Wikipedia

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueledis a 2019kart racing gamedeveloped byBeenoxand published byActivision.The game is aremasteredversion ofCrash Team Racing(1999), which was originally developed byNaughty Dogfor thePlayStationin 1999, and focuses on players using one of several characters from theCrash Bandicootseriesto tackle races, each of which includes power-ups to help with combatting opponents. The game includes additional content fromCrash Nitro Kart(2003) andCrash Tag Team Racing(2005), alongside adjustments to the original gameplay, including kart customization, two adventure mode variations, and an in-game shop.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Developer(s)Beenox
Publisher(s)Activision
Director(s)Philippe Turcotte
Designer(s)Mathieu Mercier
Programmer(s)Alexandre Gratton
Artist(s)
  • Etienne Beaulieu
  • Jason Godbout
Composer(s)
SeriesCrash Bandicoot
EngineVicarious Visions Alchemy
Platform(s)
ReleaseJune 21, 2019
Genre(s)Kart racing
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Nitro–Fueledwas released worldwide forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,andXbox Oneon June 21, 2019. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the gameplay, controls, graphics, abundance of content, and faithfulness to the original game, though its high difficulty curve and post-release addition ofmicrotransactionswere criticized. The game also won several awards.

Gameplay

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Main article:Crash Team Racing § Gameplay
A comparison of gameplay asCocoin the Dingo Canyon level in the original game (top) andNitro-Fueled(bottom)

Like the originalCrash Team Racing,Nitro-Fueledis a racing game featuring characters from theCrash Bandicootseries.Players must avoid obstacles and navigate the various tracks to reach the finish line, performing boosts via power sliding and jumping to gain speed, and using power-ups scattered across the track to give themselves a boost or hinder their opponents. The game supports local quick races and grand prix circuits, multiple battle modes, and online multiplayer, as well as featuring a full adventure mode with new areas, characters and Boss battles being unlocked as the player progresses.

Nitro-Fueledincludes all of the content fromCrash Team Racing,along with several new features not present in the original game, including online multiplayer and the ability to choose different karts, which can be customized by the player. The adventure mode has also been tweaked: in addition to new cinematic cutscenes being added, players can choose between "Classic" and "Nitro-Fueled" adventure modes, the latter of which allows players to change their character and kart between races, as well as choose between three difficulty levels.[1]An additional "Ring Rally" mode was added as part of a post-launch update, in which players must pass through rings on a track to gain time extensions and prevent a timer from expiring.Nitro-Fueledalso adds a substantial amount of content fromCrash Nitro Kart,including all of its characters, race tracks, battle arenas, karts and battle modes. Additional characters, karts and character skins fromCrash Tag Team Racingare included as well. This and other new content is accessible via the Pit Stop, an in-game shop that allows players to purchase unlockables using Wumpa Coins earned through gameplay or obtained viamicrotransactions.[2]

Nitro-Fueledfeatured limited-time Grand Prix events that took place monthly following the game's launch. Each event was accompanied by a free update that added a new race track to the game. Players could compete in special challenges on these new tracks during the event period to earn Nitro Points; by acquiring a certain number of points, they would be able to unlock new characters, karts, and customization items. If players were unable to obtain enough points before the event concluded, the content was made available for purchase in the Pit Stop three months after the event's conclusion.[3][4]A total of eight Grand Prix events were held between July 2019 and March 2020, though one final wave of new content was released after their conclusion.[5]

Characters

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Main articles:List of Crash Bandicoot characters,Team Racing characters,Nitro Kart characters,andTag Team Racing characters

Nitro-Fueledfeatures 56 playable characters,[5][6]including every racer from the priorCrashracing games. This includes characters who previously only appeared as Boss opponents and as console-exclusive characters likeSpyro.Only the eight base characters from the originalCrash Team Racingare initially available to players. The otherCrash Team Racingcharacters can be unlocked by progressing through the game's adventure mode and completing challenges, while all other characters are unlocked via purchase from the Pit Stop.[7]

The game featured 26 playable characters at launch, consisting of all the racers featured inTeam RacingandNitro Kart.[7]Several additional characters have been added as part of free post-launch game updates, and can be unlocked through progression in Grand Prix events or via the Pit Stop. This includes all the playable racers fromTag Team RacingandNitro Kart 2,along with several characters making their first playable appearance in aCrashracing game.[8]New racers include Tawna,N. Brio,Koala Kong and the Lab Assistant from the originalCrash Bandicoot;[6]Komodo Moe fromCortex Strikes Back;Baby T. and the Iron Checkpoint Crate fromWarped;Ami, Isabella, Megumi and Liz, who appeared as non-playable characters inTeam Racing;[9]two versions of Rilla Roo fromBash;[8]Megamix fromThe Huge Adventure;[10]Chick and Stew, who appeared as non-playable characters inTag Team Racing;[8]baby versions ofCrash,Coco,CortexandN. Tropy(the latter two having been seen previously inWarped's true ending);[2][6]guest characters Hunter and Gnasty Gnorc from theSpyroseries;[11]and two original characters, King Chicken and Hasty.[8][12]

Development

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After the release ofCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy,a collection of remasters of the first threeCrash Bandicoottitles, it was speculated thatCrash Team Racingwould be remastered.[13][14][15]In an interview,Vicarious Visionsproducer Kara Massie did not rule out the possibility of a remaster ofCrash Team Racingfor the PlayStation 4. She also acknowledged that she was repeatedly asked about it by fans.[16]

The game was revealed atThe Game Awardson December 6, 2018, and was announced to be released on June 21, 2019, forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,andXbox One.[17][18]Development was handled by Activision subsidiaryBeenox.Much likeN. Sane Trilogy,the game was recreated from the ground up with new assets, online play, and added new content including all characters, tracks, battle arenas, kart customizations and battle modes fromCrash Nitro Kart,which was developed by Vicarious Visions, who also developed theN. Sane Trilogy.[19]Several karts, character skins, and later characters were also added fromCrash Tag Team Racing,which was originally developed byRadical Entertainment.[20]The game features an option to choose between the original and remastered soundtracks.[21]

Release

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Players who pre-ordered the game received a set of "Electron" character skins for Crash, Coco and Cortex. A premium "Nitros Oxide Edition" ofNitro-Fueledwas announced alongside the game in December 2018, while its contents were detailed in April 2019. The Nitros Oxide Edition provides immediate access to the unlockable Hovercraft kart and the characters Nitros Oxide, Crunch, Zem and Zam, along with the pre-order skins and additional character skins and kart customization options not available in the base game.[22][23]

The PlayStation 4 version ofNitro-Fueledincludes exclusive skins for Crash, Coco and Cortex based on their polygonal appearances in the originalCrash Team Racing,along with additional low-poly karts and a retro-themed bonus track, Retro Stadium.[24][25]Players who pre-ordered this version also received a set of PlayStation-themed stickers for kart customization.[26]

On July 30, 2019, Activision announced the addition of in-game purchases to the game, allowing players to purchase the in-game Wumpa Coin currency used to unlock new characters, karts and other customization items.[2]The feature was implemented on August 8.[27]

In August 2019, as part of a co-promotion withMondelez International,codes for candy-themed kart customization items were included with specially-marked packages ofSour Patch KidsandTrident Vibes.[28]An additional vehicle, the "Firehawk", was released as paid downloadable content in October 2019 to support theCall of Duty Endowment.[29]A specialXfinitybranded kart was released as a limited-time promotional item for Xfinity customers in February 2020.[30]

Reception

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Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueledreceived "generally favorable" reviews, according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[31][32][33]Critics praised the graphics, tight controls, massive amount of content and faithfulness to the original racing games, though it was criticized for its high difficulty curve, lack of difficulty options, very long loading times, and issues with online play on the PlayStation 4 version of the game. The inclusion ofmicrotransactionswhich were added a month after the game's release was also criticized, particularly as early interviews stated no such feature would be present in the game.[44][45][46][47]

During its release week,Nitro-Fueledopened at number one in the UK for the week ending June 30, 2019.[48]

Awards

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The game won the award for "Best Racing Game" at the 2019Game Critics Awards,[49]and for "Best Sports/Racing Game" atThe Game Awards 2019.[50]IGNnamedNitro-Fueledthe best racing game of 2019.[51]The game was also nominated for "Racing Game of the Year"at the23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[52]and for "Game, Classic Revival" at the NAVGTR Awards.[53]

Notes

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  1. ^abcdMancell was the composer of the original game, while Hakik and Masten were the composers ofCrash Nitro Kart;the music was remastered by Tremblay, who also composed new music for the game's new race tracks. Masten is uncredited in the game's credits sequence.Mark Mothersbaughis listed as a composer in the original game, but was only a music producer.

References

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  2. ^abc"Get Ready to Go Prehistoric! The Back N. Time Grand Prix is coming to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on August 2nd!".Archivedfrom the original on 2019-07-30.Retrieved2019-07-30.
  3. ^"Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled has a ton of tracks, and it'll keep adding more".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-06-26.Retrieved2019-06-11.
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  9. ^Crash Bandicoot."The race is on with bonus seasonal content with the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Grand Prix! Get ready to test your mettle with new Tracks, Characters, Items, and Challenges. Starting July 3, 2019.… HTTPS://T.co/O14NhEyJeV".Twitter.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-06-26.Retrieved2019-07-30.
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