| Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Polarbit |
| Publisher(s) | Vivendi Games Mobile |
| Series | Crash Bandicoot |
| Platform(s) | Symbian,iOS,N-Gage,Zeebo |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D is a 2008racingvideo game developed by Polarbit and published byVivendi Games Mobile foriOS,N-Gage service, andZeebo. The game is the fifteenth installment in theCrash Bandicoot video game series, and was released on theApp Store in Europe on June 9, 2008 and in North America on July 9, 2008.[1] The game's story centers on a racing tournament held by antagonistsNitros Oxide,Doctor Neo Cortex andRipper Roo in an attempt to banish the titular character,Crash Bandicoot, and his friends from their island home. The game was followed by a sequel,Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2, in 2010.
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D is a racing game in which the player controls characters from theCrash Bandicoot universe, most of whom race inkarts. The game employs tilt-screen controls, allowing the player to steer the kart by tilting the iPhone or iPod Touch in asteering wheel fashion.[2] The karts accelerate automatically. To get around tough turns on a track, the player can initiate a "power slide" by tapping and holding a finger on the screen.[3] The goal in each race is to arrive at finish line in the first place.[4]
The game features a number of racing modes (including a story mode, a quick race mode and a tournament mode) and a total of 20 tracks to race on.[5][6] Scattered throughout the tracks are weapons that can be picked up and used against the other racers in a bid to hinder their performance, such asbombs andoil slicks. Special "speed zippers" can be found on the ground that can, if driven over, boost the player's speed for a short time. The same effect can be achieved by picking up a certain power-up off the track and activating it.[7]
Nitrous Oxide, the main antagonist ofCrash Team Racing, teams up withDoctor Neo Cortex andRipper Roo and stages a kart-racing tournament to bringCrash Bandicoot and his friends out of hiding. The winners of the tournament will be crowned "Kings Of Kart Racing For All Eternity", while the losers will be banished from N. Sanity Island.[6]
Initially,Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D launched forSymbian on April 29, 2008. The European release was helped by a marketing campaign with contests that had prizes modeled afterAustralia, and fundedwireless application protocol advertising banners across several mobile entertainment sites. Vivendi also organized Crash Bandicoot Grand Prix in certain parts of Europe, where selected fans and key players from the video game industry got a chance to play against each other in kart tournaments.[8]
The game was later released for N-Gage on January 6, 2009, with exclusive tracks included.[9]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 7.8/10[7] |
| Pocket Gamer |   [3] |
Often compared toMario Kart series,[3][4] the game received positive reviews. Levi Buchanan ofIGN commended the game as "the best racer in the App Store right now" noting that there is "lots of tracks to unlock".[7] Hardcore Gamer repeated similar remarks, saying it's "easily the best racing on theiPhone".[3]
Many reviewers praised the game's controls. Levi Buchanan thought they were solid and tight,[7] and Hardcore Gamer noted that they are "responsive and accurate", setting up an example for the potential ofiPhone.[4]
By April 2009, Nitro Kart 3D was the highest-selling paid application on theApp Store.[10]