It's Crash Bandicoot In A Sexy Kart! (Crash Team Racing (PS))

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	Crash Team Racing (PS)
Date:	21/06/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do, variety of different modes, different levels of difficulty for older/younger players

Disadvantages: Not many really

A little bit of childhood gaming nostalgia prompted me to write this review. The PlayStation was a brilliant console back in the day with stars like Spyro the dragon and of course Lara Croft and Crash Bandicoot amongst others. I don't really care for the technical upgraded versions that keep getting released as I just like good, fun video games not a games console that can open my can of Fanta or something.

Released in 1999 Crash Team Racing was the fourth installment in the Crash Bandicoot series following on from the very serialised format of it's predecessors. As of such there aren't many changes here with regards to the storyline and such but the best part is... IT'S ALL DONE BY RACING!

Crash and friends are planning to enter a kart riding tournament, though a villainous new opponent called Nitros Oxide, sees this and travels to Earth. He claims to be the 'fastest racer in the galaxy' and challenges the planet's fastest driver to an all out race. If he wins, he win turn the entire planet into a concrete parking lot. If the challenger defeats him, he will leave the planet unharmed.

The great thing about the game is you can choose from eight main characters to begin with and unlock more as the game progresses. Before playing the game you will be asked to select from the list of the characters who are rated by their speed, acceleration and difficulty in handling. As well as the obvious Crash Bandicoot, there's also his sister Coco, arch nemesis Dr. Neo Cortex and his henchmen N.Gin, villains from previous games, Dingodile and Tiny the tiger and the adorable polar bear and tiger that you rode around on in the previous Crash games who in this incarnation go by the name of Polar and Pura.

I would have to say that knowing how difficult each character will be to control is a great help as it makes the game a lot easier for children. Polar and Pura for example are the lightest characters so will be easy for children to use whilst the much larger characters like Dingodile and Tiny lack in speed and require a different kind of skill in order to win. This is a fantastic inclusion as it makes the game just as challenging for children and adults alike.

There are a variety of different modes to play from:

Adventure Mode
This follows the main storyline and sees you and your character battle your way through four worlds. Much like the previous Crash games the aim is to complete all four levels in each world before you race against a boss and are able to move onto the next world. You have to come first in every race though so make sure you rely heavily on the various weapons that are lying around each track. Once you've completed a level you can re-enter and test your skills against the time trial record which allows you to race through the level without any distractions and grab the time crates to freeze time for a few seconds and see if you're able to make a new record. Once all 16 levels and four bosses have been defeated, you then have to race against Oxide.

Arcade Mode
This enables you to particpate in one of four cup circuits [these will be each of the worlds].
This is just all about winning the four levels though I find it very helpful to get a lay of the tracks before I face the levels themselves.

Versus Mode
This allows up to 4 players to race against each other on any of the game's tracks.

Battle Mode
This mode just chucks you straight into an arena complete with a whole ream of different weapons to demolish your opponents. You can also create teams here which can lead to some very interesting combinations.


The game may be simplistic and the actual Adventure mode may be very easy to complete, but unlocking the hidden characters and completing all the time trials will ensure that the most dedicated game players will be glued to the controller for hours.

The Crash team have updated the graphics again, not only in just the more modernised look of its characters but the racing tracks themselves are just flawless. There is so much detail in the scenery and the various obstacles that will get in your way from blocks of ice to even skid marks that your kart might leave on the ground. It's not breakthrough graphic work but it's still pretty damn impressive and makes the experience feel a lot more realistic than most racing games in the same style.

The music can be quite annoying sometimes as the game has adopted a lot of the very childlike and cartoonish jungle noises it seemed to have given up after CB2, but other than that this game is a great play whether you want to get stuck into it by yourself, need something to amuse the kids or just want to challenge your friends and find out who's the best.

I played it again the other day and I didn't feel immature at all as it's a very fast paced and challenging game with the other seven characters in Adventure Mode, played by the computer getting stronger and smarter as your progress through the levels, you're constantly having to think on your feet. Move over Mario Kart I say!

Summary: An excellent game on the long forgotten PSOne