Crash Bandicoot is essentially PlayStation's answer to Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic, his trilogy is both testament to what Playstation console can do and how awesome Playstation's line up of exclusive titles. So it's not a surprise when Naughty Dog made their own version of Mario Kart with Crash Team Racing. Is it an equal rival to the Italian plumber? or is it just another failed knock-off?
Story, Characters (7.5/10)
+ charming, colorful, and highly entertaining characters from the Crash Bandicoot trilogy
- there are hardly any unique new characters
Gameplay (9.7/10)
+ absolutely perfect control: fluid, smooth, and tight
+ tons of crazy power-ups to mess with your opponents
+ unique and crazy collection of tracks, each with its own obstacles and tricky shortcuts
+ enemy AI is pretty smart (or should i say they are all cheeky little bastards)
+ best couch co-op splitscreen experience with fun single race, exciting battle mode, and of course the ultimate fun, cup mode.
- enemy AI is not so great on campaign mode...until you meet the final boss, that cheater overpowered bastard
Graphics, Art Direction, UI, Performance (9.7/10)
+ vivid, bright, and colorful 3d graphics
+ smooth 30 fps framerate even on splitscreen mode
+ imaginative art direction
+ nice detailed animation for each character
- on splitscreen mode, other racers will rendered as 2D sprites
Sound, Voice Acting (10/10)
+ amazingly entertaining and catchy themes for all tracks including the menu
+ complete voiced characters: taunts, winning, and losing commentary
+ Satisfying sound effect, especially for every explosion and crash
Verdict (9/10)
Crash Team Racing is without a single doubt, the best power-up based gokart racing game ever created, it's fun to play alone but it bring one of the best (if not the best) couch co-op experience ever in my opinion.