Crash Nitro Kart is a nice thought, but it doesn’t really deliver like it should have. If you’re a really big fan of the series though, it might be a nice little trinket to pick up for the collection at a decent price.
The Crash Bandicoot series has been going strong for quite some time now. Well, I don’t know if I would say it’s actually going *strongly* but it’s certainly going at any rate. Who doesn’t like a platformer, right? Crash Nitro Kart is a little gem of a platformer that turned . .Cart racing. Er, not sure if that’s a formula for success exactly, but it seemed to work for Mario and the Gang. By no means, however, is Crash Nitro Kart to be compared to the Mario Kart series.
Crash Nitro Kart has all the makings of a good Carting experience, and a lot of the features that were implemented in Mario’s version of the genre are present in this game. Ripping off all the features of a game that came along first actually works out in Crash’s favor. Using certain weapons that deal with the themes of the platformers, picking up items, and muscling out opponents are the key ingredients for a Cart game and Crash does all these things. While it isn’t revolutionary by any means, it serves the game right and stays true to its nature making it a sure fire, serviceable experience. Crash Nitro Kart, to its credit, does feel like the developers tried to make it more than just tried and true, but it doesn’t quite get over that hump.
Gameplay potential aside – Crash Nitro Kart looks polished enough, but doesn’t have all the pretty detail that gives any of the level design an out of the ordinary, special look. Considering your eyes will be too focused on the competition taking place to notice a graphically masterful pigeon fly by, this doesn’t hurt the game as a whole at all. Everything looks as nice as it should be – of course, as strange as that sounds considering everything could be a bit better no matter how well you make a game, I stick by my choice of words. Crash Nitro Kart is attempting to excel at gameplay and multiplayer fun, and thats where the attention has seemingly been focused.
The game is filled with lackluster sound effects that serve it in a marginal manor. “Motors” from the carts being raced “roar” through, while other sound effects such as yelps and cries from opponents ring through the air. The sounds fit the games cartoony mood, though. Any serious and realistic pain filled groans coming from the opposition may have been slightly too creepy for a cart game of this nature. You’d guess right if you thought that Crash Nitro Kart wouldn’t be a hell of a lot of fun on a single player level. Unlockable carts and such are the only true goal to shoot for as you go through the circuits on various difficulty levels.
Most Carting games succeed in bringing multiplayer fun to your gaming console. This is only half true for Crash Nitro Kart as it only supports two players, instead of four. Strange move to make, because the replay value and the game over all would have scored higher if it had just added a larger player capacity. Beggers can’t be choosers though, hmm?
Decent pick up…if you’re in dire need of a carting extravaganza.