Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Review

Twenty years ago, Crash Team Racing gained notoriety as «another good kart racing game». To this day, the dynamic tracks, fun story, and challenging but understandable sliding mechanics make this game worthy of more than living in the shadow of Mario Kart.

The game’s dynamic tracks, fun story, and challenging but understandable sliding mechanics make it worthy of more than living in Mario Kart’s shadow.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled — is an exhilarating ride that retains the virtues of the original game, but also introduces innovations such as an improved HUD, and modern attributes such as cosmetics.

What you need to know about Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled?

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled instantly transports you back to 1999 and the early 2000s thanks to familiar tracks, cartoonishly bright colors, and a ridiculous plot to stop an alien from turning Earth into a parking lot. But this remaster is far from stuck in the past: visually, it looks great, with vivid details and animation that gives each character a distinct personality.

Animated in a way that makes it look great.

The ability to change characters in Adventure mode and cosmetic options are welcome additions, and mastering each of the 31 tracks proves to be a challenge, with frequent tight turns and artificial intelligence competition.

The game’s new Adventure mode and cosmetic options are nice additions, and mastering each of the 31 tracks proves to be a real challenge, with frequent tight turns and artificial intelligence competition.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled features an adventure mode, local and online play, five battle modes and three challenge modes built on the foundations of the original, but most importantly — it feels like driving. The cars themselves are fast, but the accelerating drift mechanics take that speed to a new level. Drifting, — a classic kart racing mechanic, but CTR Nitro-Fueled takes a unique approach to it. In the lower right corner is a HUD equipped with a bigger and better turbo meter than previous games in the franchise.

The HUD has a bigger and better turbo meter than previous games in the franchise.

Here’s how it works: you start gliding by holding L1 or R1, and move the joystick depending on which direction you intend to drift. The meter will fill up, and once it’s red, press the opposite button to perform a push that will propel you forward.

And once it’s red, press the opposite button to perform a push that will propel you forward.

But if you wait a little longer, the meter fills up to the second section and you’ll get a «perfect» push that will propel you forward even faster. If you repeat this three times in a row, you’ll get an even more powerful boost. Because the turbo meter isn’t hard to track, drifting is easy to understand but still hard to master. You know exactly when and why you’re failing. And when you succeed, you can be proud of the victory.

Tracks from the originals

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled had 31 race tracks at launch, encompassing both Crash Team Racing and the sequel to 2003’s Crash Nitro Kart. With that in mind, it’s odd that we only get 17 tracks in Adventure mode (minus a few optional quests), all taken from the original CTR. Also with the updates came a few more new tracks. There’s even a crossover with Spyro, which is nice.

Each of the tracks are well done, from sewers that you can drift through with great acceleration to turbocharged tunnels. And while they have a predictable nature, the environmental obstacles prove to be a real challenge.

Will you accelerate even if the next barrel falls on you? Will you be able to dodge beakers and not be eaten by plants waiting on the side of the road? The tracks have been designed to result in something fast and memorable.

The tracks have been designed to be fast and memorable.

Carting can’t be without guns, and all 11 items from Crash Team Racing are back (two of them exclusive to Battle modes). Most of these items function predictably given the genre: one grants invulnerability and increases speed, turbo engines give you a speed boost, beakers serve as trackside traps, and so on. All of them were perfectly usable in the original, and the remake is no exception.

All of these items were perfectly usable in the original, and the remake is no exception.

Non-intrusive difficulty

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled’s compulsory fast pace and lack of items to catch up with make it an addictive arcade race. If you don’t play CTR Nitro-Fueled well, items won’t save you, and that’s no small thing.

The ease of the rules inherent in the game and the skill required to master CTR are sometimes at odds with each other. Even with experience, getting to the podium proved difficult. The Cups mode scoring system is old-school and unforgiving: 0 points are awarded to anyone ranked 5th or lower.

While some people prefer to play only via local or multiplayer, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled features an elaborate single-player campaign across five central worlds that can be played in Nitro-Fueled or Classic mode.

In Nitro-Fueled mode, you can change characters and cars at will. The ability to change characters at will, unlike in the original game, can come in handy when it’s hard to earn the coveted first prize, as everyone’s stats are different.

Those who crave old-school gameplay can play Classic mode with one character from start to finish and a basic map. Even the player lineup will be identical to the original, and there won’t be any difficulty options.

Any player can play the Classic mode with one character from start to finish and a basic map.

With the exception of some early tracks and cups, taking first place in Crash Team Racing is difficult. You have to drift like it’s impossible, while fighting the randomness of your opponents’ arsenal. But taking first place on every track to unlock a boss, and then defeating him to move on to the next zone, can be difficult, but the wins are thrilling.

And while it’s a challenge to get first place on every track to unlock a boss, it’s a thrill to win.

By the end of the campaign, you’ll be great at CTR, but you’ll probably hate Crash Team Racing. Aside from some challenging tracks, all bosses are «cheatable» meaning it’s nearly impossible to outrun them for all three laps. No matter how much distance there is between you, they will eventually catch up. Your goal —to be ahead by the end of the track when it really counts.

Here’s what you need to do.

A little bit about Battle mode

Twelve tracks are available in Battle mode, each using items from the main tracks. Battle mode also features items «Super Engine» and «Invisibility», which seem pointless in this more combat-oriented experience. Superdrive just makes you fly around the track, and invisibility would be useful if the wheels weren’t 100% visible to everyone all the time. Being less visible — doesn’t mean being invisible.

Here’s the thing.

The catch is that all of these modes are points-based and involve hitting enemies with weapons, delivering a flag to your base, or collecting crystals by avoiding and attacking enemies. Therefore, despite the presence of five modes, there is no variety in gameplay. The combat can be called not bad, but not more than that.

All of the modes are not bad.

Variable Interest Test Modes

Time Trials are simple and uninspiring: find the fastest time and compete against ghostly versions of yourself, trying to beat the high score. Crystal Challenge is equally mundane: collect all the crystals (in circular arenas exclusive to Battle modes) before time runs out. It’s a challenge, sure, but not a particularly interesting one.

On the other hand, Relic Races and CTR — two of the best modes in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. Relic Races involves completing a course in a certain time — like Time Trial, here you race alone, but with an added twist: numbered boxes pause the timing for 1, 2 or 3 seconds respectively. This adds a new level of excitement and strategy to familiar tracks.

In the CTR Challenge mode, you must collect the letters C, T, and R while taking first place to win on the track. The combination of having to find the letters, successfully collect them, and still have a clean race adds a new level of interest.

Drift Catching on Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch version of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled isn’t as crisp as the PS4 version. In docked mode, the difference is noticeable, but it doesn’t cancel out the overall experience of the game. The Nintendo Switch version is a bit more jagged. This is especially noticeable when looking at the lap counter in the top right corner. The numbers on Switch look a bit pixelated compared to the smooth numbers on the PS4.

But in handheld mode, the difference seems negligible: no jagged digits or slightly pixelated character models. In portable mode, the Switch’s resolution is 720p, so it’s not as refined as the PS4’s 1080p resolution, but the Switch’s screen is small enough to still look good. While many versions of Switch games have a noticeable performance drop compared to their Xbox One and PS4 counterparts, this fast-paced kart racing game still performs well.

Switch’s Switch version of the game has a noticeable performance drop compared to its Xbox One and PS4 counterparts.

Customizing Bandicoot

Customization is available for both karts and characters, but these items have no effect on the race. Some are unlocked in Adventure Mode, but constant pop-ups that say «You’ve got a new coloring book!» interrupt the flow between the races and the hub world in which the tracks exist. Other cosmetic items can be purchased with in-game currency, called Wumpa Coins, at The Pit Stop store, earned during races. The character skins are quite nice, but the paint job and most of the wheels leave a lot to be desired.

And the character skins are pretty nice, but the paint job and most of the wheels leave a lot to be desired.

If you consider the characters, character skins, kart bodies, wheels, coloring and stickers, only a quarter of them can be unlocked by simply completing Adventure mode. Some require you to complete additional quests, and the rest must be purchased with in-game currency.

Some of these items can be unlocked by simply completing Adventure mode.

In the in-game store, you can purchase skins and stickers that are labeled as basic, exotic, or legendary. It’s awkward because, while cosmetics are a nice addition, the ever-changing storefront tries to make the game a constant in a genre that’s usually limited to couch co-op or a few online matches. CTR’s storefront and loading screens generally look like something out of 2008. They stand out strongly against the beautiful artwork.

They’re a nice touch.

In general, CTR Nitro-Fueled has some great cosmetic items, but some of the prettiest and coolest items are extremely difficult to obtain. What’s more, some cosmetic items aren’t worth their missions. For example, reaching 100 percent progress in the «Adventure» mode gives you a green hovercraft coloring. And that’s it! But for 101% progress you get the Nitros Oxide skin, so that’s at least something.

At least you get the Nitros Oxide skin.