Nickelodeon is very competent in almost every other way. It doesn’t really matter how competent the game is otherwise if it isn’t filled with energy and verve around the characters. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Nickelodeon, but I know my TMNTs and Rugrats, and the big ( big) problem that lets this game down is that those beloved characters are presented in such a pedestrian manner, with limited distinctive animation in-race, an absence of voice samples and quips, and even the victory poses on the podium aim for funcstional rather than the flashy.Īny character mashup game lives and dies by the way it depicts its characters. Where the developers miss the mark is the personality of the thing. The developers show that they’re students of Mario Kart in every way, with a slavish devotion to the same cup structure, the same blend of track types, and the same deep customisation system of the more modern Mario Karts.
These are all balanced nicely so there’s never a moment in a race where you’re not managing items or special abilities. There’s also “slime” that you can pick up to activate special abilities in-race once you’ve accumulated enough of it, and coins that both boost the slime stored, and can be used to unlock new engines back in the main menu. There’s a good range of weapons and items, and while they lack the heritage and charm of iconic kart racer items like the shells of Mario Kart, they get the job done in creating chaos. The tracks strike the right balance between accessibility, so younger players can get in and enjoy it, while also offering enough technical elements that more advanced players can feel like they’re mastering something. So, the game’s strengths, first: It’s a perfectly competent kart racer, structurally. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting before you get into it, and the game delivers to each one of that expectation, but never exceeds it. It’s a character mash-up kart racer, derivative to Mario Kart to a fault, and your mileage with the game will depend entirely on whether Nickelodeon’s expansive roster of characters appeals to you. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is one aggressively fine game. This is going to be a relatively short review, because there’s really not much I can say about it.
0 kommentar(er)
