The 90s are so back
I adored the Croc games when they were released back in the day. I was a huge advocate when the first game made a return and was all about bringing the lesser talked about sequel out as well. Croc 2 was the definition of a sequel in the original PlayStation days. It took what made the original great and expanded on it ten-fold. Everything here was bigger and better, and while the first game is a cult classic, the second one has aged much better.
Croc 2 was an interesting sequel in that Argonaut, the team behind the games, wanted to turn around a sequel very fast and capitalize on the character. Those not alive during that era never knew that Croc was supposed to be a bigger deal. It had cartoon scripts, merchandise, and so much more. The sequel also took everything about the first game and improved it, while introducing new mechanics and characters. It was a big deal, but sadly, never got the credit it deserved.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: XBOX (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99
This remaster carries over a lot of the same improvements that the first one did. It has received a nice coat of paint and plenty of quality-of-life additions that make it much more fun to play. Croc 2 had already ditched the tank controls of the first game when it was originally released, but this remaster gave Argonaut a chance to refine them. It looks and feels better in every way.
The story is also more fleshed out in the sequel as Croc and his Gobbo friends have way more personality than in the first game. There is nothing here that is gonna set the world on fire, but being able to interact with characters in the world is a big change. The world is also now a hub world as opposed to the standard stage-by-stage design of the original. This means objectives can be tackled in different orders to break up the monotony.
When it comes to extras, the first remaster was packed, and the sequel even more so. There are tons of media pieces such as concept art, scripts, pictures, and long interviews with the team behind the original games. Not just developers either, there are people here who worked in PR and marketing for the original game. The breadth of extra content is amazing, and I wish all remasters came with extras like this. I spent a large portion of my review time just digging through these archives. I do hope Argonaut continues this trend; we really need interviews about Buck Bumble.
Visually the game looks as colorful and cartoony as I remember it. When I cannot remember what it actually looked like, the smeary polygonal filter is here alongside some CRT scanlines that look decent. I love being able to swap around with the visuals, and even the controls here to mimic the experience. Sure, I could just load up my PS1 version, but I love being able to play it on my modern console. The music once again is iconic, and the entire time I was writing this review, that theme song was stuck in my head. It lives rent-free there.
Croc 2 was underappreciated in its time due to the competition. I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy platform games or just miss the ridiculous trend of mascots in every single game. Everything about the Croc games brings a smile to my face, and I hope we continue to see more remasters of forgotten classics on modern consoles. Now, about those Gameboy versions of Croc and of course, the hero we need in 2026, Buck Bumble.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.