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FAQ for Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Written by Tom ([email protected])

Version 1.0
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  I. Introduction (About myself, and all that other stuff)
 II. Versions of this FAQ
III. Introduction to the game (taken right out of the book)
 IV. The Characters
  V. The Controls
 VI. The Items
VII. First Warp Room
VIII. Second Warp Room
 IX. Third Warp Room
  X. Fourth Warp Room
 XI. Fifth Warp Room
XII. Secret Exits
XIII. Secret Warp Room
XIV. The End
 XV. Codes and Cheats
XVI. Thanks to...
XVII. Disclamer and Legal Stuff

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I. Introduction
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First of all, I'm 14-years-old. I spend a lot of time playing video games.
If you see any mistakes, email me at [email protected] (spelling and
grammar mistakes you send me will be ignored). Thanks in advance.

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II. Versions of this FAQ
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Version 1.0: First version

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III. Introduction to the game (taken right out of the book)
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Thanks to Crash, the evil Dr. Neo Cortex finds himself hurtling earthward
at terminal velocity, his manical bid for world-domination - thwarted...or
so the story goes. But, as it turns out, the world's problems are really
only beginning. Cortex awakens to find himself in a dark cavern filled
with glowing crystals. Convinced that they hold tremendous power, he
retrieves one and crawls back to his Laboratory to examine it. The crystal
leads him to a terrible discovery: soon the planets will align to create
a catastrophic colar flux - and only the crystals provide a means to
contain this incredible force. Determined to redeem himself for his past
evil deeds, Cortex sets out to develop a new, crystal-powered Cortex
Vortex that will capture the stellar energy and harmlessly dissipate it.
He enlists the aid of his old colleague and infamous physicist, Dr. N.
Gin, to help him design such a device. 25 crystals are needed to provide
the necessary power matrix. Cortex knows there's only one hero with any
chance of success - Crash Bandicoot! Crash saved the planet from Cortex
before, but can he save it again, this time for Cortex?

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IV. The Characters
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Crash Bandicoot: Our hero. Enough said.

Coco Bandicoot: Crash's annoying sister. Little did she know that
sending him off for a stupid computer battery would change their lives
forever...well, Crash's anyway.

N. Cortex: He will want Crash to get him all 25 crystals.

N. Brio: Wanting to get revenge on N. Cortex for double-crossing him.

Ripper Roo: Annoying dog thing. Crazy as a...dog thing.

Komodo Joe and Moe: These overgrown lizards will stop at nothing to
destroy Crash.

Tiny Tiger: Hardly tiny, and not much looking like a tiger. Nonetheless,
he will try mutilate our hero.

N. Gin: Don't enrage this guy. That un-detonated bomb in his head still
might blow!

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V. The Controls
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Up, Down, Left, Right: Obvious, isn't it?
Triangle: Displays lives, boxes, and fruit.
Square: Spin.
Circle: Crouch down. Speed boost (on bear).
X: Jump
X + Circle: Body slam
Direction + Circle: Slide.
Circle + Direction: Crawl.

On Jetpack:

Up: Down
Down: Up
Left: Left
Right: Right
X: Boost
Square: Spin
Circle: Reverse

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VI. The Items
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Wumpa Fruit: Collect 100 of these for an extra life.

Crash Head: Extra Life.

Plain Box: Contains random amount of fruit.

? Box: Contains random amount of fruit or extra life (rare).

Crash Head Box: Extra life.

Brown Box: Jump on this ten times for ten Wumpa fruits.

C Box: Checkpoint box. Die and you will start from the last checkpoint
you hit.

TNT Box: Jump on these and you have three seconds to get out of the way.
Spin them and face the consequences.

Arrow Box: Two different kinds. Ones that break, and ones that do the
opposite...of break. Use these to get to higher places.

Aku Aku Box: Kind of like a shield. Get three for limited invinsibility.

Nitro Box: Goes off at the slightest touch. Avoid!

! Box: Hit this to make boxes appear where white outlines were.

Green ! Box: Blows up every nitro crate in the level. Required to get
them level's gem.

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VII. First Warp Room
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If you are patient through the boring intro of this game, you will get
a few extra lives. You will be able to control Crash after Coco nags
him. Sweeet.

Here we are. The first warp room. Easy stuff, really. You'll have no
problem getting through this. I will just be giving you hints on all
levels.

1. Turtle Woods

There is a weird design on the ground that looks like a face. It's less
than halfway through the level. Body slam it to go through. Be sure
to slide and jump on the flamingos. To get the BLUE GEM, you must go
through the entire level without getting a single box.

2. Snow Go

You will see a RED GEM floating above you halfway through the level.
Don't attempt to get it, it's impossible. See Secret Exits for more
information. Also, remember to go backwards after you exit the "side
screen" part of this level, as there is a Green ! Box to hit.

3. Hang Eight

Where the heck are the rest of those freakin' boxes?! Well, you must
first get the BLUE GEM from Turtle Woods. Then it will all come clear.
You will notice about halfway through the level there is a timer. You
must finish the level in that time to get the other gem. Hint: Go into
the Bonus Stage and deliberatly fall off. The timer will be reset, and
you have a lot more time. Muahahaha!!

4. The Pits

When you come up to a fork in the road, take the left route. This side
both has the crystal and a ! Box to make some boxes on the right side
appear.

5. Crash Dash

If you are confused at the very beginning of this level, I understand.
My stupid brain took about a full minute before it realized I had to go
the other way. Anyway, that boulder doesn't go very fast, so you should
be fine. Get all of the boxes while you can, because you can't go back.

Boss 1: Ripper Roo

Ripper Roo is insane! He'll hop around and turn some tiles on the floor
into TNT things, which you have to avoid, then into Nitro boxes. Find
a safe place on the ground when the Nitro boxes come up, because they
all explode at once. After all the Nitro boxes explode, smack Ripper
Roo. Repeat 2 more times.

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VIII. Second Warp Room
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What lies forward is a cold warp room full of harder levels. First, you
should notice a small bear on the ground next to one of the levels. Jump
on him about 10 times and you will get 10 extra lives. Sweeet!

6. Snow Biz

To get the rest of the boxes in this level, you must get the RED GEM in
Snow Go, which you can't get unless you take a secret exit. See Secret
Exits for more information.

7. Air Crash

There is so much to this level. First, there is a secret exit. See Secret
Exits for more information. Another thing to know is to access the skull
and crossbones platform, you can't die at all during the level. Taking
the platform will lead you to the path to the other gem. Another thing
is that you can't get all the boxes unless you take the secret exit.
How weird, a level with a secret exit and a secret entrance.

8. Bear it

This is the most fun you'll have in years...well, in this game. Not
that the game isn't fun. It really is. It's just that this is...more...fun.
Anyway, you can't stop once you have started, so try to get all the
boxes.

9. Crash Crush

Yet another boulder dodging level of pain and misery. Not much secrecy
to this level. Be sure to take the right way when you come to the fork.

10. The Eel Deal

Cool metallic music, nice sewer scene, what more could you want? An
easier way out maybe? Sure. When you come to two different pipes, take
the right. It will be filled with Nitros and one solitary regular box.
How ingenius. They expect you to skip this part and you will be missing
one box in the end. Ha ha ha, how clever! Plus, there's more to that
area than you think. Jump over all the Nitros, and run against the wall.
Go ahead, no one will laugh. Voila! A fake door! Take the path and get
the GREEN GEM!

Boss 2: The Komodo Brothers

Blah! These guys suck. The fat one will throw knives at you. After he's
done with that, he'll launch the skinny one spinning at you. Avoid him,
and after he's done spinning hit him and he'll ram into the fat one.
Repeat 2 more times.

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IX. Third Warp Room
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Wow. Third warp room. You are almost halfway there! Stop celebrating,
because this room has tough levels.

11. Plant Food

Get the YELLOW GEM the same way you got the gem in Hang Eight: Beat the
timer. Easy stuff.

12. Sewer or Later

You need the YELLOW GEM to get the other gem in this level. Not much
stuff to talk about in this level.

13. Bear Down

Remember to either jump or just ride through depending on when the two
guys raise the bar. There is a different exit here. See Secret Exits
for more information.

14. Road to Ruin

New type of level. Those weird walking vines can only be killed by
sliding under them. Remember that you can have access to that platform
if you don't die at all. You can't get all the boxes here either.
See Secret Exits for more information.

15. Un-Bearable

Boulder level again?! I wish it wasn't! Well, guess what? It's not.
INSTEAD THERE'S A HUGE BEAR CHASING YOU!! Don't worry though. It isn't
smart enough. You might be wondering where the rest of the boxes are.
Well, when you get to the point when the bear breaks most of the bridge
and falls, why don't you try and jump down yourself? Go ahead. By the
way, there is a secret exit here. See Secret Exits for more information.

Boss 3: Tiny Tiger

Wow. This guy doesn't do much. He will keep jumping on those platforms
and you have to avoid him. When they start flashing, GET TO ONE THAT
ISN'T! Tiny, as dumb as he is, will jump on nothing and fall. Repeat
2 more times.

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X. Fourth Warp Room
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I HATE THIS WARP ROOM! It has the hardest levels, especially the bee
levels. Promise not to tear your hair out at these, because you'll
have an urge to...

16. Hangin' Out

Not much to say about this place. There is a secret exit. See Secret
Exits for more information.

17. Diggin' It

ARRGHH!! Take the skull and crossbones platform (don't die at all until)
you get there) and break the boxes there. After you are done, turn around
and backtrack on the other side, getting the rest of the boxes. There
is a secret exit here. See Secret Exits for more information.

18. Cold Hard Crash

AAARRRGGHHH!!!! I HATE THIS LEVEL WITH WHITE HOT BITTER SEETHING HATRED!
First of all, you can't die at all in this level, because the skull and
crossbones platform is important. When you get to that point, take it.
Go through that area, but when you near the end, DON'T GET THE GEM!!!
DON'T GET IT!! DON'T FALL DOWN THE PIT!! Ok, turn around, and get boxes
you may have missed. Take the skull and crossbones back down and finish
the level. After you finished the level, you can go back in and get the
gem I told you not to before. About the bonus stage in this level, there
is a hidden box up high where there are two bouncy boxes.

19. Ruination

The bonus stage contains 49 boxes in this level. Remember that. You need
the GREEN GEM from the Eel Deal to get the other gem in this level.

20. Bee Having

Another bee level, but not as bad. When you get to the point where there
is a Nitro box staircase, go ahead and try to touch it. No, your game
isn't messed up, those aren't real Nitro crates. Take the staircase
to the top and you will be transfered to another area, which has the
PURPLE GEM in it. Wooo!!

Boss 4: N. Gin

OK, a challange, finally. His laser things will open up a lot, so you
need to throw those fruits at the right times. He will then shoot
bombs, but it's in a pattern. After all that, he gets this machine that
will destroy the platforms for a few seconds. Make sure you get in
a few hits before he zaps you.

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XI. Fifth Warp Room
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Oooh, hi-tech. All of these levels aren't as hard as in the previous
Warp Room, but still quite tough.

21. Piston it Away

This is almost as annoying as Cold Hard Crash. You make it through the
whole level, DON'T DIE, and you will see the skull and crossbones
platform. DON'T TAKE IT YET! Continue. Hit all the boxes until you get
to the end of the level. Now backtrack to the platform and take it.
Finish off the rest of the level.

22. Rock it

The first jetpack level. They aren't fun, despite what you may think.
Avoid anything that looks dangerous, and red machinery. Some boxes
are hard to spot, so be on the lookout.

23. Night Flight

You'll hate this level right off the bat, trust me. Race through the
level while keeping the firefly. When you come to the fork, don't
take the skull and crossbones platform. Take the right way, and when
you get to the point where the left and right meet again, go left and
back a little. Be careful of pits. And get the two boxes there. Now
go back and finish the level. When you enter the level again, you can
take the skull and crossbones way.

24. Pack Attack

Groan. Use same stratagies in Rock it.

25. Spaced Out

You will need the BLUE GEM to access the secret part of this level.
Actually, you need all five colored gems. Make sure you have them.

Boss 5: Cortex

This is really easy. Use your jetpack skills and chase him down. Avoid
rocks, but you can spin mines. Smack him three times and he's finished.
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XII. Secret Exits
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I bet you were annoyed by my term "See Secret Exits for more information".
Well, here it is, finally. Enjoy.

7. Air Crash

When you get to the first jetski part, don't ride it. Instead, jump on
the boxes and jet to the platform on the right side. This will get you
to Snow Go.

13. Bear Down

When you reach the very end, go back and jump on the water platforms.
Jump on the big one. This will take you to Air Crash.

17. Diggin' it

When you get to the point, about 3/4 through the level, where there's
a large plant on a circle platform, bodyslam the plant. This will take
you to Road to Ruin.

15. Un-Bearable

When you get to the very end, and the bear falls down the pit, go back.
The angle is kind of odd, so it's hard to tell when to jump, but try
anyway. Touch the small bear. This will take you to Totally Bear.

16. Hangin' Out

When you get to the point where you fall down the hole and land in
the water, walk backwards. Fall through the hole, and climb across to
the other side. Pull yourself up when the floating things come by, and
when you reach the end, start walking. You will eventually be whisked
away. This will take you to Totally Fly.

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XIII. Secret Warp Room
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This warp room contains the rest of the gems that you didn't know. Wow.

7. Air Crash

Not much to say here. This place has the boxes and the Green ! Box that
weren't in the other parts of this level.

2. Snow Go

Make your way through this part of the level, and eventually you will
get that RED GEM you have been wanting to get for so long.

14. Road to Ruin

There's not much in this secret part of the level. Just a stack of boxes.
Be careful when you spin them, because one of them is a TNT box.

26. Totally Bear

This is fun, but hard because it's so dark. There are huge gaps that
you need speed boost for, and at the very end when the bear throws you
off, don't worry. It may look like there's endless water, but...

27. Totally Fly

AAARGGHH!! Another firefly level. Perfect. No secrets to worry about here,
but the fireflies go away quicker than before.

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XIV. The End
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If you beat Cortex without 100%, then Crash and Coco will sit at the beach.
Coco will be wondering why the Cortex Vortex is still up in the sky.

If you got 100%, there will be a huge stack of gems going into Brio's
machine, and Brio will tell Crash to fire the ray at the Cortex Vortex.

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XV. Codes and Cheats
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Return to Boss Stages:
On the platform, hold Triangle while pressing up.

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XVI. Thanks to...
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..all the little people! Oh, and www.gamefaqs.com, for being the
greatest site ever. And the Crash Bandicoot series. CRASH BANDICOOT
ROCKS!! YEAH!!!
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XVII. The Disclamer and Legal Stuff
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ONLY WWW.GAMEFAQS.COM MAY PUBLISH THIS FAQ!! DO NOT EMAIL ME ASKING,
BECAUSE I WILL JUST IGNORE YOU!!

Do not rip off this FAQ, please! I spent a lot of time and nearly went
insane with all the writing and stuff.

Buy every Crash Bandicoot game. They will relieve you of boredom.

Do not worship Pokemon. If you do, then please come to realize how dumb
it really is.

FAQ by Tom (WebWhizTommy)
© 2001