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> Results: Crash Nitro Kart
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Whatﾒs a bandicoot? Well a bandicoot in real life is a little rat thing that lives in Australia. The popular video game character, Crash Bandicoot, on the other hand, looks more like Looney Tunesﾒ Tasmanian Devilﾒs ugly second cousin twice removed. Like most popular video game mascots, Crash has expanded into other game genres as well. This time, Crash and friends take another stab at Mario Kart-style racing.  Crash is no stranger to go-karts, as he had a PSOne kart racing game called Crash Team Racing. Aside from some tweaked graphics, new tracks, and more racers, Nitro Kart isnﾒt much different than Crashﾒs first racing gig. This time, Crash and his friends (and enemies) are transported to an alien world where the entertainment starved citizens force them to race for their freedom. Adventure mode is the main part of the game. Pick a character like Crash, his kid sister Coco, or the evil N. Cortex and go for the gold in more than a dozen tracks and challenges. Some races require that you win first place, while other challenges have you collecting hidden letters scattered around the tracks. In Adventure mode you can unlock cutscenes, tracks, and even secret characters. To gain the lead and keep it, you can nab items in boxes around the races. The weapons are standard kart fare: shields, homing missiles, speed boosts, etc. There are also two ways to get a quick burst of speed. You can jump while turning for a powerslide, or you can get a boost by jumping off a ramp and getting a lot of air time. Most of the tracks are designed so that, if you know them well enough, you can chain together powerslides and jumps to get continuous boosts. Nitro Kart features colorful, clean graphics and bouncy music. Play control is also very responsive. The tracks are unique and include places where you can drive up walls and around upside down corkscrew loops. You can also compete in multiplayer races and battle modes. If you liked Crash Team Racing, or silly racing games in general, then youﾒll enjoy Crash Nitro Kart.  Kid Factor: In a sea of Mario Kart imitators, Crash Nitro Kart is one of the few that are halfway decent. Thereﾒs nothing objectionable in the game, just good clean racing fun. Some kids may get bored with all the repetitive tasks in Adventure mode, but there are plenty of things to unlock and collect. No reading is required, as spoken hints and instructions are scattered throughout the game. Younger gamers may find the later challenges a bit too hard, but everyone will have a fun time racing. If you donﾒt have a GameCube and Mario Kart Double Dash yet (why not?), then Crash Nitro Kart is a good alternative. Platform: PS2, GameCube, Xbox Reviewer Recommended Ages: 6+ Genre: Racing ESRB Rating: E for Everyone Reviewer: Cary Woodham Producer: Vivendi Universal Developer: Vicarious Visions Score: 3 and a half stars Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Crash Nitro Kart |
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