Crash Bandicoot needs no introduction
and really the only difference for "The Wrath of Cortex" is that it's
the first outing for Crash B on the PS2.
You run, you jump, you collect the apples and end-of-level purple gems through
over 30 stages devised by the evil Dr Cortex and based around the four elements,
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water.
This time round Crash has a new "tip-toe" move and extra vehicles to move
around in such as jeeps, a scooter and, my favourite, the gyroscope, which means
that in addition to the usual run-jump melee, you have levels that feel akin
to the 80s arcade classic, Marble Madness, with the rumbling vibration
in the joypad really giving you a sense of atmosphere as you roll around.
Crash's friends will also pop up along the way to be controlled including
his sister Coco.
The graphics and sound aren't breathtaking, but they are perfect for the job
that they do. I failed to see any clipping along the way and couple that with
the smooth textures, shadows and the speed at which it moves along and there's
plenty of eye-candy to keep anyone happy.
I've only played one Crash game in the series beforehand - the second one on the
first Playstation - and I was a bit concerned here how I'd handle the
away-from-the-screen running sections when someone's after you, such as the
dragon, but you just need to keep your wits about you and assume that if you've
passed a hole in the ground on one side, the next hole is most likely due to
be on the other. Of course, don't take that for granted just in case. You'll
also find yourself performing moves along the way that you didn't think you
would manage.
In fact, I only have one complaint about Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of
Cortex - the excessive loading times between levels. They do get irritating.
The only other thing you could level one at is the originality, but then
to do that at an arcade game is to miss the point and you should be enjoying
the fact that it's a great piece of fun that anyone can pick up and play
instantly.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
The graphics and sound aren't breathtaking, but they are perfect for the job
that they do. I failed to see any clipping along the way and couple that with
the smooth textures, shadows and the speed at which it moves along and there's
plenty of eye-candy to keep anyone happy.
