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Crash Team Racing follows where the Crash Bandicoot remasters started with no waiting this time around for Xbox One owners as with Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Does Beenox deliver another terrific slice of nostalgia or does CTR not really hold up all that well today?
I did not play the original Crash Team Racing in much depth at all, if I did play its original release, but really do like kart racers and particularly the Mario Kart series. I'd had this pre-ordered for months as on Xbox there isn't a big choice in the genre other than the Sonic racing series.
The Adventure Mode is where I spent most of my time in game and this presents a number of options which are mostly superficial such as music, hud and other choices. The mode will see you playing through a number of tracks and unlocking stuff along the way that can later be used in other modes. It's quite linear but tries to give an open world vibe as with Crash 3 and the open ended areas where races can be chosen. I don't particularly like this design or prefer a clearer menu as this is cluttered.
Crash Team Racing starts off fine but quickly gathers in difficulty and mind-bending frustration at some of the boss battles with Oxide, but particularly Pinstripe being notable. Both bosses will throw projectiles which are impossible to avoid or to have a counter attack to which is a problem that is prevalent throughout the entire game. In addition to this the battle with Pinstripe is on Hot Air Skyway, which happens to be one of the worst courses in the entire game which is tricky to traverse enough without having to attempt to dodge objects.
Being hit by items is the nature of the beast for the kart racer but in CTR it feels cheap and is often unavoidable and can seem down to luck depending on how you use the items to your advantage which can be used defensively also. However, it also seems that winning races is largely dependent on what items you get in boxes at times and you will need to master the drifting mechanic, which I eventually did, where the game forces you to get to grips with it with its punishing challenge in order to make any serious progress or to compete with the AI. Then there are the characters which outside of Crash and Neo Cortex just aren't very interesting and especially so if you're comparing to the Mario Kart series. The courses meanwhile are kind of a mixed bag with some really awful ones but most are fun with lots of inclines and deviation.
Something that also deserves a mention are the awful load times which really are excruciating where a load screen will feature before each track both offline and online. The graphics have admittedly been touched up since its PlayStation heyday but must a game really take this long to load in the current era? It's unacceptable.
The online mode appears to be running smoothly and I had no problems with lag or connection issues, although the options within the mode are limited to a race and battle which I have not tried at time of review. There is no XP or levelling up system with the only bonuses coming from currency earned through races which can then be spent to purchase new skins or characters. Thankfully this is purely cosmetic and will not result in people being able to pay to be better than you. CTR also features Time Trial modes and a smattering of other choices to pursue which is probably best with friends or couch multiplayer.
---Summary---
Graphics -9- Colourful and vibrant as with the original Crash remasters. Some may not appreciate the art style but it is a nice looking game.
Sound -6- What is here is very unremarkable but they have given an option to play the old music with its slightly different tone which is nice. The voices are kind of hit and miss but nothing is really that standout.
Gameplay -6- It can be satisfying when it all comes together but far too often it uses dirty tricks to hamstring the player and pad the experience out as a result.
Lifespan -7- There is mileage to the online with future content to come, but the main story experience can be finished in about 5 hours. CTR is far more fun with others as one would expect and your own length of longevity with the game will be vastly improved with that.
---Verdict---
I like Crash Team Racing but I don't like it as much as I wanted to because it is at times an extremely irritating experience. Granted back when it was originally released in 1999, it was challenging and I don't mind difficulty, but this is hard because of artificial constraints that are hampered on the player. It still can be a fun time but there are better kart racers out there for sure. I'm disappointed in this remaster which I imagine is faithful to the original but it's just not that fun or it is often overshadowed with its snagging gameplay mechanics which can be enjoyable but ultimately not enough.
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