Crash Team Racing PlayStation
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Sep 30, 1999
Metascore
88 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. GamePro
    100
    Control is also nearly-perfect... The transparent controls allow you to concentrate on racing and blasting your opponents, and so the races are faster, more fluid and more fun.
  2. Games Domain
    100
    The graphics are mindblowing, while the gameplay is perfect and easy to get to grips with. Along with the substantial variety of tracks and the fun of the multiplayer mode, CTR is an experience not to be missed.
  3. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    100
    The game that made kart racing cool. Nothing has ever matched its quality. [Mar 2002, p.34]
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  4. PSX Nation
    96
    Great balance and plenty of fun put this one on par with "Mario Kart" and if not for the average track design it would easily surpass.
  5. Electric Playground
    95
    Just like the previous Crash games, CTR is utterly polished and addictive to a fault... That's right, you heard me, CTR is a better game than Nintendo's "Mario Kart."
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    94
    Heavily inspired by "Mario Kart," but still an amazing multiplayer racer. [Jan 2004, p.188]
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  7. Absolute Playstation
    92
    Combines all of the best elements from other kart racers, adds a few unique touches and throws out all of the crap. What gamers are left with is an exciting 2 to 4 player game and a very challenging 1 player mode.
  8. Gaming Maxx
    91
    The best cart racing game that can be found on the Playstation, and possibly the current best on any system.
  9. Gamezilla!
    91
    The deep and challenging gameplay will have you playing this game for weeks.
  10. Gaming Age
    91
    The tracks are awe inspiring in their beauty and complexity, the gameplay is tight, and it is just plain fun. This is a game that almost anyone can enjoy by themselves or with some friends.
  11. GMR Magazine
    90
    Countless mascot racers flooded store shelves during the PlayStation era, and Crash Team Racing was the only good one. Really. [Feb 2003, p.97]
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  12. TotalGames.net
    88
    Graphically appealing and full of great special effects and sound samples, this will enthuse any Crash fan. As a racing game though, it's just a little too slow to get your pulse racing.

User Reviews

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User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. Neo010390
    9
    After all these years we thought Nintendo was the only company that produced decent kart games for their consoles, well finally the Playstation has its own clone, Crash Team Racing. Created and Developed by Naughty Dog, Crash Team Racing is a kart racing game where the player can choose to play as any of the characters in the Crash series (even the bad guys if you want, I always choose Crash because he's my favourite). There are five different modes to choose from: Adventure, Time Trial, Arcade, Verses and Battle. "Adventure" mode is the main story of the game. You start off in the arena where you can drive around and practice some skills such as hopping, drifting and power sliding. The main goal is to win trophies by coming in first place, when you have collected four the boss challenge opens up. Beat to boss to and you'll receive a key which will unlock the door to the next world, there you will find four more tracks to race. Overall there are 18 tracks, 5 worlds and 5 bosses. There are some unbelievable (Oxide Station in particular) race tracks and if that wasn't enough, you can use weapons on your opponents to help you to catch up if you are behind. In a way it's almost identical to the Wipeout games. As well as trophies, there are other race modes too such as Relic Race, CTR challenge and the Gem Cup Challenge. In "Time Trial" you can race through every single track in the game (this is a good way of getting some practice and memorizing the whole track in all of them), attempting to beat the computer players time. If you're fast enough N Tropy will challenge you, and if you beat his time you'll face Oxide. Trust me when I say this, no matter how many tries, how much speed, power, drifting, everything you give it, you will most likely not beat him. I've attempted them all myself and have only beaten him in a few races. In "Arcade" mode, you can scroll through a selection of tracks you wish to race. You can choose either Single Race or enter a Cup, where you race on four tracks in a row and score points. The better position you are, the more points you gain and if you have the most points after the four races, you win the Cup. The "Versus" mode is pretty much the same, with the exception that two or more players are involved. In "Battle" mode, you can have up to four players fighting and launching weapons at one another during combat in up to seven battle arenas. The type and length of the battle can be adjusted in the main menu beforehand. Graphically the game is very impressive, the colour and texture design of each vehicle are done brilliantly. The race tracks and environments are very well pixelated, and there is lot of variation background to see from a great distance. The characters are very well desinged , and i'm glad the developers didn't change them too much (unlike some Crash games) . As always, the music and sound effects are note perfect. Each soundtrack matches perfectly to each race track. One thing I really like is listening to the players taunts (especially Crash's who does some hilarious ones like "Wheeeeee" and of course his old time favourite "Whoa"), when trying to overtake someone. It's almost as if they're saying what you're thinking. The only criticisms I would say is that some of the tracks (Coco Park for example) are easy and boring and where in the other modes you can adjust the difficulty, Adventure mode doesn't have this option. It would have been nice if they added this feature, in case you felt it was too easy to complete. Despite this, I can honestly say this is the best Kart racing game I have ever played. It's way more superior to the Mario Kart games and if I ever get the chance, I will thank Naughty Dog dearly for making four great Crash games that will remain classics and will entertain millions of gamers as the years go by. Although it was sad to hear their departure from Crash, I absolutly loved what they did with Jak and Uncharted.… Full Review »
  2. ripperroo1992
    10
    Best kart racer ever!!!!!!! Ive been playin this game since i was 7 and it never gets old. The music is great and tracks are so fun. This game is so awesome i went out of my way to get platinum relics for all the tracks. I got all platinum but sewer speedway and n.gin labs are the hardest for platinum. I love this game so much i own for ps1, ps2, ps3, and psp. This so much more fast pace than mario kart. the adventure is much fun especially if you unlock the bosses. In my opinion the best ps1 racing game.… Full Review »
  3. DemoniChris
    10
    The best kart racing game developed, even to this day. Every single map is beautifully designed and the game has loads of content to unlock and discover. The only flaw is that this game hasn't been remade compatible with an online feature yet.… Full Review »
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