Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled REVIEW

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled instantly transports me back to 1999 and the early 2000s with its familiar tracks, cartoonishly bright colors, and ridiculous plot of stopping Nitros Oxide from turning Earth into a parking lot. But this remaster is far from stuck in the past: visually, it looks stunning with vivid details around every corner and animations that give each character plenty of personality. The ability to swap between characters during Adventure mode and the cosmetic options are welcome additions, and learning to master each of these 31 tracks proved to be a real challenge because of their frequent tight turns, competent (though sometimes cheap) competition from the AI.

CTR Nitro-Fueled has an Adventure mode, local and online play, five battle modes, and three challenge modes building on the foundation of the original, but what matters most is how it feels to get behind the wheel. In that regard, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a success. The wickedly fast speed, which is significantly faster than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, can be jarring at first but it was a welcome joyride once I got a feel for the course. The karts are fast in nature but the power-slide mechanic takes that speed to another level.

There are 31 race single tracks in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled cutting across both Crash Team Racing and Vicarious Visions’ 2003 sequel, Crash Nitro Kart. Given that, it’s a disappointment that the Adventure mode only sends us through just 17, (minus a few optional challenges), all of which come from the original CTR.