Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
Also known as: Crash Bandicoot: Der Zorn des Cortex (DE), Crash Bandicoot: La Venganza de Cortex (ES), Crash Bandicoot: La Vengeance de Cortex (FR), Crash Bandicoot: L'ira di Cortex (IT), Crash Bandicoot 4: Sakuretsu! Majin Power (JP), Crash Bandicoot: Return of the Demon King (KR), Crash Bandicoot: De Wraak van Cortex (NL) Developers: Traveller's Tales (PS2/Xbox), Eurocom (GameCube) Publishers: Universal Interactive Studios (US/EU), Konami (JP), HanbitSoft (KR) Platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox Released in JP: December 20, 2001 Released in US: October 29, 2001 Released in EU: November 23, 2001 Released in KR: March 28, 2003 (PS2) This game has unused areas. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prototype article

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is the first game in the series released on multiple consoles, and is also the first Crash platformer not developed by Naughty Dog. Originally being conceptualized as a free-roaming title, the final product was cobbled together in about 1 year of development after a fallout with Universal Interactive and Sony. Most long-time fans say it shows.

This page is loooong... Consider grouping related content into additional subpages to ease readability.

To do: Create a prerelease page for the game. There's a lot of intriguing footage on YouTube. Document the editor. Document unused animations.

Sub-Page

Prototype Info

Debug Menus

To do: Codes for all Xbox versions and Japanese GameCube version (if they exist).

At least four separate debug menus of varying functionality can be accessed via one of the following Action Replay codes in the GameCube version:

GameCube -

NTSC-U	PAL
Z7PV-QWZN-6K06P AYDJ-NJPZ-6571A 23H6-N320-UNXCT HV27-R2PC-JJEDC T732-EA87-0XW25 J5P9-M0WR-Y3GRN VR53-KNA2-G5NJU PNF8-K5RC-TY1HJ CR7T-U0MH-3ME3A E9FZ-A3QA-YCERP	BQPU-EDZM-RGRVU J2KJ-WVPC-X9Z98 GVHE-D9KT-86EZ0 R6AM-8U8W-UVZTW U9WY-9ZCV-A61PB BD8X-5AUQ-00WVZ 6MUF-NX6T-Z0UHK FVGX-2G02-KX899 JMXM-RB1Y-6ZQ5U E9FZ-A3QA-YCERP

The following codes activate the debug menu for a varying number of PS2 versions, respective to the region and game version. Hold the corresponding button while paused to activate the menu:

PS2 -

NTSC	NTSC Greatest Hits	PAL	PAL Platinum
Main Menu: (R2) E0020001 0064684C D1D56642 0000FDFF 205ADC2C FF090A00 Cutscene Debugger: (L1) E0020001 0064684C D1D56642 0000FBFF 205ADC2C FF0D0400 Draw Settings: (L2) E0020001 0064684C D1D56642 0000FEFF 205ADC2C FF0A0A00 Memory Information: (R1) E0020001 0064684C D1D56642 0000F7FF 205ADC2C FF0B0A00	Main Menu: (R2) E0020001 0063E764 D1D4F5C2 0000FDFF 205A43DC FF0A0A00 Cutscene Debugger: (L1) E0020001 0063E764 D1D4F5C2 0000FBFF 205A43DC FF0E0400 Draw Settings: (L2) E0020001 0063E764 D1D4F5C2 0000FEFF 205A43DC FF0B0A00 Memory Information: (R1) E0020001 0063E764 D1D4F5C2 0000F7FF 205A43DC FF0C0A00	Main Menu: (R2) E0020001 0062FB4C D1D3FDAA 0000FDFF 20591FDC FF090A00 Cutscene Debugger: (L1) E0020001 0062FB4C D1D3FDAA 0000FBFF 20591FDC FF0D0400 Draw Settings: (L2) E0020001 0062FB4C D1D3FDAA 0000FEFF 20591FDC FF0A0A00 Memory Information: (R1) E0020001 0062FB4C D1D3FDAA 0000F7FF 20591FDC FF0B0A00	Main Menu: (R2) E0020001 0063235C D1D43302 0000FDFF 2059340C FF0A0A00 Cutscene Debugger: (L1) E0020001 0063235C D1D43302 0000FBFF 2059340C FF0E0400 Draw Settings: (L2) E0020001 0063235C D1D43302 0000FEFF 2059340C FF0B0A00 Memory Information: (R1) E0020001 0063235C D1D43302 0000F7FF 2059340C FF0C0A00

(Source: Hacc/LXShadow Cheat List)

Main Menu

Press R2 in the pause menu.

This menu contains the options typical of a debug menu in a platformer, and was likely used extensively during testing. Any option labelled in bold can be toggled on or off.

Name	Function
RESTART LEVEL	Warps you to the beginning of a level.
RESET LEVEL	Contrary to its description, this option doesn't reset the level itself, but instead resets your box count to 0.
GOTO LEVEL	Brings you to a rather neatly organized screen that allows you to warp to any level in the game. Curiously, Lo-Lo's levels are classed as "Weather" as opposed to the "Wind" moniker used elsewhere in the game, and the Game Over screen is actually classed as its own level alongside the 5 unlockable "Bonus" levels.
INVINCIBILITY	Does exactly what you think it would do. When turned on, a small "Invincible" notice flashes at the top of the screen.
GOTO NEXT CHECKPOINT	Sends you to the next Checkpoint Crate in a level. It does not however send you to the end of the level if you use it at the final Checkpoint Crate.
GOTO LAST CHECKPOINT	Sends you to the previous Checkpoint Crate in a level.
OPEN GAME	Instantly maxes out all of the Crystal, Gem, and Relic totals, granting you 106% and consequently completing the game. This function is identical to the hidden "WOMBAT" cheat that is in the Xbox and GameCube versions but absent from the PS2 one.
LIFT PLAYER	Predictably, allows you to moon jump by holding the Triangle button down.
PLAYER COORDINATE	Displays your current XYZ coordinates. This option differentiates itself from most other coordinate tests by constantly tracking your character's movement as opposed to remaining static.
EXTRA MOVES	When activated, gives you all of the post-boss "Power-Ups", including the Super Belly Flop which can only be found in a gem path.
RESET GAME	The polar opposite of the "Open Game" function above, this option resets your progress back to 0%.

Cutscene Debugger

Press L1 in the main menu.

As the name implies, this "menu" tests the "cutscenes" which play in the game. Note that this isn't a comprehensive list, as it omits any "vortex conversations" with the Elemental Masks and Crunch, in addition to the hologram conversations which play upon defeating a boss or starting a new game.

Name	Function
LOGOS	Displays all of the developer logos. Riveting stuff. Since the Universal and Traveller's Tales credits are directly linked to the title screen, it also serves as a warp to the title screen.
INTRO1	Plays the intro cutscene. Despite being labelled as "INTRO1", this actually plays the full cutscene with no interruptions.
INTRO2	The second half of the intro. Selecting this in the PS2 version will simply warp Crash back to the Hub.
OUTRO1	Plays the regular ending.
OUTRO2	Plays the 100% ending, obtained by collecting all of the Gems and Relics.

Draw Settings

Press L2 in the pause menu.

Presumably controls the draw settings in the game.

DRAW DISTANCE: %i/%i
FOG NEAR: %i/%i
FOG FAR: %i/%i
FOG RED: %i/255
FOG GREEN: %i/255
FOG BLUE: %i/255
FOG OPACITY: %i/127
HAZE RED: %i/255
HAZE GREEN: %i/255
HAZE BLUE: %i/255
HAZE WOBBLE: %i/255

Memory Information

Press R1 in the pause menu.

Shows how much memory is being used up by the game at a current moment in time, relative to the presumed limit.

SUPERBUFFER USED:  %.2fMB/%.2fMB
HIGHALLOCADDR: %.2fMB/32.00MB

(Source: Ralf @ gc-forever (codes))

joytest_050702.bin

To do: Figure out if it's still possible to get it to connect.

Exclusively in the GameCube version is an extra GBA ROM that appears to have been used for testing.

Unused Models

To do: There's so much more. The Xbox version contains multiple revisions of a number of models.

Jungle Rumble Animals

Giraffe in an early screenshot.

• 

  Giraffe.hgo

• 

  Elephant.hgo

• 

  Hippo.hgo

• 

  Wharthog.hgo

Several stampeding animals meant to be seen in the level Jungle Rumble, but in the final game, only rhinoceroses are seen. They still remain in the game's code and can be put back in the level, except for the warthog.

Tornado Alley Animals

A cow wagon can be seen in the Gold Rush level.

• 

  Cow.hgo

• 

  Pig.hgo

A cow and a pig meant to be seen in Tornado Alley. A shot of the unused cow model was used on the wagons in the level Gold Rush.

Snowhog.hgo

• 

A small blue hedgehog with spikes and a striped hat, likely intended for a Winter level.

StFshBlu.hgo

• 

A blue starfish.

DragFly.hgo

• 

A squinty striped dragonfly.

Clam.hgo

• 

A clam with big eyeballs.

Geko.hgo

• 

An oddly-colored gecko with a jetpack, purpose unknown.

Lion.hgo

• 

A lion, purpose unknown.

Mole.hgo

• 

An anthropomorphic mole creature, likely meant to be seen in one of the minecart levels.

Mouse.hgo

• 

A small, orange, very simple mouse.

GunBoat.hgo

• 

A Cortex-themed turret.

Bee.hgo

• 

A small bee.

Unused Graphics

Unused	Used

An alternate version of the Aku Aku crate featuring an image of the in-game model went unused, though it can be seen in the game's level editor. The final version takes its icon from Japanese promotional art.

The "proximity crate" has a texture and can even be loaded in, though it functions exactly the same as a regular crate, leaving its intended function unknown.

"Stuff" Folder

The aptly-named "STUFF" folder found in the main directory has an assortment of seemingly random bits and pieces dated far earlier than most of the content on the disc, some of them predating the game's release by a good year and a half.

All Versions

These can be found in all three versions of the game.

Dated all the way back to June 9, 2000, this simplistic looking font is chronologically one of the earliest resources put into the game. The file name ("ARIEL32") suggests it is merely the word processing font Arial, used as a placeholder by the developers until the typical stylized font was created. However, the font is clearly closer to Franklin Gothic than Arial, as can be seen by the uppercase G and Q, as well as the lowercase g. This can also be found in Finding Nemo.

"COL16", dated June 13, 2000. Some kind of 16-color test image, featuring a green-to-red gradient and some solid colored rectangles.

"COL256", also dated June 13, 2000. The same image as above, but with a 256-color palette.

"ENVTXT", dated October 26, 2001. A basic bumpy chrome texture.

A very early smoke texture, dated even earlier than ARIEL32 (May 3, 2000). It may have been a remnant from the project animation demo of Crash And Burn, which was pitched to Universal Interactive by Traveller's Tales prior to coding the game.

"SPECTXTF", a small white dot with no obvious purpose. The "SPEC" part of the filename may imply that it was used as a specular highlight.

"TTUNNEL", a larger white spot, purpose unknown.

"CLOUDSLO", an even larger white spot. May have been an early cloud texture that was replaced with a far more refined graphic.

Xbox and GameCube

The Xbox and GameCube versions contains a few early and placeholders graphics that aren't in the PS2 version of the game.

myload.raw a placeholder for the loading screen that was used in some earlier builds of the game like the one at E3 2001. The actual loading screen is just text saying "LOADING" against a black background.

copyr1.raw is a splash screen for Traveller's Tales. The one used is 3D during the intro sequence.

testfont.bmp is an unused font. It was used when the game was in early development, and contains older HUD icons for Crash and Coco as seen in trailers.

Xbox

Skycube.dds and WaterCubemap.dds are an image of the interior of the Microsoft building. It's from the DirectX SDK.

lega2l.bmp is a screenshot of the opening sequence's copyright screen, dated 2001, while the Xbox version came out in 2002.

GameCube

The GameCube version similarly contains leftover data from an SDK, more specifically, an entire folder labeled "carddemo". Normally used for an application designed to test saving and loading data from a GameCube Memory Card.

• 

  banner.tpl

• 

  gamecube.tpl

• 

  heiho.tpl

• 

  icon.tpl

• 

  luigi.tpl

• 

  marioCI.tpl

• 

  yoshi.tpl

Curiously, the Heiho (the Japanese name of Shy Guy) and Yoshi .tpls appear to use sprites ripped directly from Yoshi Sample.

Unused Text

The Test Zone

b\testzone\test
TEST ZONE

References to an area known as the "Test Zone" exist in memory, grouped in with the text for all of the level names, internal or otherwise. It can't be accessed by any means in-game, but its existence can be proven by these references.

Development Instructions

An absolute crapload of decompiled text related to game development, graphic pointers, and errors exist on the disc. There is far too much to put on one page, but a sample of what it contains can be seen below:

unknown condition code %d
unknown condition '%s' at line %d
Tex Anim Assembler Fatal Error: too many labels
Tex Anim Assembler Fatal Error: too many global labels
scriptname
untiltex
TexAnim Processor Alert: Call Stack Overflow at (%d)
TexAnim Processor Alert: Call Stack Underflow at (%d)
TexAnim Processor Alert: Too Many Nested Repeat Loops at (%d)
TexAnim Processor Alert: REPEND without REPEAT at (%d)
TexAnim Processor Alert: UNTILTEX without REPEAT at (%d)
Alpha multiply underflow
unsupported rendertarget type
unsupported texture format
Quantized - %d colours
Texture width MUST be a power of two, not %d
Texture height MUST be a power of two, not %d
Loaded default mpg
Unknown Viftag (%08d)- stopping decode
VIF code decoded length does not match dmatag length
Duff frame pointer
Misaligned DMATAG
Misaligned DMATAG reference
Unknown tag id
NuGCutRigidSysFixUp: cannot fixup rigid object
EnableFlags
Debug Id

Provisional Level Names

To do: These level names are actually used in the PAL French versions.

Viewing the game's text in a hex editor shows a few early level names grouped next to their finalized counterparts in memory.

BANDICOOT ON ICE

Appears directly before "Arctic Antics", the first level in the game. It was likely changed due to bearing too much of a resemblance to the existing level name "Ice Station Bandicoot".

ROK A GO GO

An early name for "Rumble in the Roks", the first boss battle against Crunch with the Earth Elemental. It is unknown why it was changed.

H2O - OH NO!

An incredibly minor change was made to make this name flow more effectively - it therefore changed from "H2O - OH NO!" to "H2 OH NO".

roknrol

The name for the music file in the level "Bamboozled". Could either stand for "ROK N' ROLL" or "ROCK N' ROLL". The first is likely a pun on the character "Rok-Ko", the boss from the first warp room, which this level is in.

Miscellaneous

Test message

A very generic test message. Hey, if it works...

proximity_crate

A crate type which goes unused in this game. As the only indicator of this crate's existence is textual, it is unknown how it would function in-game.

MIDGET

A placeholder name closely tied to the cheat menu documented above, that seems to replace any selected name upon using the "RESET GAME" function. It is more than likely an internal joke between the developers.

Unused Stages

To do: Get better videos and info on how to access these. Also, there are a lot of either early or unfinished stages to add.

Unused stages can be found in the game, all of which retain some form of playability.

Fire Island

An all-red level with geysers and volcanoes. There are no sounds for any of the fire effects, volcanoes, or geysers.

Airship Level

You needed to destroy the guns in Neo Cortex's airship from Weathering Heights using the Glider. Compared to the other unused levels, this one is the most finished. It is also plausible to think that Weathering Heights was an extra part of this level.

Use the code below and enter Arctic Antics to start the level.

GameCube NTSC-U
AHTP-UHEJ-JM6YC URNQ-RA43-BVRWW

E3 Warp Room

An early warp room almost identical to the one seen in early trailers of the game and at the E3 2001 showfloor demo is still present on the disc, although most of its features have been removed. This old remnant contains numerous differences to the warp room used in the retail product.

For starters, it is far more primitive in design and only contains 5 warp pads. The collision is mostly removed, rendering the hub difficult to navigate. The warp pads themselves feature holograms depicting the respective level overlaid onto the pad itself, a feature which wasn't carried over to the final version. They also don't warp you anywhere, and attempting to walk onto the pads causes you to fall through the floor, as the pads also lack collision.

Use the Action Replay code below to access the warp room.

GameCube NTSC-U
X2H5-8250-CK98K GUEF-YT7Q-7RY3F R8EE-UEQZ-M6WAE

Unfinished Fahrenheit Frenzy

An unfinished version of Fahrenheit Frenzy, with a few differences. Notably, some objects are either completely missing or don't load correctly.

Test level

To do: Get a video of the entire level.

A test level is present in the game files.

Alternate Gold Rush

To do: Check each chunk in the NUS file to see if stuff matches up with the original file, the other textures seem normal at a glance?

Present in the folder for Gold Rush within the GameCube version is a copy of the NuScene file for the stage with an underscore at the end of its file extension. For whatever reason, the rock texture in this version of the stage is a green colour (although it appears blue in game), and more textures have normal map versions than the used version of the stage.

Unused western.nus_ Rock Texture	Used western.nus Rock Texture

Unused Voices

us_coc27

This voice clip from Coco seems to have been the dialogue at the start of the cut airship level, as evidenced by Coco mentioning Crash having to destroy guns on Cortex's airship. This clip is found only in the PS2 version of the game.

USAKU24

This voice clip from Aku Aku is a re-recording of a voice clip from Crash Bandicoot: Warped.

OUTRO1.old

OUTRO2.old

The Xbox version contains audio of the ending cutscenes without any music or sound effects.

Regional Differences

To do: Menu button inputs are different in Japan and Korea versions

Copyright Screen

International	Japan	Korea

The game title and copyright notices were updated for each respective region.

Logos

International	Japan	Korea

The international version features a registered trademark symbol next to the Konami logo, and the colors are dim. The Korean version uses the same logo as the Japanese version, though the colors are slightly different.

The Korean (SLPM-64513) version includes a logo for HanbitSoft, the publisher for that region.

International	Korea (SLPM-64513)

The Traveller's Tales website URL is more spaced out in the Korean version. In addition, the animal in the logo appears to be smaller, and the moon is further away.

Title Screen

International	Japan	Korea

Both the Korean and Japanese versions retain the original English voiceover for the Universal Interactive and Traveller's Tales logos, but redub the game title. The Japanese version uses the Crash Bandicoot theme song that was featured in ads and previous releases in the country.

Memory Card notice

US, Europe	US Greatest Hits, Japan, Korea

The notice for when a memory card isn't detected was separated from the title screen in the US v1.01, Japanese, and Korean releases. In addition, the Korean (SLPM-64509) release requires a minimum of 67KB instead of 66.

HUD

International	Korea (SLPM-64513)

The Korean (SLPM-64513) version uses a smaller, thinner font for the HUD.

General Differences

• The opening cutscene features a brief, ringtone-esque section of the title theme in all non-English language versions.
• The Japanese version features a loading screen inbetween the two sections of the opening cutscene.
• The Japanese and Korean versions include the level title and number on the pause menu.
• The Japanese version includes gameplay tips from Aku Aku, which was a customary change that had been in place since the first game.

(Source: Crash Mania)

International	Japan

• The "TNT" label on TNT crates has been replaced with an image of a bomb, and the "Nitro" label has been written in Japanese.
• Two different Korean releases exist: SLPM-64509 features English audio and text, while SLPM-64513 features a full Korean dub and translation.

Revisional Differences

To do: Level/crate count differences.

• The original PS2 version is notorious for its long load times, averaging around 45 seconds. According to the founder of Traveller's Tales, this was actually a leftover of a small minigame earlier in development that would occur where you could move Crash through hyperspace and collect Wumpa Fruit as he warped into the level, and any Wumpa Fruit collected would be added to your totals when the level loaded. However, due to a fraudulent patent Namco had over loading screen minigames at the time it had to be removed, and due to time constraints the long load times from when the minigame still existed couldn't be removed.
  • The Greatest Hits re-release shrunk them down to a much more tolerable 15 second average.
  • The GameCube and Xbox versions reduce them even further. In addition, both feature altered load screens -- the GameCube version completely removes the falling animation and simply shows the text "LOADING" against a black background, while the Xbox version uses a fairly different falling animation through a green vortex instead of a red-and-blue gradient background with particles shooting up, and the camera angle is dynamic instead of fixed.
• In the original PS2 release, hitting the Select button after starting the Time Trial in "Wizards and Lizards" warps you to the end of the level.
• The PS2 version is the only version to include a unique theme for Medieval Madness, the Xbox and GameCube versions instead just reuse the song from the Gauntlet.
• In the PS2 version, when menu options are highlighted, they flash orange and blue. The GameCube and Xbox versions have the currently selected menu option permanently blue and pulsing in and out.
• The music stops when pausing the game in the PS2 version; the other versions leave it playing.

Xbox and GameCube

• Selected menu options pulsate in and out.
• The message "PRESS START TO RESUME" is seen on the pause menu.
• A confirmation menu for quitting out of levels was added.
• The opening cutscene features a brief, ringtone-esque section of the title theme.
• The Xbox version has higher quality textures and improved lighting, most notably adding fur to the Bandicoots.
• The Xbox version is also the only one natively capable of running in 480p.
• The Xbox release is the only version where the music properly loops; in other versions it abruptly stops before restarting.
• The GameCube version features a loading screen in between the two sections of the opening cutscene.
• The GameCube port has a rather poor framerate that often dips below 30.
• The GameCube port lacks haze effects, and fog is not as prominent. (This is most noticeable in "Droid Void" and "Knight Time")
• The US and original European GameCube releases contain bugged audio: turning the volume down will not mute sound effects, and some sounds (such as the falling missiles in "That Sinking Feeling") always play at maximum volume. This was fixed in the European Player's Choice and Japanese releases.
• Cutscene textures are broken in the US and original European GameCube releases. Outlines can be seen around a number of textures, and others lack transparency.
• The GameCube version includes exclusive content in the form of an unlockable minigame called Crash Bandicoot Blast, which can be played by connecting a Game Boy Advance to the GameCube's GBA link cable, plugged into the 4th controller port.