Post by Leverish on Aug 4, 2005 14:14:04 GMT -5
Well I thought my previous CNK review wasn't good so I just had to polish it up.
Crash Nitro Kart is the game people who didn't like the whole "Double Dash thing" in Mario Kart: Double Dash have been waiting for. The original Crash Team Racing for the PlayStation was claimed to be the best mascot kart racing game ever to hit any console. It was about time they bring it back to current generation systems. How did the Game Boy Advance version hold up? Read on to find out.
Crash Nitro Kart has five gameplay modes. The first one, which is Adventure mode, is basically a story mode. You can choose between the good or bad team, but they basically play the same. The only difference is the character selection and the unlockable character at the end. The process is pretty simple. There are three courses in each hub. Beat each race in the hub to be able to go to the next one. Then at the end of the hub you have a 1 on 1 boss race. They're are only 4 hubs, but the adventure mode is still pretty long due to the extra missions. For each beaten course, there are two extra missions one being the CNK challenge where you have to find the letters C, N, and K on the racing course, and get first place to win the challenge, the next is the relic race which is a fancy name for beating the race before the time limit finishes. The next mode is time trial, which anybody who has played a racing game knows that is, but Nitro Kart adds a few twists to that, and now you get a special code for your fastest time, and you can post that on the official Crash Nitro Kart website, and if you have one of the fastest times it will get posted on the website. This adds a bit of replay value to the game. Of course, there is a single race, where you just pick a character, and a place you want to race. There's also a cup race, which is basically a tournament, but you don't really win anything from it, so it's kind of pointless. Lastly there is a quick race mode where the racer and place are randomly selected, which is great for people, who are annoyed by character and course selection.
The gameplay itself is pretty much the same as any other kart racing game; race and beat the other drivers. Like in the Mario Kart series weapons change the gameplay completely. From rockets to TNT boxes there are plenty of items that can be used. One way CNK improves weapons from the Mario Kart series is that when you collect 10 Wumba fruit the weapons you collect get upgraded adding a bit more objectives when your racing. Like with th For example, if your lucky you can knock off the TNT if you have the button power to push the jump button really fast, but when it gets upgraded the TNT box turns into a Nitro box which will explode instantly when you touch it. The controls are fairly easy. Great for new starters. If you don't like it you can just change it it the "options" menu. Unfortunately the L button comes to no use, and can't be remapped on the controls menu, which I guess could be bad for people who are left handed. Overall the game is just loads of fun, and it gets even better when you link up with Friends.
There are some mixed messages with the graphics. Some parts are detailed really well, especially for Game Boy Advance standards, mainly the sweet looking backrounds, but there are some problems. The first is the occasional frame rate drops, they're not a huge problem, but it can become a little distracting. Second is the many bad textures in the games, but it's not a huge problem, since you'll be focusing on getting first place and so much the graphics.
The sound department is pretty good, but could be be better. The music is just unforgettable. Each level has it's own music that goes perfectly with the scenery, and still makes the race sound competitive. The game is loud, maybe too loud, because I'm having trouble just having the game not sound too loud, but not turning off the sound completely. The sound effects aren't anything spectacular, but they're there, and they aren't that bad, and there is lot of them. There's also some voices from the character, that I'm having trouble making, what they're saying.
This game is a bunch of fun, and you definitely should get this version over the console version, that takes up a ridiculous amount of memory space. It may not be the most graphically impressive, or boast the best sound effects, ever, but it's still fun and that's what really matters. Overall, if you like kart racing games, and want to play one on a portable you need to check out this game.
Gameplay 9/10
Graphics 8/10
Sound 7.5/10
Replay Value 9/10
Overall 8.8/10
Better, worse? Good, bad? Please comment.
Crash Nitro Kart is the game people who didn't like the whole "Double Dash thing" in Mario Kart: Double Dash have been waiting for. The original Crash Team Racing for the PlayStation was claimed to be the best mascot kart racing game ever to hit any console. It was about time they bring it back to current generation systems. How did the Game Boy Advance version hold up? Read on to find out.
Crash Nitro Kart has five gameplay modes. The first one, which is Adventure mode, is basically a story mode. You can choose between the good or bad team, but they basically play the same. The only difference is the character selection and the unlockable character at the end. The process is pretty simple. There are three courses in each hub. Beat each race in the hub to be able to go to the next one. Then at the end of the hub you have a 1 on 1 boss race. They're are only 4 hubs, but the adventure mode is still pretty long due to the extra missions. For each beaten course, there are two extra missions one being the CNK challenge where you have to find the letters C, N, and K on the racing course, and get first place to win the challenge, the next is the relic race which is a fancy name for beating the race before the time limit finishes. The next mode is time trial, which anybody who has played a racing game knows that is, but Nitro Kart adds a few twists to that, and now you get a special code for your fastest time, and you can post that on the official Crash Nitro Kart website, and if you have one of the fastest times it will get posted on the website. This adds a bit of replay value to the game. Of course, there is a single race, where you just pick a character, and a place you want to race. There's also a cup race, which is basically a tournament, but you don't really win anything from it, so it's kind of pointless. Lastly there is a quick race mode where the racer and place are randomly selected, which is great for people, who are annoyed by character and course selection.
The gameplay itself is pretty much the same as any other kart racing game; race and beat the other drivers. Like in the Mario Kart series weapons change the gameplay completely. From rockets to TNT boxes there are plenty of items that can be used. One way CNK improves weapons from the Mario Kart series is that when you collect 10 Wumba fruit the weapons you collect get upgraded adding a bit more objectives when your racing. Like with th For example, if your lucky you can knock off the TNT if you have the button power to push the jump button really fast, but when it gets upgraded the TNT box turns into a Nitro box which will explode instantly when you touch it. The controls are fairly easy. Great for new starters. If you don't like it you can just change it it the "options" menu. Unfortunately the L button comes to no use, and can't be remapped on the controls menu, which I guess could be bad for people who are left handed. Overall the game is just loads of fun, and it gets even better when you link up with Friends.
There are some mixed messages with the graphics. Some parts are detailed really well, especially for Game Boy Advance standards, mainly the sweet looking backrounds, but there are some problems. The first is the occasional frame rate drops, they're not a huge problem, but it can become a little distracting. Second is the many bad textures in the games, but it's not a huge problem, since you'll be focusing on getting first place and so much the graphics.
The sound department is pretty good, but could be be better. The music is just unforgettable. Each level has it's own music that goes perfectly with the scenery, and still makes the race sound competitive. The game is loud, maybe too loud, because I'm having trouble just having the game not sound too loud, but not turning off the sound completely. The sound effects aren't anything spectacular, but they're there, and they aren't that bad, and there is lot of them. There's also some voices from the character, that I'm having trouble making, what they're saying.
This game is a bunch of fun, and you definitely should get this version over the console version, that takes up a ridiculous amount of memory space. It may not be the most graphically impressive, or boast the best sound effects, ever, but it's still fun and that's what really matters. Overall, if you like kart racing games, and want to play one on a portable you need to check out this game.
Gameplay 9/10
Graphics 8/10
Sound 7.5/10
Replay Value 9/10
Overall 8.8/10
Better, worse? Good, bad? Please comment.
