CRASH BANDICOOT RACING
REVIEW

Crash Team Racing offers very few surprises, instead, treading familiar ground set by Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing before it. There are plenty of game modes to play with. Arcade lets you quickly choose a kart and track, then race around for a pre-determined number of laps. Versus allows up to 4 players do the same via a very impressive split screen mode. Battle lets 2 to 4 players fight it out in 7 varied arenas, using a multitude of weapons. Finally, a story mode drops your character into a ‘world’, where tracks can be accessed to win trophies to move to the next area. There are bosses to beat at the end of each world, all who must be raced against, but with an added twist. For example, Ripper Roo, the first boss, constantly drops TNT behind him in an attempt to blow you up. You must not only avoid this dynamite, but get ahead of him and finish first! These battles make a welcome change from the same lap racing.

So you may be wondering why my first comments were praising such an unoriginal game. The main factor for this, is the superb battle mode. Rather controversially, I’d say that it’s as good as the original Super Nintendo Mario Kart battle mode, and is exactly what the Nintendo 64 version should have been like! In 2, 3 or 4 player split screens, there is no pop-up or slowdown, and is very fast and smooth. The battle arenas are superbly designed, with one being an almost identical match to a SNES Mario Kart level (It’s the tarmac one with decreasing sized squares inside). We have spent way too many hours playing this, pressing the restart button instantly on a completed round to minimize our wait for another go! There are a number of weapons, consisting of the usual homing missiles, turbo boosts and invulnerability, which can be switched on or off before starting a game. Fancy having only homing missiles flying around the arena, and 3 at a time instead of 1? You got it! Personally, we like to switch off the turbos and invisibility, instead just sticking to the offensive stuff!

All this is completed with perfect control. Again, imagine the SNES Mario Kart, as it plays exactly like that! The same button configuration applies, with even the ability to pull off powerslides with the hop button. You can tell how good the control and handling are, when you don’t even have to think about doing a hop, skid, brake, fire maneuver all in one! You just do it instinctively.

Admittedly, the Crash Bandicoot games have always looked good. The same applies here. Large polygon structures whizz by just as well in 4 player as they do in 1! Environments are varied, with plenty of different textures and routes, and all the 3D characters animate brilliantly, even steering and pressing the pedals in time to your button presses! The sound is nothing inspiring, but fits the action perfectly, with the usual Crash style music and familiar sound effects.

Now the final comment, which you probably skipped to first, anyway! This is the best multiplayer kart game since Mario Kart on the SNES, possibly even bettering that! The single player game reminds me of Diddy Kong Racing on the Nintendo 64, but without the varied craft. If you want to have the most fun on your Playstation with your mates, then get this and a multitap. You WILL NOT be disappointed, and play it forever, probably! A very surprising release, which would normally get ignored by more dedicated gamers like myself! Highly recommended.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

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