CRASH TEAM RACING

Don’t like it. Never tried it. Every month we force one of our team to play their most feared game

WHO?

Former Nintendo boy Chris Scullion has a thing for chubby Italian plumbers, but he’s never been into furries. The idea of replacing the former with the latter breaks him out in a cold sweat.

Mario Kart for me, every time – before you rip this page out and set it on fire, hear me out. As a chap who’s never indulged in console wars I’ve always enjoyed the best of every system, and as a Nintendo fan for nearly 30 years that means to me Mario Kart has always been the ultimate karting series.

I’ve heard PlayStation fans bigging up Crash Team Racing, but I’ve always believed it’s probably rubbish and they’re just trying to make themselves feel better about not having a ‘real’ karting game. Now, 17 years later, I’ve finally decided to see if I was right.

Upon booting it up, the first thing that strikes me is Adventure Mode. With a central hub and various collectibles needed to progress, it’s actually more Diddy Kong Racing than anything else. As someone who’s always been a single-player gamer first and foremost, this pleases me greatly – a proper solo campaign that’s more than just four-race cups is something Mario Kart always sorely lacked.

I’m also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the handling given the game’s age. Using the original DualShock controller for analogue steering (still a novelty at the time) is a delight, and I really like the interesting timing-based drift mechanic. The way the invincibility star is replaced with Crash’s Aku Aku mask is a touch of genius, too.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been a complete fool. It still isn’t perfect – it’s clear Naughty Dog struggled to fill the character roster because I couldn’t care less about Tiny Tiger or Dingodile – but Crash Team Racing most certainly is a brilliant karting game, and is still addictive to this day, even though it’s now old enough to actually get a real driving licence. Sony gamers, you all have my sincere apologies: CTR rocks.

IT’S ACTUALLY MORE DIDDY KONG RACING THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

It may not have the star-studded cast you’d get in that moustachioed bloke’s game, but there’s no denying CTR is a cracking title with colourful, detailed tracks and tons of personality.