When Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex was first announced, fans of the series were delighted and appalled in equal measure. Delighted because a new game in the groundbreaking PlayStation platform series was in the works, and appalled because Naughty Dog, the developers behind the previous games, were nowhere to be seen.

Universal Interactive owned the Crash license, and as such, it was up to Universal to progress the series, sadly without Naughty Dog, who passed the mantle to Travelle ... more >>

When Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex was first announced, fans of the series were delighted and appalled in equal measure. Delighted because a new game in the groundbreaking PlayStation platform series was in the works, and appalled because Naughty Dog, the developers behind the previous games, were nowhere to be seen.

Universal Interactive owned the Crash license, and as such, it was up to Universal to progress the series, sadly without Naughty Dog, who passed the mantle to Traveller’s Tales.

The first thing you notice about Crash on the PlayStation 2 is that it’s stuck to its roots admirably. There is little contained in the Wrath of Cortex that hasn’t been seen before, something that should please the traditionalists.

As players of previous CB titles will have come to expect, the latest Crash game delivers a storyline that could disgrace even the most uninspired of Hollywood’s soap writers. After getting a sound beating from Crash in the previous three games, Dr Cortex is really ticked off. He has devised a secret weapon via the summoning of the god Uka, who provides him with four elemental masks. These masks have the ability to deliver landslides, avalanches and electrical storms on command, so as you imagine, in the wrong hands, they’re very dangerous. Your job is to track down these masks and destroy them.

To do this, you have at your disposal all of Crash’s signature attacks and abilities from the previous Bandicoot games. You can triple-jump, spin and body-slam everything the game throws at you, and you even get the glide ability when you defeat the bosses.

Playing Crash Bandicoot on PlayStation 2 imparts a strange feeling of déjà-vu. Can you remember seeing the original Crash Bandicoot for the PlayStation and thinking how amazing it looked? A platform game rendered in 3D, with 2D elements and looking absolutely amazing? Crash looks at home on the PlayStation 2. His world is wonderfully detailed and the game design is strong, with intelligent camera work and considered level design.

If the game offers nothing but more of the same Crash Bandicoot action as you have enjoyed over the past six years, only you can decide if that’s what you want. We love it, and highly recommend it.
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