Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex - Console Differences
The game was originally released for the PlayStation 2. Though it's mostly identical in other consoles, there are a few differences that stick out from them.
Graphics
- The Xbox version features detailed fur on the bandicoots, as shown in the screenshot.
- The screen doesn't change colors in the Crunch Time! boss on the Xbox and GameCube.
- The neat lighting effect that projects Coco's shadow into the panels halfway through Banzai Bonsai isn't present in the Xbox and GameCube versions.
- The GameCube version has the worst graphics in the bunch, lacking many special effects from the other two versions, sporting flatter lighting, and suffering from glitches in the ending cutscene. Additionally, the floating ring next to the Load/Save monitor was replaced with a bunch of dull cables.
Relic Times
The times required to obtain some of the relics were changed in the Xbox and GameCube versions.
Loading
The loading screen varies depending on the console.
- The PlayStation 2 shows Crash or Coco falling down a stream of colorful particles.
- The Xbox changes the angle and the background is much simpler and green (as shown in the screenshot).
- The GameCube version simply has the word "LOADING" in front of a plain, black screen.
Additionally, the long loading times from the original PlayStation 2 release were shortened considerably for its Greatest Hits/Platinum re-release, as well as the Xbox and GameCube versions.
Music
(contributed by e122psi and Smaz)- The music in the PlayStation 2 version doesn't loop correctly and has a brief pause after each track ends. This was fixed for the Xbox and GameCube versions.
- Interestingly, the only level where this doesn't happen in the PlayStation 2 release, Medieval Madness, had its music replaced with The Gauntlet in the Xbox and GameCube versions.
Crash Bandicoot Blast
The GameCube version features a mini-game called Crash Bandicoot Blast. It can be played on the Game Boy Advance when it's connected to The Wrath of Cortex with a Link Cable. The mini-game is a simple shooting gallery developed by Vicarious Visions, who created most of the Crash Bandicoot games on the Game Boy Advance.
Medieval Madness
(contributed by Smaz)The Xbox and GameCube version had a couple of changes done to Medieval Madness: the 2 big platforms just after the treacherous wooden ramps were reduced to a single one, and the elevator after the wobbling platforms up ahead moves much slower.
Cortex Health Bar
The last boss fight, Crunch Time!, features a health bar for Cortex in the Xbox and GameCube versions, showing his entire body next to it.