Crash Nitro Kart Review

Costas Stephanides ’s Review

A fully featured game with great gameplay and very enjoyable.

Crash Nitro Kart reminds me of the good old days of the SNES when games were all about the gameplay.

The graphics are average as is the sound but the gameplay and enjoyment factor is high.

You can control one of the four main characters in the Crash series. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses regarding their driving skills and karts (speed, acceleration and handling). Personally, I found Crash the easiest to control with the best all-round attributes.

The game has two modes: Tournament and Single Race. The tournament consists of 3 races, each of 3 laps. If you manage to win the tournament, an extra course is unlocked as well as an extra tournament. There are a total of three tournaments (the number 3 must be very special to Crash), with each getting progressively harder.

After you win a tournament, an extra circuit is unlocked which can be played in the single race.

During each race, you get the chance to collect power ups to help you win. These include nitro, heat seeking missiles and TNT boxes that can be dropped. This is where the game shines through. You can be cruising to an easy victory when suddenly you get hit by a missile and by the time you re-start you are now in fourth place. Obviously, the reverse can happen and you can storm into the lead with a timely nitro boost.

The courses have a fairly standard design; plenty of bends, a few jumps and on the castle levels you to make sure you stay on the track, otherwise its a big drop. If you fall off or get hit by a missile, your kart will be placed on the centre of the track and you can continue your race.

The controls are excellent, possibly a bit too good, making the game slightly easy. As you go around corners, you will eventually power slide round as you keep the button pressed. If you are in a tight spot, double tapping the left or right button will initiate the power slide. Your kart also auto-accelerates once you start driving.

Although the game is quite easy to complete, it does have a high replay value due to the excellent gameplay.

If you like your racing games to be a bit of fun and nothing too serious then Crash Nitro Kart would be a good purchase.