Crash Nitro Kart

Written by Jeff Milligan  on October 23, 2003

Final Glimpse: When you've got Crash Bandicoot driving your kart and the fate of the world in his hands, you've got to ask yourself one question:

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Cart Racing - You either love it, or you hate it. Luckily, most gamers out there fall in the first category. Honestly, what's not to love? Goofy yet familiar characters like Crash Bandicoot driving miniature go-carts around krazy (yes, it's so crazy it starts with a "k") courses trying to sabotage their opponents with all sorts of ridiculous weapons. We here at Gaming Target, myself included, also fit right into the love column. Two of my all-time favorite games are Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo and Crash Team Racing for the Playstation, and wouldn't you know it, Crash Nitro Kart is looking like a hybrid of those exact two games.

First of all, there must be a reason why Crash and co. are racing go-carts, right? Well, there is. Crash has been kidnapped (or maybe marsupial-napped?) by the sinister Emperor Velo, and has been forced to race in his gigantic coliseum. Crash must race to victory in order to save the world from otherwise certain destruction. Naturally, the opposition will be strong, as Crash will have to race against many familiar characters in order to get to the final showdown with Velo himself.

Now, on to the good stuff. As was mentioned, from the screenshots and gameplay samples we've been treated too thus far, it almost appears that Crash Nitro Kart will be a cross between Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing, two excellent games on their own. This mix can result in two separate outcomes: Crash Nitro Kart becoming one of the greatest cart-racer of all time, or becoming just another racer lost in a sea of failed attempts. As it stands right now, CNK is heading straight for the first option.

Unlike Crash Team Racing, CNK is leaning more in the direction of using items and weapons against opponents, similar to that found in the Mario Kart series. Screenshots released so far indicate many similarities to the Mario Kart series, including being able to gain weapons by driving through question-mark branded boxes, driving over speed-boosts for quick spurts of speed, and the ability to see the top 4 ranked racers throughout the race. Turbo boosts will also play a large role in CNK. Whether a turbo is generated by an item, driving over a turbo pad, or by power-sliding (Crash Team Racing fans should know all about powerslides), turbos are the key to winning races.

Even though CNK may be leaning a bit more towards the Mario Kart side of things, it will stay true to the Crash Bandicoot name. All available drivers will be from the Crash series, including N. Trance and Crash himself. CNK also looks like it will feature a handful of different cart types, including a magnetized cart which can go upside down on tracks.

All told, CNK will feature 17 different levels spanning 4 separate worlds. Levels will range from futuristic cities and space stations to the deep jungle and erupting volcanoes. Nitro Kart will also feature both single player and multiplayer modes. Included in these modes will be adventure, time trial, arcade and multiplayer. Up to 8 players will be able to race at once using dual GameCubes (4 players per system).