There are currently 39 stubs. You can help us by expanding these articles!
Editing Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
From the Crash Bandicoot Wiki, the Crash Bandicoot encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Wikipedia}} | {{Wikipedia}} | ||
{{Game infobox | {{Game infobox | ||
Line 5: | Line 4: | ||
|developer = [[Traveller's Tales]]<br>[[Eurocom Entertainment Software]] (GameCube) | |developer = [[Traveller's Tales]]<br>[[Eurocom Entertainment Software]] (GameCube) | ||
|publisher = [[Universal Interactive Studios]]<br>[[Konami]] (Japan) | |publisher = [[Universal Interactive Studios]]<br>[[Konami]] (Japan) | ||
|released = '''PlayStation 2:'''<br>{{released|USA|October 29, 2001 | |released = '''PlayStation 2:'''<br>{{released|USA|October 29, 2001|Europe|November 23, 2001|Japan|December 20, 2001}} '''Nintendo GameCube:'''<br>{{released|USA|April 15, 2002|Europe|April 26, 2002|Japan|October 26, 2002}} '''Xbox:'''<br>{{released|USA|September 17, 2002|Europe|November 1, 2002|Japan|December 4, 2003}} '''Xbox Live Marketplace'''<br>December 4, 2007 | ||
|genre = Platformer | |genre = Platformer | ||
|ratings = {{ratings|esrb=e}} | |ratings = {{ratings|esrb=e}} | ||
Line 13: | Line 12: | ||
|input = Controller | |input = Controller | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex''''' is the fourth platformer installment of the ''[[Crash Bandicoot (series)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' series | '''''Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex''''' is the fourth platformer installment of the ''[[Crash Bandicoot (series)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' series. It was released for the [[PlayStation 2]] in 2001 and for the [[Xbox]] and [[Nintendo GameCube]] in 2002. The game was developed by [[Traveller's Tales]] and was published by [[Universal Interactive Studios]]. It is the series' first platformer that was not developed by [[Naughty Dog]]. In 2007, ''Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex'' was ported to the Xbox Live Marketplace. | ||
The game centers on the appearance of [[Crunch Bandicoot]], a genetically advanced [[bandicoot]] who was created by [[Doctor Neo Cortex]]. Crunch is aided by a group of destructive masks called the [[Elemental]]s. [[Crash Bandicoot|Crash]] and [[Coco Bandicoot|Coco]] must travel to various areas and collect their [[Crystal]]s, which return the Elementals to a hibernated state, and defeat Crunch. | |||
The game centers on the appearance of [[Crunch Bandicoot]], a genetically advanced [[bandicoot]] who was created by [[Doctor | |||
==Gameplay== | ==Gameplay== | ||
[[File:Arctic Antics gameplay.png|thumb|Crash in the first level, Arctic Antics]] | [[File:Arctic Antics gameplay.png|thumb|left|Crash in the first level, Arctic Antics]] | ||
The gameplay is similar to the first three ''Crash Bandicoot'' games for PlayStation. The game takes place in a Virtual Reality (VR) Hub System that Coco created, allowing her and Crash can access the levels. Both characters start off with five lives, but if they get hit by either an enemy or an obstacle or fall into a pit, they lose a life. Crash or Coco can get an extra life by either collecting 100 [[Wumpa Fruit]]s or by breaking open a [[Crash Crate]]. | The gameplay is similar to the first three ''Crash Bandicoot'' games for PlayStation. The game takes place in a Virtual Reality (VR) Hub System that Coco created, allowing her and Crash can access the levels. Both characters start off with five lives, but if they get hit by either an enemy or an obstacle or fall into a pit, they lose a life. Crash or Coco can get an extra life by either collecting 100 [[Wumpa Fruit]]s or by breaking open a [[Crash Crate]]. | ||
Line 40: | Line 28: | ||
To achieve a 100% [[completion]] score, Crash must have completed every area and have collected every Gem, Crystal, and Platinum Relic. | To achieve a 100% [[completion]] score, Crash must have completed every area and have collected every Gem, Crystal, and Platinum Relic. | ||
== | ==Story== | ||
The story begins somewhere outside [[Earth]]'s orbit, where we see Doctor Neo Cortex's evil space station base. Inside it, Uka Uka has called together a "bad guy convention" and is angry with the evil scientists. According to him, their track record for spreading evil is pathetic. They conclude that Crash Bandicoot is to blame. Of course, they wouldn't let anything stand in the way of evil, especially not a "brainless orange marsupial", and decide that Crash must be eliminated. And so, Uka Uka orders Cortex and his cronies to come up with one good plan... or else. Cortex informs everyone that in his scientific endeavors, he has created a genetically-advanced superweapon of unbelievable strength. But the final missing crucial element is a power source. Uka Uka brings up the [[Elementals]], a group of destructive masks with the power over Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. If they unleashed their destructive energy, they'll have enough power to bring Cortex's secret weapon to life. They would have a weapon capable of crushing mountains, demolishing entire cities, and wiping Crash Bandicoot off the face of the Earth forever. | |||
Back on [[Earth]], strange things begin to happen. Volcanoes are erupting, thunderclouds are forming, and tsunamis are devastating the coastlines. Aku Aku concludes that his evil twin brother Uka Uka is up to his no-good tricks again, and travels into outer space to find out what he is planning. There, he learns that Uka Uka and Doctor Neo Cortex have unleashed the Elementals, and tells Crash Bandicoot and Coco Bandicoot that they must find a way to stop them before they destroy the Earth and all of its inhabitants. He also tells them that the only way to subside their destructive nature is to imprison them with the use of ancient crystals. Each Elemental can be returned to their hibernation state with a total of 5 crystals. So Coco's new Portal Chamber is unveiled. The Portal Chamber is a device that allows the Bandicoots to travel to different parts of the Earth to gather the Crystals needed to halt the Elementals' reign of terror. "It is time to even the odds into our favor," Aku Aku proclaims. | |||
Just before they start off, Cortex shows up via holographic display. He introduces his super weapon, a bandicoot named Crunch, who is more than eager to take on Crash. Cortex states that Crunch is everything Crash wasn't, and leaves telling Crash that "We all make mistakes". With that, Crash and Coco travel the world collecting the Crystals. Uka Uka's patience is already tested with the defeat of Rok-Ko, the Earth Elemental, but Cortex ensures that Wa-Wa, the Water Elemental will make sure that Crash doesn't see the light of day. But with Wa-Wa's defeat, Crunch claims that he doesn't need a mask to help him, and that he can exterminate Crash all by himself, but Cortex insists that he and Py-Ro, the Fire Elemental will vanquish Crash and his annoying friends together. Cortex is already fed up with Crash making a mockery out of him and his minions. With Py-Ro defeated, Uka Uka questions the value of Cortex's "superweapon", and Crunch is becoming equally impatient, saying he can take out Crash with his metal arm tied behind his back. But Cortex somehow keeps his cool, telling Crunch not to be so silly, and ensures Uka Uka that Crunch will use the Elemental masks, saying there's no need for him to lose any beauty sleep. Things are really getting desperate for Cortex, as he prepares an armada of space stations to strike Earth at one point. But thankfully, they're taken out by Coco. With the final Elemental mask defeated, Crunch's Elemental powers reach maximum capacity. The battle takes to Cortex's space station. | |||
In the end, Crunch is defeated, and Uka Uka is prepared to kill Cortex, but in an attempt to blast Cortex with a fireball, he hits a vital part of the space station. All of a sudden, Crunch realizes that Dr. Cortex doesn't have control over him anymore, and decides to give him a piece of his mind, but Aku-Aku insists that they escape instead, because Uka Uka's energy blast caused a slight chain reaction, resulting in the space station reaching a critical overload. Cortex believes that it might be wise if they do the same, and make their way to an escape pod. Uka Uka blames Cortex for this, and says that if he hadn't ducked out of the way, none of this would've happened. Crunch and Crash escape through Coco's spaceship. Back on Earth, Crunch thanks Crash, Coco and Aku Aku for believing in him, and if it wasn't for them, he would still be under the control of Dr. Cortex. Coco asks Aku-Aku if this is the last they'll see of Dr. Cortex. He says that that's what he'd like to believe, but somehow, he doubts that very seriously. Meanwhile, somewhere off the coast of [[Antarctica]], Uka Uka is once again mad at Cortex for stranding the two of them in the middle of nowhere, and proceeds to pursue Cortex around a small island. Cortex yells into the sky: "I'll get my revenge, Crash Bandicoot! Just you wait!" | |||
==Characters== | |||
===Protagonists=== | |||
*[[Crash Bandicoot]]: The main hero and protagonist of the game, and the pinnacle of genetic manipulation. He was formerly a normal average bandicoot, but he was taken away and experimented on with Neo Cortex's Evolvo-Ray. As expected, Crash was quickly booted out the door for crashing Cortex's lab up. Nowadays, he likes sleeping on the seaside, and wiping the floor with Cortex's head. | *[[Crash Bandicoot]]: The main hero and protagonist of the game, and the pinnacle of genetic manipulation. He was formerly a normal average bandicoot, but he was taken away and experimented on with Neo Cortex's Evolvo-Ray. As expected, Crash was quickly booted out the door for crashing Cortex's lab up. Nowadays, he likes sleeping on the seaside, and wiping the floor with Cortex's head. | ||
*[[Coco Bandicoot]]: Like Crash, she was also captured and genetically enhanced. She has an IQ of 164, is an expert in martial arts, and rides a scooter. | *[[Coco Bandicoot]]: Like Crash, she was also captured and genetically enhanced. She has an IQ of 164, is an expert in martial arts, and rides a scooter. | ||
*[[Aku Aku]]: An all-powerful ancient voodoo mask that aids and protects Crash in his quest to stop Cortex and [[Uka Uka]] from destroying the [[Earth]] and all of its inhabitants. | *[[Aku Aku]]: An all-powerful ancient voodoo mask that aids and protects Crash in his quest to stop Cortex and [[Uka Uka]] from destroying the [[Earth]] and all of its inhabitants. | ||
===Villains=== | |||
*[[Doctor | *[[Doctor Neo Cortex]]: The main villain and the creator of [[Crunch Bandicoot]]. He was at the top of his class in The Academy of Evil, but was laughed out of the scientific community because of his outlandish, yet nearly workable theories. He continuously attempts to conquer the world to shut those know-it-alls up once and for all. Uka Uka is the only one he actually fears; his mere presence has him on his knees. | ||
*[[Crunch Bandicoot]]: Cortex's latest creation. A real testament of his scientific genius, and a real bandicoot warrior. He's a large, buff [[bandicoot]] who was created to destroy Crash Bandicoot. | *[[Crunch Bandicoot]]: Cortex's latest creation. A real testament of his scientific genius, and a real bandicoot warrior. He's a large, buff [[bandicoot]] who was created to destroy Crash Bandicoot. | ||
*[[Tiny Tiger]] (Non-speaking role): A large ferocious Thylacine who is incorrectly stated in the manual as Cortex's first attempt at genetic alteration. His humongous muscular arms are his strongest weapon. But the only thing tiny about him is his intelligence. He's often seen playing checkers with himself, and waving his hand through holograms. | *[[Tiny Tiger]] (Non-speaking role): A large ferocious Thylacine who is incorrectly stated in the manual as Cortex's first attempt at genetic alteration. His humongous muscular arms are his strongest weapon. But the only thing tiny about him is his intelligence. He's often seen playing checkers with himself, and waving his hand through holograms. | ||
*[[Dingodile]] (Non-speaking role): Another one of Cortex's mutant animal minions who as his name states, is have dingo and half crocodile. He's an Australian-accented dingo-crocodile hybrid who's hobbies include reading Shakespeare, playing croquet, and roasting bandicoots with his prized flamethrower. | *[[Dingodile]] (Non-speaking role): Another one of Cortex's mutant animal minions who as his name states, is have dingo and half crocodile. He's an Australian-accented dingo-crocodile hybrid who's hobbies include reading Shakespeare, playing croquet, and roasting bandicoots with his prized flamethrower. | ||
*[[Doctor Nefarious | *[[Doctor Nefarious Tropy]]: A time-obsessed freak who is an expert in quantum warp technology and creator of the Time Twister. He often disturbs the temporal flow by creating time paradoxes for laughs. | ||
*[[Doctor | *[[Doctor N. Gin]]: Cortex's right-hand man and an expert in robotics and cybernetics who became a cyborg after an experiment gone horribly awry. Because of it, he has a missile sticking out of his head, which becomes activated whenever he becomes stressed or angry. He suffers from chronic migraines. | ||
*[[Uka Uka]]: Aku-Aku's evil twin brother and the controlling force behind the scientists. | *[[Uka Uka]]: [[Aku-Aku]]'s evil twin brother and the controlling force behind the scientists. | ||
===The Elementals=== | |||
*[[Rok-Ko]] - The Earth Elemental: He | *[[Rok-Ko]] - The Earth Elemental: He has a quick temper, and a head full of rocks. He controls earthquakes and landslides. | ||
*[[Py-Ro]] - The Fire Elemental: Maniacal and extremely short-tempered, he's the strongest and most evil of the Elementals. He controls volcanoes. | *[[Py-Ro]] - The Fire Elemental: Maniacal and extremely short-tempered, he's the strongest and most evil of the Elementals. He controls volcanoes. | ||
*[[Wa-Wa]] - The Water Elemental: A stick-in-the-mud who wants to flush out the world clean with his watery powers. He controls floods and tsunamis. | *[[Wa-Wa]] - The Water Elemental: A stick-in-the-mud who wants to flush out the world clean with his watery powers. He controls floods and tsunamis. | ||
*[[Lo-Lo]] - The Air Elemental: A joker who dominates over the forces of wind. He controls tornadoes. | *[[Lo-Lo]] - The Air Elemental: A joker who dominates over the forces of wind. He controls tornadoes. | ||
== Levels == | |||
{{construction|section=yes}} | |||
There are five VR Hubs, and initially, only the first VR Hub is available. Every VR Hub has five portals, each leading to a different level. Every VR Hub is themed after a natural element, depending on which Elemental is associated with the hub. After completing all five levels in a VR Hub, a sixth portal to a boss fight opens. By defeating the boss, the next VR Hub becomes available. | |||
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
Line 83: | Line 80: | ||
|Sapphire: 2:00.00<br>Gold: 1:20.00<br>Platinum: 1:00.00 | |Sapphire: 2:00.00<br>Gold: 1:20.00<br>Platinum: 1:00.00 | ||
|Farm | |Farm | ||
|} | |} | ||
Line 297: | Line 92: | ||
|[[Rumble in the Roks]] | |[[Rumble in the Roks]] | ||
|[[Sneak Shoes]] | |[[Sneak Shoes]] | ||
|Crunch gets the power of Earth from Rok-Ko by binding himself in a stone sphere, similar to the Atlasphere Crash is in. | |Crunch gets the power of Earth from Rok-Ko by binding himself in a stone sphere, similar to the Atlasphere Crash is in. In the boss fight, you must avoid Crunch and ram rolling boulders in the stage to turn them into your color. When all of the boulders are your color, Crunch will take damage. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2 | |2 | ||
|[[Drain Damage]] | |[[Drain Damage]] | ||
|[[Double Jump]] | |[[Double Jump]] | ||
|In this boss fight, Wa-Wa uses his powers to make Crunch double in size and turns him into a being of water. As Crunch jumps | |In this boss fight, Wa-Wa uses his powers to make Crunch double in size and turns him into a being of water. As Crunch jumps from platform to platform, you have to follow him, avioding the tidal waves Crunch produces, and knock Crunch off of his feet, causing him to de-materialize. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|3 | |3 | ||
Line 312: | Line 107: | ||
|style="white-space:nowrap"|[[Atmospheric Pressure]] | |style="white-space:nowrap"|[[Atmospheric Pressure]] | ||
|[[Fruit Bazooka]] | |[[Fruit Bazooka]] | ||
|Lo-Lo turns Crunch into a gigantic, purple genie-like | |Lo-Lo turns Crunch into a gigantic, purple genie-like torando. Crash has to pilot a plane to attack him, who uses a variety of attacks himself, including an energy ball, energy breath, a laser, and an energy wave. The completion of this boss fight gives Crash the Bazooka ability. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|5 | |5 | ||
|[[Crunch Time]] | |[[Crunch Time]] | ||
|[[Speed Shoes]] | |[[Speed Shoes]] | ||
|This is fought in the main control room of Cortex's space station. Crunch | |This is fought in the main control room of Cortex's space station. Crunch will launch various elemental attacks at you; when he jumps onto the button where the yellow lights are, a rock avalanche will start, Crash has to avoid the falling rocks; when Crunch jumps onto the button where the blue lights are, balls of water come from the left and right sides that freeze Crash temporarily; when Crunch jumps onto the button where the red lights are, Crash has to avoid getting burned since any of the four portions of the floor will catch fire; when Crunch jumps onto the button where the purple lights are, lightning-like lasers will shoot from any of the nine ports on the front and back of the floor, Crash has to avoid these lasers. Crunch can't be hit directly, so Crash has to use the Bazooka on him. When Crunch is hit by the bazooka fire, he'll punch Cortex onto the floor in the arena; Crash has to then spin Cortex. This boss battle requires 8 hits, 4 for Crunch and 4 for Cortex; Crunch's attack patterns change with each hit. | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Version differences== | ==Version differences== | ||
Wrath of Cortex was the first Crash game to be released outside a Sony console. Because of its multiplatform release, the quality of each version also varied: | |||
*The [[PlayStation 2]] version was praised for smooth graphics and shading textures but had significantly long load times which was the game's major complaint. The loading times for entering ''and exiting'' a level would run for nearly a full minute. Reviews of the PS2 version commented on the presence of a Wumpa Fruit minigame that played during load times, but it was later removed due to a copyright complaint. The Greatest Hits/Platinum release had improved loading times. | |||
*The [[PlayStation 2]] version was praised for smooth graphics and shading textures but had significantly long load times which was the game's major complaint. The loading times for entering ''and exiting'' a level would run for nearly a full minute. Reviews of the PS2 version commented on the presence of a Wumpa Fruit minigame that played during load times, but it was later removed due to a copyright complaint. | *The [[Xbox]] version fixes the loading problem with drastically shortened load times, in addition to enhanced lighting and visible character fur. | ||
*The [[Nintendo GameCube]] version had more or less fixed load times than that of the PS2 version and has slightly better graphics, but the framerate is lower than that of the PS2 version and some control problems arose as well. This version was compatible with the GameCube to Game Boy Advance connectivity via a link cable. This way, from the title menu, players offering a target shooting game, 'Crash Blast' that can be played on the [[Game Boy Advance]]. | |||
*The [[Nintendo GameCube]] version | |||
== | ==Music== | ||
The | The score is composed by Swallow Studios, made up of Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra. The game's score mostly consists of electronic dance music, most noticeably in the boss battles and the ending credits. | ||
==Voice actors== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|- | |- | ||
Line 351: | Line 143: | ||
|[[Kenichi Ogata]] | |[[Kenichi Ogata]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="text-align:center;font-weight:bold"| | |style="text-align:center;font-weight:bold"|Doctor Neo Cortex | ||
|[[Clancy Brown]] | |[[Clancy Brown]] | ||
|[[Shōzō Iizuka]] | |[[Shōzō Iizuka]] | ||
Line 372: | Line 164: | ||
==References to other games== | ==References to other games== | ||
*''[[Crash Twinsanity]]'': there is a reference | *''[[Crash Twinsanity]]'': there is a reference game's poor reception, with Cortex blaming his minions' underpay on the rough past few years; "...''Wrath of Cortex'' didn't do quite as well as we hoped". | ||
==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
The game was a commercial success. The game was mainly criticized by critics for offering nothing new to the series, featuring linear gameplay almost identical to ''Warped'' that didn't push the newer console's power, unlike Naughty Dog's next game ''{{wp|Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy}}''. | The game was a commercial success. The game was mainly criticized by critics for offering nothing new to the series, featuring linear gameplay almost identical to ''Warped'' that didn't push the newer console's power, unlike Naughty Dog's next game ''{{wp|Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy}}''. | ||
Additional criticism came from the character models, that were poorly modeled and animated, as well as Coco's limited capabilities, available in only seven levels and a more restricted moveset than Crash's. At IGN.com, the PlayStation 2 version has a 7.4 rating, the GCN version a 6.9 and the Xbox version a 6.7. Despite average reviews, the game was a slow burner, and went on to sell an estimated 1.7 million copies. Although it did not quite match the sales of previous ''Crash Bandicoot'' titles, it did however make it one of the most commercially successful games of the early 2000s. The game sold enough copies to become Player's Choice (GameCube version), Greatest Hits (PS2 version), and Platinum Hits (Xbox version). | Additional criticism came from the character models, that were poorly modeled and animated, as well as Coco's limited capabilities, available in only seven levels and a more restricted moveset than Crash's. At IGN.com, the PlayStation 2 version has a 7.4 rating, the GCN version a 6.9 and the Xbox version a 6.7. Despite average reviews, the game was a slow burner, and went on to sell an estimated 1.7 million copies. Although it did not quite match the sales of previous ''Crash Bandicoot'' titles, it did however make it one of the most commercially successful games of the early 2000s. The game sold enough copies to become Player's Choice (GameCube version), Greatest Hits (PS2 version), and Platinum Hits (Xbox version). | ||
The game shares some similarities to ''[[spyrowiki:Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly|Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly]]''. Both games were the first multiplatform release of their respective series, both were the fourth release after their respective original [[PlayStation]] trilogies, garnered a similar reaction due to their uninnovative gameplay, and were released around the time that [[Vivendi Universal]] took control over both franchises. An interesting similarity was through the series plots. Both villains came back from circumstances that would be impossible to escape (Cortex was transformed into an infant and sent to a time prison in | The game shares some similarities to ''[[spyrowiki:Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly|Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly]]''. Both games were the first multiplatform release of their respective series, both were the fourth release after their respective original [[PlayStation]] trilogies, garnered a similar reaction due to their uninnovative gameplay, and were released around the time that [[Vivendi Universal]] took control over both franchises, after the. An interesting similarity was through the series plots. Both villains came back from circumstances that would be impossible to escape, (Cortex was transformed into an infant and sent to a time prison in Warped, while [[spyrowiki:Ripto|Ripto]] sank in a pool of magma) in ''[[spyrowiki:Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!|Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!]]'', without any explanation as to how they escaped, (fan-theories have been created for both plotholes, though the only official discussion of this was in the official website and Wrath of Cortex strategy guide, reading "don't ask"). | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
CB The Wrath of Cortex GameCube cover.jpg|Nintendo GameCube cover | |||
Crash Bandicoot TWoC Xbox cover.jpg|Xbox cover | Crash Bandicoot TWoC Xbox cover.jpg|Xbox cover | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
Line 396: | Line 186: | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Crash Bandicoot franchise}} | {{Crash Bandicoot franchise}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:PlayStation 2 games]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Nintendo GameCube games]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Xbox games]] | ||