Just Might Be Better than Mario Kart

Growing up, I was more of a Nintendboi than I was a Sony Pony. However, in recent years I have made up for that lost time. Now that Crash Team Racing has been given a face-lift and brought to current-gen consoles, it’s time I check out one of the greatest kart racers of all time. But with Team Sonic Racing and Mario Kart 8 out on the market, how does CTR set itself apart from these two?

Well, in some significant ways.

All Juiced Up

Similar to Mario Kart and Team Sonic Racing, the more currency you pick up, the faster your kart goes. In CTR, once you collect 10 Wumpa Fruits, that very thing happens but with a twist. Once you collect 10 Wumpa Fruits, not only do you go faster but your weapons become more powerful as well. Your bombs have a wider blast radius, rockets are more accurate in tracking, other trap items stun for a longer duration. It makes collecting these items even more worth it and is something I’d like to see implemented in the next Mario Kart.

Just don’t apply it to those stupid shells. Those are OP enough already.

Adventure Mode

Another mode I’d like to see come to Mario Kart eventually (Team Sonic Racing has a similar feature already). In CTR’s Adventure Mode, you are dropped into a hub world where you’ll drive to the different races. Upon completing a race, you’ll earn a trophy and unlock extra race modes for that particular race. Once you obtain 4 trophies, you’ll unlock a special boss race that, upon defeating the boss, will open another part of the hub world with it’s own sets of races, secrets, and changes in theme.

I cannot speak highly enough about this game mode. It adds extra layers to the races that is not found in Mario Kart. I’m a bit of a completionist (as long time listeners of the show can attest to) so seeing the extra collectibles like coins and relics in my logbook drive me to revisit races so I can fill those spots. It makes playing the game more rewarding, especially when you add in the fact that completing both the races and their extra modes unlocks costumes, kart parts, color schemes, and characters, it’s genius game design that makes you want to keep playing the game, as opposed to shelling out extra cash only to be surprised with some cheap piece of gear that you’ll never use.

Seriously, adventure mode needs to be in more kart racers.

In all honesty, CTR isn’t as accessible as Mario Kart. There’s no doubt that Mario Kart is still the go-to choice for parties. But if it’s down to you and your friends who game regularly? Crash Team Racing takes the cake. To see the game in action, and hear more ways the game sets itself apart, check out the video below.