I don't really know what happened here, but... I just didn't like Crash 2. I had low expectations coming from the original, and while I'd find it difficult to say that this is ostensibly the worse game of the two, I found it far more dull than its predecessor, perhaps partially due to how little I engaged with its 100% requirements.
Again, I don't think the Crash world is all that remarkable. You have the same few level aesthetics repeated ad nauseum throughout the game and it somehow feels even more played out this time around. The forests feel like a rehash of Crash 1 while the ice and sewer levels just introduce such dull mechanics that fail to justify their existence. Level design feels even more infuriating in this one, with more tight, awkward to time jumps that never offered a fun challenge. Then you have the gimmick levels which provide some needed diversity, but usually wound up even less fun than the regular levels. While I liked the polar bear sections, the jetpack portions almost put me to sleep.
And there was no satisfaction in beating this one, either. The bosses are overall much worse, with the penultimate one being a drawn out button masher that only provides a mild challenge during the final phase which, if you fail, you have to repeat the tedium all over. I hestiate to blame the game for this as I played on Steam Deck, but a crash that occured during the final blow of this fight put me in a real sour mood. To get the platinum relics in this one, you need to have already beaten the game, as you'll require the running shoes in order to speed through most of the levels. This, on top of awkward gem requirements for certain levels, made the process of collecting everything a chore, something I gave up on after the first world. Maybe I would've enjoyed my time more had these been possible to get on my first trip through the levels, but padding a lot of the completionist runaround into the post-game totally put me off.
I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy Crash Bandicoot. I'm still going to give Warped a shot, and likely even see it to the end, but I'm doubtful it's going to turn me around on this franchise. 4 looks fun, I suppose.
Again, I don't think the Crash world is all that remarkable. You have the same few level aesthetics repeated ad nauseum throughout the game and it somehow feels even more played out this time around. The forests feel like a rehash of Crash 1 while the ice and sewer levels just introduce such dull mechanics that fail to justify their existence. Level design feels even more infuriating in this one, with more tight, awkward to time jumps that never offered a fun challenge. Then you have the gimmick levels which provide some needed diversity, but usually wound up even less fun than the regular levels. While I liked the polar bear sections, the jetpack portions almost put me to sleep.
And there was no satisfaction in beating this one, either. The bosses are overall much worse, with the penultimate one being a drawn out button masher that only provides a mild challenge during the final phase which, if you fail, you have to repeat the tedium all over. I hestiate to blame the game for this as I played on Steam Deck, but a crash that occured during the final blow of this fight put me in a real sour mood. To get the platinum relics in this one, you need to have already beaten the game, as you'll require the running shoes in order to speed through most of the levels. This, on top of awkward gem requirements for certain levels, made the process of collecting everything a chore, something I gave up on after the first world. Maybe I would've enjoyed my time more had these been possible to get on my first trip through the levels, but padding a lot of the completionist runaround into the post-game totally put me off.
I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy Crash Bandicoot. I'm still going to give Warped a shot, and likely even see it to the end, but I'm doubtful it's going to turn me around on this franchise. 4 looks fun, I suppose.