CRASH BANDICOOT 2: CORTEX STRIKES BACK

Need to know

This game introduces the Warp Room system. Whereas in the first game you had to play each island in a fixed order, in Cortex Strikes Back you can play the five levels linked to a warp room in any order you like – though you’ll need a gem from each to move on to the next Warp Room.

Jungle Warp Room 1. Turtle Woods (white gem, blue gem)

To earn the white gem you’ll need to smash all the crates, whereas to get the blue gem you’ll need to

avoid all the crates. Jump over the patches of mud as they slow you down. When you reach an octagonal shape on the ground, jump-smash into it to access a secret area. When you see a large vulture, jump onto its back to kill it. There’s a point where you need to use slide-jump to get over a gap filled with TNT crates. Slide-jump onto the ostrich to reach the higher platform. There’s an Aku Aku crate just before the checkpoint; grab it. When you

reach a question-mark platform, jump into it to access the bonus area. Past the checkpoint, smash all ten crates and collect the Aku Aku mask before jumping into the large pit just ahead. The only way to get out of this is to kill the two raccoons that block your exit.

2. Snow Go (white gem, red gem)

When the sea lions slide at you, either spin into them or move to the right and drop into the hole to avoid them. You’ll see a red gem above you; you’ll need to come back to this later. Find and jump into the question-mark platform to access the bonus area. Before getting the checkpoint, go backwards a little and activate the green exclamation-mark crate to detonate all of the Nitro crates in the level. To activate the transparent crates, jump onto the bounce crate, back leaping backwards, and hit the exclamation-mark crate.

3. Hang Eight (two white gems, requires blue gem)

To get the first white gem you’ll need to complete the level in a set time limit, and you earn the second by smashing all the crates (you need the blue gem from Turtle Woods to do this).

4. The Pits (white gem)

By now you should be familair with how Crash works, so this is a breeze. There’s a an

exclamation-mark crate mid-way into the level; activate it and then backtrack to the left path, and the crates along that route will have appeared. Approaching a structure ahead, you should just be able to see the invisible crates changing to solid life crates.

5. Crash Dash (white gem)

The snowball will start rolling after you as soon as you pass through the archway. The first hole in the ground is on the left, then there’s one on the far right, and then the far left. Avoid the mines. Jump the track-wide hole, jump the mines, then leap over three sets of barriers. Now follow the wumpa fruit. Jump over the mines, and the wide gap, and then at the right turn move to the left to avoid the barriers that appear in a slalom. Go over the bridge, jump the gap and keep to the right to avoid the Nitro crates. A couple of long gaps and you’re home free. Later in the stage you’ll come across arrow pads to give to a speed boost – hunt these out and use them. You should have 44 to get the white gem.

Boss Battle: Ripper Roo

Avoid Ripper and make sure you stay in the corner where there isn’t a TNT crate. He’ll repeat the TNT crate pattern with Nitro crates, but this time detonate the Nitro crate to knock him down, then spin-jump into him. For the second round of TNT

drops, go to the middle-edges of the stage, and he’ll do the same with Nitro. Again, knock him down and spin-attack.

Ice Warp Room 6. Air Crash (two white gems)

This is an easy-ish level until just after the very first checkpoint. Here, instead of getting on the jetboard, stand on the top-right post of the jetty and jump onto the crate facing up the screen; then jump right, up-left, and right.

Air Crash, Part 2 (crystal, two white gems)

The white gem for getting all the crates is impossible to get at the moment, so head to the skull-and-crossbones platform. Instead of going to the Secret Warp Room, jump on the jetboard. This is simple, but there’s a tricky mine lurking behind the third fence that could get you. Using the hippo for a platform, jump onto the submerging ‘solid’ platform (time it right) and then onto dry ‘land’. Bounce on the metal arrow crate to get across the large gap to complete the stage.

At the point where you see a platform with an Aku Aku crate, you’ll either see a solid platform with a skull and crossbones on, or a white outline of the platform if you’ve died. To get the white gem

you need to get here without dying. Jump on the skull-and-crossbones platform to the right, then onto the moving platforms that submerge; there’s then a hippo, more watery platforms, and a new jetboard to reach the end.

7. Snow Biz (white gem)

Now you have the red gem, you can complete this level. It’s easy, until you get just past the second checkpoint. When you see the exclamation-mark crate, smash it, and use the series of metal arrow crates to cross the gap. Past checkpoint three is a collapsing bridge; remember that and avoid the crushers just after it. After the second collapsing bridge, avoid the falling ice and follow the wumpa fruit. If you miss crates on the downward slide, you can backtrack by sliding. There are some rolling stones to jump towards the end of the stage – remember your timing.

8. Bear It (crystal, white gem)

Polar bear riding! This is a memory stage, so you’ll need to do it a few times to find the route. You need to remember to avoid holes and statues – you can jump fallen ones just like you jump holes. Coming round the left corner, you should position yourself half-way into the first crate in order to get all four of them, because if you miss one you can’t turn around. There’s a crystal on a water section – grab it.

9. Crash Crush (crystal, white gem)

More running away from a giant snowball. First go left, then right, left again, then right again, and left again, avoiding a mine on the ground then jumping over a gap to the right. There’s a fence after the checkpoint; slide under it. At the fork, go right. When you get back to the main course, slide under the fence before the gap and avoid the mines. Grab the crystal just beyond the bonus level and go into the final part of the level. Collect all the crates to earn the white gem.

10. The Eel Deal (crystal, white gem, green gem)

Stay out of the green water (always a sensible move in our book, although in this case it’s because it contains eels) – only jump/run into the water when it turns blue. This is a tricky level. Avoid the blades on the fan and pass the checkpoint. Jump onto that question-mark crate and move on past the Nitro crates. There’s a large green gem guarded by two enemies. Once you’ve claimed that, the level is fairly straightforward until the end, where you need to drop down onto some floating guards.

Boss Battle: Komodo Brothers

The Komodo Brothers are a pair of funny looking sword-throwing komodo dragons. Avoid Joe’s spinning, and when he’s tired, attack his brother

Moe. Avoid the swords that Moe throws, avoid Joe, and then attack Moe when Joe stops. Finally, avoid the swords and Joe to defeat the pair.

Sewer Warp Room 11. Plant Food (crystal, white gem, yellow gem)

To earn the yellow gem, you’ll need to complete the stage in under a set time. Before you try and speed run though, get the crystal and white gem. When speed-running, keep moving, and use slide-jump for speed as well as the jump-spin for extra height. Get both Aku Aku masks to help.

12. Sewer Or Later (crystal, two white gems)

You need the yellow gem from Plant Food to get both white gems, and it’ll involve lots of patient backtracking. When you get to the lab assistant, attack when he switches off his flamethrower. When you reach the eel, use the boxes to jump past it. For now, ignore the yellow platform. There are more enemies, fans, and flamer enemies to kill. Now backtrack to the yellow platform, take it and enter the electric room – use the platforms and bounce crates to get past the room and grab the gem. After exiting and passing the checkpoint, activate the exclamation-mark crate, then turn

around, and go left. Kill the enemies, and grab the crystal. Turn around and return to the path’s divide, going right again, and exit the level.

13. Bear Down (crystal, white gem)

This level’s similar to Bear It, and there’s nothing too new or tricky about it, except now near the end there’s a portal to the Secret Warp Room, so when you reach the finish, avoid the standard exit and find the Warp Room portal. To earn the white gem, detonate all the Nitro in the level.

14. Road To Ruin (crystal, two white gems)

You can’t get all the crates in this level right now, you’ll have to use a secret entrance found later in the game. However, to get the first white gem, complete the stage without dying. There’s a skulland-crossbones platform just past the first checkpoint, which you can use if you haven’t died. Jump from log to log as the gorilla throws them – spin into them if you need to. Once you’re on the tilting platform, slowly walk towards the camera until the statue comes into view. Time your jump to avoid the flames, and repeat for the second statue here. Grab the white gem and exit. For the crystal, you need to backtrack and walk into the screen until you find an exclamation-mark crate; smash it and all the crates, then jump towards the camera to a checkpoint and the crystal.

15. Un-Bearable (crystal, white gem)

Now out-run a polar bear. Really this level’s a memory test, with some tricks to help. For example, spin-attack into fences to keep moving, use arrow pads to extra speed, make use of exclamation-mark crates, and use the belly-flop attack to smash through groups of crates. When the chase first ends, search for the crystal.

Boss Battle: Tiny Tiger

To hurt Tiny, you need to lure him onto a collapsing platform. The only time when more platforms will fall before others have come back is immediately after Tiny has fallen, so pay attention to the pattern. Also, fewer platforms fall as Tiny gets closer to death, making it harder.

Alpine Warp Room 16. Hangin’ Out (crystal, white gem)

This is a fairly simple level with lots of robots to smash, and you earn the gem by spinning into every crate. The crystal can be found just past the first checkpoint, after you’ve evaded a series of robots on monkeybars, smashed a stack of crates, and dropped down a hole. There’s a moment when you can choose either to collect the white gem or to exit the level and open a secret route. For now, grab the gem – but we will be back.

17. Diggin’ It (crystal, two white gems)

There are some things to note in this level: first the bees are annoying; and second, the mines don’t kill you but will throw Crash into the air. There are a lot of bombs to avoid, too. There’s a tricky bit just prior to a checkpoint with a beehive that fires lasers – time it so you can jump-spin over them, and then spin into the bees. Past the checkpoint, go underground and grab the crystal.

The first gem is earned by smashing every crate in the level; the second is trickier as you need to complete the level without dying, then return to and replay to unlock the secret route – there’s a skull-and-crossbones platform near the start that takes you down a secret path.

18. Cold Hard Crash (crystal, two white gems, requires green gem)

This is a simple level, with lots of enemies to kill but little backtracking required. The crystal is right at the very end of the stage, just past the final checkpoint. You can earn the first white gem by taking the skull-and-crossbones platform, activated by completing the level without dying. The second white gem is earned by smashing every crate – be warned, once you take the platform to the level’s second area you can’t go back, so make sure you’ve smashed every crate before you ride.

19. Ruination (crystal, two white gems)

The crystal is past the third checkpoint, and you need to get through a tricky moving platform section to reach it. Once across, jump into a covered section to grab the crystal. To get the first gem just smash every crate, not forgetting the Nitro crate at the end of the level. To get the second white gem you’ll need to have earned the green gem from Eel Deal to activate a new platform and open a secret route. Grab the gem at the end of stage.

20. Bee-Having (crystal, white gem, purple gem)

It’s best to keep moving in this level to avoid the beehives. Also, when you’re underground, avoid the TNT crates. The crystal is just past the fourth checkpoint, after a series of beehives. Get the first gem, the white one, by smashing every crate in the level.

The purple gem is rather more tricky to get. First find the section just past the second checkpoint where there’s a bunch of stationary Nitro crates, then use them as steps. Jump up them and Crash is teleported away. Here you need to kill some raccoons, and jump a mushroom, a metal crate, and stone platform to reach the large purple gem. If you still need to collect the white gem from the main level, kill yourself and get

beamed back to the previous checkpoint to carry on smashing crates.

Boss Battle: Doctor Neo Gin

When the battle begins, hurl wumpa fruit at the machine, targeting the lasers on the left and right. When one falls off, Doctor Neo Gin attacks, so get ready to jump-evade. Once both lasers are gone he’ll fire missiles at you – hit them with wumpa. Now use the platforms to hurl wumpa fruit, making sure you jump off the platforms before he destroys them.

High-Tech Warp Room 21. Piston It Away (crystal, two white gems)

There are some new enemies in this level, and a Secret Warp Room to discover. To get the crystal, you need to progress through the level. There are some ‘smashers’ just past the elevator – note that when the first set is up the second set is down. Past the checkpoint are some electrical hazards; slide under these until you see the crystal. To get the first white gem, smash all the crates. To get the second white gem, complete the level without dying, and restart. On your next go-round, find the skull-and-crossbones platform, dodge some electrical hazards, and then grab the gem.

22. Rock It (crystal, white gem)

This jetpack level is great fun. Practise the controls, especially hitting e to turn Crash around. Head up and to the left to avoid the fire, then towards the middle of the rocks when they are circling around the outside, and cross the checkpoint. Lasers are easy to avoid – just take note of their patterns before trying to pass them.

When you meet the electrified enemies, wait until they’re non-electrified and spin into them. Pass under the cables and cross the checkpoint. Go to the right of the next fire section, and spin the next enemy into the fire when he isn’t electrified. Go past the next checkpoint, avoid the lasers, and the Nitro crates, and the cable (that’s a lot to avoid!) and grab the crystal. Get the white gem by smashing every crate in the level – use e to backtrack if needed.

23. Night Fight (crystal, two white gems)

Run forward and jump over the holes, jump-spin into the pesky possums, and chase the new firefly through the section and past the checkpoint. Repeat this until you reach the crystal. You can find the first white gem by completing the level without dying, then taking the skull-andcrossbones platform when you return to it. The second white gem is earned, unsurprisingly, by smashing every crate.

24. Pack Attack (crystal, white gem)

More jetpack action. Stick to the bottom section in the first room and avoid the pipes with fire, the lasers, and the cable flying around. Spin the cyborg scientist guy twice when he isn’t electrified. Go under everything here and cross the second checkpoint. Avoid the double sets of lasers. Avoid all the traps, and on the right towards the end will be the crystal. Get the white gem by smashing every crate.

25. Spaced Out (crystal, two whitegems, all coloured gems required)

This is the last level, unless you’ve been doing the Secret Warp Rooms.

Start by avoiding the fire on the side on the platforms. Jump onto it and spin-attack the enemies or slide into them. Past the first checkpoint, jump over the Nitro crates and spin-attack the enemies. Continue this until see the crystal. Take the blue gem platform and grab the extra lives and move on until you reach the green gem platform, more lives, more jumps and arrow platforms. At the end is a yellow gem platform – take it and drop/avoid the crusher. Finally, take the purple gem platform and exit to find the first white gem. The second white gem is, of course, earned by smashing every crate.