Developed By: Beenox
Published By: Activision
Platforms: PS4, XBOX One, Switch
Reviewed On: PS4
When Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy was announced and released, I was hoping that Crash Team Racing (CTR) will get a remaster as well. My wish came true with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled revealed at The Game Awards 2018 and slated to be released on June 21, 2019.
CTR Nitro-Fueled is a remake rather than just a remaster. The game delivers up to date graphics and mechanisms from the original CTR and refines features and content that came from Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing. The game comes with a huge roster drawing from CTR, Crash Nitro Kart, and Crash Tag Team Racing. Players are limited to 8 characters during the starting of the game and the rest can be unlocked as they progress through the adventure mode, completing the challenges, or purchases via Pit Stop which uses the in-game currency earned from completing each race. Some of the characters even have special skins in which the original blocky look can be applied for players wanting to revel in the nostalgia more.
On top of choosing from a variety of characters, players also get to choose their preferred kart which includes a variety of customization options including body, paint, wheels, as well as stickers. Kart customization is purely for cosmetic purposes and will not alter stats or offer any other racing benefits other than the stats of the predetermined character.
CTR comes in various modes such as Adventure, Local Arcade, and Online. Adventure mode is where the player will get to race with NPC and earn their trophy, relics, and coins to unlock characters and karts. Local Arcade is where the player can choose to play in various modes, and either against NPC, or split screen to play with friends on the same console. Online mode allows the player to combat with other players. Every mode will reward the player with coins to use on buying different unlocks.
When I just got the game, I had to brush off the rust and remember what the mechanics were like as the original CTR came out 20 years ago. But after few rounds of getting trashed by the NPC, I started to get the hang of it and it wasn’t long before I got flashbacks of the fun and crazy times that I had with the original CTR. Players are required to master the power sliding, evading hazards, and making use of different shortcuts on different circuits, and pray to RNGeezus to get a good weapon every time they hit a weapon box. My friend jokingly commented that CTR Nitro-Fueled is even tougher than Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice and at times it definitely felt like a very tough game as I had countless retries in the Adventure Mode getting trashed by the NPC.
As much as CTR Nitro-Fueled delivered with polished gameplay and graphics, some may argue that it lacks satisfying progression. The only sense of progression will be the unlockable stuffs and the progression in adventure mode, which also leads to unlocking characters and karts. For me, CTR Nitro-Fueled is a good choice for people who want to have some fun and not needing to commit long hours to it. This game is also a good choice for local couch co-op as it supports up to a maximum of 4 players with the split screen.
What I Loved
- Retaining original gameplay and with good graphics
- Bringing back nostalgic memories by including polygon character skin, original music, and HUD
What I Wished was Better
- Online races don’t come with quick rematch even though it is a private game.
Verdict
CTR Nitro-Fueled delivered with good quality, from gameplay to graphics. It is a must buy for CTR fans, as it brings back a lot of nostalgic memories, and it will continue to give a lot of good times to the players. Players who are new to the franchise may be comparing this with other kart racing games, and there will be no fair comparison between them as there are fanboys to each franchise. CTR Nitro-Fueled lives up to its hype that was built prior to the launch, and it comes with a relatively friendly price tag (USD$ 39.90/RM 149). It will be a good choice if one is looking for a game to organise couch gaming party, or for those who don’t have the luxury for long gaming hour, yet want to have some fun.
