Crash Nitro Kart has ruined the Crash racing games, best of sticking to Crash Team Racing, and avoiding this one.
The good points are that the graphics in the cutscenes and gameplay are really good, and well presented. The new characters are quite imaginitive as well.
The bad points are that the new characters only appear in this game, and nothing else, plus you don't find out bout their history much. The levels can be quite annoying, and the multiplayer is the only thing that keeps this game standing on 2 feet.
Overall, if you love Crash Team Racing, best avoiding this or renting it first.