Crash Nitro Kart

"Some parts are okay, others aren't..."

CRASH NITRO KART
Console: Nintendo Gamecube

Crash Team Racing, which was created and developed by Naughty Dog, was released in 1999. It starred Crash Bandicoot and his friends (and enemies) in his first kart racing adventure. The game, although similar to Diddy Kong Racing and Mario Kart, became a tremendous success for being the only good kart racing game on the Playstation One and even improved in some areas that Diddy Kong and Mario failed in.

Unfortunately, the year 2000 and beyond hasn't been a good year for Crash Bandicoot. Crash's first 128-bit console adventure "Wrath of Cortex", though fun, didn't do as good as its predecessors.

Then, in November 2003, Crash Nitro Kart was released for the Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and the Xbox (there is also a Game Boy Advance version). Although it is supposed to be a sequel to Crash Team Racing, but it just doesn't have the same feel as that game.

STORY (5/10)
It is a quiet day on N. Sanity Island, home to our favorite orange-haired marsupial. Crash is sleeping, Coco is working on her kart, and Crunch and Aku Aku are talking about diets. But then suddenly, a bright light comes and lifts their house away.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cortex is thinking of his next plan against the Bandicoots. But suddenly, another bright light appears and hauls away Cortex Castle, taking N.Gin, Cortex, and Tiny with it.

Both teams open the door and find out that they are in the center of an arena filled with screaming alien fans. A giant holographic alien head appears and explains everything. His name is Emperor Velo XXVII and he is the supposed ruler of the galaxy. He has heard about the earthlings' driving skills from a reliable source (Nitrous Oxide). He commands everyone that they join Team Oxide (Oxide, Zem, and Zam) and Team Trance (N. Trance, Polar, Dingodile) in an intergalactic racing tournament. Should they refuse, Earth shall be destroyed. Obviously, they have no choice but to say yes. Thus, an intergalactic tournament has begun.

Although it seems different, this is essentially the same storyline as Crash Team Racing. An alien comes by, challenges everybody on Earth in a racing tournament, and threatens to destroy the world if they don't race. The whole storyline has that whole “been there, done that” feeling. The lack of originality is the reason for its mediocre grade.

GAMEPLAY (7/10)
Crash Nitro Kart is very similar to Crash Team Racing. Actually, it's the same thing as Crash Team Racing (from the Time Relics, Gems, Boss Keys, etc.). The cars handling and all of the controls act as they did in Crash Team Racing (though the cars are more heavier and slower).

There are now only 13 tracks in this game, though most of them are much longer. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is debatable. There are moments when you get to drive upside-down, which is kind of cool.

Only one innovation is introduced in this game, it's called Team Frenzy. Here's how it works, let's say that you (Crash) and Crunch are racing on the same track. If you drive close to Crunch, then you'll get unlimited power-ups for a limited time. A fun bonus, but it is pretty much forgettable.

Many characters are introduced in this game, though for only this game. Some of the boss characters are interesting, but again…mostly forgettable.

GRAPHICS (8/10)
SOUND (4/10)
Of course, because it is on the 128-bit consoles, the graphics are much better than Crash Team Racing. A big plus is that the game uses FMV cutscenes that look very nice and bright. Some of them are also humorous and funny.

The music however, is a problem. It does its job by adding atmosphere to the racetracks, but none of it is memorable. Unlike the music in Mario Kart: Double Dash, you'll get some of those songs stuck in your head. Crash Nitro Kart's music will go over your heads, mainly because the cars and environmental sounds are louder than the BGM. If you mute it, I'm sure there would be not much different.

PLAY TIME/REPLAYABILITY (6/10)
Although it is a simple game with few tracks, you'll be spending quite some time collecting all of the time relics and gems from each track. In addition, the cutscenes are different for each team, so that adds to replay factor. I would say it will take about eight to eleven days to unlock mostly everything.

If you're up for it, you can also go for the time trials and ghost races. Though, unfortunately, most of it is pretty tedious (due to long tracks and slow karts), so after you unlock everything, it's pretty hard to do everything over again.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10
PROS:
-Good graphics
-Excellent controls
-Interesting tracks
-Some of the new characters have potential
CONS:
-Unoriginal storyline
-Boring music
-Low replay factor
-No innovations from CTR

BUY OR RENT?
The game seems like it could be fun, but so many things bog it down from getting a good review. I would suggest renting it first and forming your own opinion. Although, if you really want something worth the money, I suggest Mario Kart: Double Dash instead of this game. However, for a weekend trip or such, it does kill the time.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/09

Game Release: Crash Nitro Kart (US, 11/11/03)