''Crash Tag Team Racing'' is a 2005
kart racing game
A kart racing game, also known as cart racing game or go-kart racing game, is a subgenre of racing video games. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, and vehicular combat. Though ...
developed by
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
-based
Radical Entertainment
Radical Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver. The studio is best known for developing '' The Simpsons: Hit & Run'', '' Prototype'' and '' Prototype 2'', as well as entries in the ''Crash Bandicoot'' franchise ...
and published by
Vivendi Universal Games
Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Associ ...
under the
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, ...
label for the
GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
(NGC),
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
(PS2),
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, and the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
(PSP). The game was released in North America on October 19, 2005 and in Europe on November 4, 2005. The PlayStation 2 version was re-released in the three-disc "Crash Bandicoot Action Pack" compilation (alongside ''
Crash Nitro Kart
''Crash Nitro Kart'' is a 2003 kart racing game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance; versions for the N-Gage and mobile phones were released in 2004. It is the second racing game in the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series after ' ...
'' and ''
Crash Twinsanity
''Crash Twinsanity'' is a 2004 platform video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Mobile. It is the eleventh installment in the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series and the fifth game in the main series. The game's story takes place three years after ...
'') in the United States on June 12, 2007 and in Europe on July 20, 2007.
''Crash Tag Team Racing'' is the third racing game in the ''
Crash Bandicoot
''Crash Bandicoot'' is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series co ...
'' video game series, following ''
Crash Nitro Kart
''Crash Nitro Kart'' is a 2003 kart racing game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance; versions for the N-Gage and mobile phones were released in 2004. It is the second racing game in the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series after ' ...
''.
The game's story centers on the exploits of the protagonist,
Crash Bandicoot
''Crash Bandicoot'' is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series co ...
, who must win the ownership of a dilapidated theme park by finding its missing Power Gems before his nemesis,
Doctor Neo Cortex
Doctor Neo Cortex is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Crash Bandicoot'' video game series. He has appeared in every mainline game in the series as Crash Bandicoot's archenemy, as well as a playable character in several spin ...
, can.
''Crash Tag Team Racing'' received generally mixed reviews; while its visual style, humor and supplementary content were generally praised, the racing mechanics and track designs were criticized for being uninspired, and the game's graphical quality was deemed to be inconsistent. Content from the game was later remastered as part of ''
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
''Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'' is a 2019 kart racing game developed by Beenox and published by Activision. The game is a remastered version of '' Crash Team Racing'', which was originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation in 1999 ...
'', released on June 21, 2019.
Gameplay
The player takes control of Crash Bandicoot, who must retrieve the Black Power Gem of
Ebenezer Von Clutch, along with the missing Power Gems in each of the five themed areas of the park.
The player will compete in races and minigames to earn Wumpa Coins, the park's currency, and Power Crystals, find the Power Gem needed to open up the five areas of the park, and ultimately unveil the mystery of the Power Gem thief's identity.
As the player explores the park, platforming gates can be entered to unlock new platforming,
Extra Wumpa Coins and Power Crystals can be earned by playing platforming, all of which involve platforming
Characters with an icon over their heads can be talked to, to unlock cars, weapon upgrades, clothing, or to play minigames.
The player can smash crates and collect Wumpa Coins in order to buy rewards such as new clothing; drinking Wumpa Whip gives the player a temporary coin multiplier that earns extra money from Wumpa Coins and crates.
Collecting Power Crystals is required to unlock the Power Gem at the end of a themed area, which unlocks an additional area of the theme park.
Mini-cartoons, called "Die-O-Ramas", can also be unlocked; these cutscenes display Crash being grievously injured or "killed" off in various, and
largely humorous ways. Unlocking all 34 Die-O-Ramas unlocks another costume for Crash.
The Die-O-Ramas can be viewed at any time under the Extras section in the main menu.
The main hook of ''Crash Tag Team Racing'' is the "clashing" feature found during the racing sections of the game. The player can "clash" with another vehicle by pressing a certain button depending on the gaming platform.
The player's vehicle will merge with a nearby opponent's vehicle, and the player will then take control of a powerful turret weapon to shoot at other vehicles.
The turret can not only be used to shoot at enemy cars, but also to take out incoming attacks.
Plot
Characters
Six returning characters from previous ''Crash'' titles star in ''Crash Tag Team Racing'', along with five original characters. The player character and protagonist of the game,
Crash Bandicoot
''Crash Bandicoot'' is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series co ...
, is an evolved bandicoot who must win each of the races in Von Clutch's MotorWorld and win the deed to the park before his foes can. Crash is allied by his sister
Coco and friend
Crunch. The main antagonist of the series,
Doctor Neo Cortex
Doctor Neo Cortex is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Crash Bandicoot'' video game series. He has appeared in every mainline game in the series as Crash Bandicoot's archenemy, as well as a playable character in several spin ...
, is a mad scientist who attempts to win the deed to the park and use it for his own evil purposes. Cortex is allied by his right-hand man
Doctor N. Gin and his niece
Nina Nina may refer to:
* Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname
Acronyms
*National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq
* Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology
*No income, ...
.
The game introduces two new playable characters: Ebenezer Von Clutch, a deranged German cyborg, is the owner of MotorWorld, and must retrieve his Black Power Gem before he automatically turns off. Aiding him and the Bandicoots is Texan racecar driver Pasadena O'Possum. Additional non-player characters include the mysterious Willie Wumpa Cheeks, the park's excessively jolly mascot and source of Wumpa Whip; and Chick Gizzard Lips and Stew, two chicken race commentators who provide comic relief and serve as Crash's tutors during the game. Roaming around the park are numerous Park Drones, a group of miserable employees who will take a certain amount of money to give Crash what he needs, and various pedestrians, who seem just as disgruntled with the park as the Park Drones.
Story
Chick Gizzard Lips and Stew announce the farewell race of Von Clutch's MotorWorld, Ebenezer Von Clutch's auto-racing theme park, due to the theft of the Power Gems powering the park. The Black Power Gem powering Von Clutch's cyborg body is also missing, leaving him only hours left to live. By coincidence, Crash, Coco and Crunch Bandicoot crash into the park while escaping their foes Dr. Neo Cortex, his niece Nina, and Dr. N. Gin. Von Clutch recruits all six to search for the missing Power Gems, offering ownership of the park to whoever finds them, with Cortex plotting to use the park as a new base of operations. The group also meet Pasadena O'Possum, a professional racer hired by Von Clutch to find the Power Gems, and Willie Wumpa Cheeks, the park mascot and producer of its popular beverage "Wumpa Whip".
Crash finds and returns all the missing Power Gems, officially winning ownership of the park. Cortex, Coco and Pasadena suspect the true thief has been attempting to sabotage their efforts, noting a trail of Wumpa Whip at the scene of every Power Gem theft. Crash is initially suspected due to his heavy consumption of the drink, but an irritated Willie reveals himself to be the culprit. With the Black Power Gem in his possession, Willie flees to Astro Land and prepares to escape into
outer space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
through Astro Land's largest
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
. The heroes give chase, while Von Clutch finally runs out of power and shuts down. In Astro Land, Willie prepares to launch the rocket, but Crash pulls a nearby
lever
A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or ''fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, load and effort, the lever is div ...
that aborts the launch. Before they can interrogate Willie about the Black Power Gem's location, Cortex and his team appear in their own ship and shoot Willie, liquefying him. Cortex prepares to kill the Bandicoots, but Crash tosses a
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
into the ship's main
rotor
Rotor may refer to:
Science and technology
Engineering
*Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator
* Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...
, causing it to malfunction, and Cortex swears vengeance as he retreats.
The Bandicoots are presented the deed to the park, but Coco decides it should be returned to Von Clutch, though due to the loss of the Black Power Gem, Pasadena confirms Von Clutch will remain deactivated. Crash accidentally finds the Black Power gem in the Wumpa Whip from Willie's remains while attempting to drink it. He revives Von Clutch, who gives the Bandicoots free lifetime passes to the park in gratitude. Crash pats Von Clutch on the back, inadvertently ejecting the Black Power Gem and deactivating Von Clutch again. Fearing he has accidentally killed Von Clutch, Crash hops in one of the cars and drives away.
Development
Željko Duvnjak served as the conceptual artist for ''Crash Tag Team Racing''. The story, all new characters and game script/dialogue were created by animation producer and director Jordan Reichek of Perky Pickle Studios. He was assisted by Chris Mitchell of Radical Games. Reichek based the story on a twisted hybrid story of
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
theme park and a ''
Scooby-Doo
''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...
''-type mystery. Reichek was brought into the game production as writer and creative consultant by Vivendi Universal after his successful involvement with the previous ''Crash Bandicoot'' title, ''Crash Twinsanity'', where he offered similar creative direction. The full-motion videos were created by Red Eye Studios, who had previously animated the cutscenes for ''Crash Nitro Kart'' and ''Twinsanity''. The environments of the game were built by Sarah Meagher and Vincent Chin, while the vehicles were built by Kevin Fink.
The game's soundtrack was composed by Marc Baril and Spiralmouth (the latter reprising their music role from ''Crash Twinsanity''), with Michael Neilson providing additional music; Gabriel Mann of Spiralmouth doubled as the soundtrack's producer. A fifteen-track soundtrack was released on March 6, 2007, and is available in the
iTunes Music Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,000 ...
.
The sound design of the game was provided by Cory Hawthorne. The game's voice actors were cast and directed by Chris Borders at Technicolor Interactive Services.
Lex Lang
Lex Lang (born November 12, 1965) is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the ''Crash Bandicoo ...
and
Debi Derryberry
Debi Derryberry is an American voice actress who has provided voices for a number of animations and video games.
Biography
Derryberry was born in Indio, California to a family of Hungarian Jewish descent. Her grandparents were Holocaust surviv ...
reprised their respective roles as Dr. Cortex and Coco, while the roles of Crash, Crunch, N. Gin and Nina were inherited by
Jess Harnell
Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series ''Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in ''Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' films ...
,
Chris Williams,
Nolan North
Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera ''Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended i ...
and Amy Gross. The new characters Von Clutch, Pasadena and Willie were respectively voiced by Danny Mann,
Shanelle Workman
Shanelle Workman is an American actress, producer and director. She is best known for playing the roles of Sarah "Flash" Roberts on the ABC soap opera '' One Life to Live'' and Gabriela 'Gaby' Moreno Forester on the CBS soap opera ''The Bold an ...
and
Roger L. Jackson
Roger Labon Jackson is an American voice actor. He is known for voicing Ghostface in the ''Scream'' film series, where E! ranked him as #46 on their list of ''Best Kept Secrets of Hollywood''. He is also known for voicing the character of Moj ...
.
Reception
''Crash Tag Team Racing'' received mixed reviews upon release. Matthew Fisher of ''
TeamXbox
''TeamXbox'' was a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. While the majority of content was Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covered general technology and other video game news.
...
'' commended the clashing mechanic as a great addition, as well as the variety of tracks and weapons.
Alex Navarro of ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' concluded that "the racing isn't exactly the star of the show, but ''Crash Tag Team Racing''s supplemental elements pull the whole thing together into a unique and most enjoyable experience";
on the subject of the PSP version, Navarro added that the handheld version's loading times were "painful".
Greg Ford and Kathleen Sanders of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' both dismissed the game as being for younger players and criticized the repetitive cycle of clearing the worlds and tracks, although Ford acknowledged that the disparate gameplay elements were inoffensively competent.
Hector Guzman of ''
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
'' found the clashing mechanic to be amusing and entertaining, but derided the platforming camera for its "horrific clumsiness".
Justin Speer of
G4 felt that while the platforming and racing elements were decent, the game was short and shallow.
Karl Castaneda of ''Nintendo World Report'' condemned the bland races, lack of variety in weapons and vehicles, and the presence of fetch-quests in a racing game, though he considered the stunt mode to be entertaining.
The low difficulty was criticized,
and the absence of online multiplayer play was lamented.
Critics positively summarized the game's graphics as cartoonish, colorful and well-animated, albeit less than impressive.
Fisher, while voicing this sentiment, noted that "the overall look is only hampered by occasional bits of slowdown, and some lacking level design".
Charles Onyett of ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' and Ellie Gibson of ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' noted the high degree of detail and extra moving parts in the game's level design, though Gibson noticed that some areas were dimly lit, and Onyett criticized the lower graphical quality of the Die-O-Rama cutscenes compared to the regular gameplay.
Navarro appraised the explosive car destruction as "one of the great joys of the game", although he noted some frame-rate drop in the GameCube version.
Guzman commended the cutscenes as "admirably animated", but described the general visuals as "garish".
Castaneda considered the presentation to be passable, elaborating that "The frame-rate is a tad buggy at times, but never during races, so it isn’t much of a bother. The character models fit the cast well enough, but it still doesn’t look that much better than the 32-bit version of the last game".
The audio was largely dismissed as unremarkable and forgettable,
with the exception of Gibson, who praised the sound effects and music as "great" and "excellent".
However, the voice-acting was more positively received. Navarro commended the comedic quality of the voice-acting in spite of its occasional obnoxiousness, and singled out the henchmen and "woefully underutilized" chicken commentators as "great fun".
Castaneda was also impressed by the voice-acting, and claimed that the "clever writing and dynamite delivery will definitely make you laugh out loud a couple times".
Guzman described the character banter as "rich, colorful, and amusing".
Fisher felt that the voice work was merely decent,
while Onyett found some of the character voices, particularly that of Pasadena O'Possum, to be annoying.
References
External links
*
{{Radical Entertainment
2005 video games
Cancelled Nintendo DS games
Crash Bandicoot racing games
GameCube games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation Portable games
Racing video games
Universal Interactive games
Radical Entertainment games
Sierra Entertainment games
Vehicular combat games
Video games developed in Canada
Video games set in amusement parks
Xbox games
Kart racing video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Video games scored by Spiralmouth
Video games scored by Marc Baril