davewithstevens

Crash 2 basically takes everything good from the first game and expands upon it with new characters, levels, bosses, everything was improved and polished to a sheen. Gameplay wise it retains the simple and effective linear stages but this time gives a hub world and lets you choose the order in which you progress. Each level has a crystal needed for progression and has a certain number of boxes you can break for an optional gem. Each level has its own boss that offers a different challenge from the last.

The graphics and animation: Dated by modern standards but its important to note how much personality crash has in his design and animations because it speaks to the core of how to properly create a video game character. The little hump dances he does when he wins help illustrate his goofy personality, crash has the demeanor of a goofball but with all the subtlety of a tom and jerry cartoon. The fun nature of crash helps balance out the hilariously violent death animations which see crash being disintegrated, flattened, electrocuted, eaten, you name it but it never gets old or stops being funny.

The controls: crash 2 introduces the slide which can be chained into a jump in order to gain momentum, it can also be used to hit enemies which makes movement a very smooth experience. Its very easy to get a grip on because of how simple it is but it also helps that the controls by themselves are very responsive and tight, you can tell a lot of time was put into how they feel. The new addition of analog functionality was also a welcomed addition that really took advantage of the ps1 hardware.

The music: Fantastic. All you need to know about the music for crash 2 is that it perfectly fits the tone and describes what the game is going for, a unique absurdity that only the lovers of cartoon level goofiness' can understand. Just listen to the title theme, its impossible not to smile while hearing it.

The characters and voice acting: Clancy Brown is(once again) phenomenal as Cortex, he gives off a lex luthor vibe without taking himself too seriously, he makes a great villain. The other characters are mostly completely new designs, the most notable being N gin and Polar with returning ones like nitrous brio and crash's sister. All these characters are great performances for what they are and most importantly fit the world they are put in.

Crash 2 reaches dizzying heights yet Naughty Dog makes it all seem so effortless and that's what true style is. I have a ton of respect for all of the developers who made this game possible. All killer no filler.

The word I would use to describe Apocalypto is immersive. I never felt the 2 hour length of the film because its engrossing not just as a standalone survival story but as a movie in general. The sets are hauntingly detailed, there are many memorable shots and set pieces that stick out in my mind even well after the film ended. The sheer brutality of it all is mesmerizing to look at but the important takeaway is that its not just for shock value, its all done tastefully in a way that is both historically accurate and visually evocative.