 100% I find neither of the games super enjoyable (fine, but nothing extraordinary). Getting the gems is definitely where it's at, and I highly recommend it (but that also introduces a whole array of issues with 4.... more on that soon )

3 hours ago, Brickman said:

I enjoy the challenge of 1 but I overall find the levels in 2 to be more enjoyable. The environments look better and the gameplay is mixed up just enough not to feel tedious (like 3).

1 actually mixes up environment and stage themes more often than 2, which I felt was another strike against the second game, even if it's a admittedly a very minor complaint.
In the first game, each stage theme came with its own dedicated style of challenges which governed how that entire stage would play, and each of them were only repeated twice (one only appeared once, because the second occurance was canned, and reinstated in N.Sane Trilogy!). In Crash 2, most of them are used three times, which makes the game feel a bit more repetitive. 50% more to be exact

2 does look better than 1, but I think 3 feels extremely upgraded in that department. I'm not a fan of PS1 era 3D graphics in general, but Crash 3 is actually one of the few 3D PS1 games I think looks really nice.

Edited March 22 by Sumez

[NostalgicMachine | 235]

It's been years, but this is a solid 8/10 for me.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

5

Crash never really hit for me.  It's fine I guess. 

[koifish | 556]

4, never liked these games. Also bothers me when Crash is called 3D when the gameplay is clearly 2D. Recall seeing it and Mario 64 and had no trouble spotting the real 3D game. Stuck to mega drive for 2D, better design and control overall.

[TDIRunner | 2,737]

20 hours ago, koifish said:

4, never liked these games. Also bothers me when Crash is called 3D when the gameplay is clearly 2D. Recall seeing it and Mario 64 and had no trouble spotting the real 3D game. Stuck to mega drive for 2D, better design and control overall.

It may not be open world 3D, but you still move around in a 3D environment with 3D rendered graphics.  It's absolutely a 3D game.  

Edit:  Even the side scrolling levels allow you to move around in a 3D environment.  You have the ability to fall off ledges towards the screen or away from the screen.  

Edited March 27 by TDIRunner

[RH | 4,903]

57 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

It may not be open world 3D, but you still move around in a 3D environment with 3D rendered graphics.  It's absolutely a 3D game.  

As someone who loves the game he's about to mention, this game is far more 3D than a game like Final Fantasy VII... or VIII... or IX.