Even after Crash Bandicoot came back with the N. Sane Trilogy, it seemed insane that we’d also get a remaster of Crash Team Racing. And not only are were getting that, but we’re also getting new content imported from later games in the series. Everyone knows about Crash and Coco, but what about Komodo Joe? Did you really play past the PlayStation glory days, or is Naughty Dog still your Bandicoot developer? For anyone new to Crash Team Racing, here’s a crash course covering who’s who among the more obscure characters on the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled roster.
Not only does Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled gather a collection of characters from across the Bandicoot’s history, but it also has outfit customization. While there are several palette swaps and other nonspecific new looks for more obscure members of the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled roster, main characters get great duds. Crash gets his jetpacking outfit and scuba gear from Warped, Cortex and N. Gin get goofy throwbacks to Crash Tag Team Racing, and there even a set of three retro skins that harken back to the PlayStation 1 days. As with the past two PS1 platformer throwbacks Activision has thrown out, you can tell that some passion was put into this production.
Get ready to race in style! Customize your Kart and Racer in N. Sane new ways in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. Available June 21, 2019. pic.twitter.com/H5LdbmqovN
— Crash Bandicoot (@CrashBandicoot) May 9, 2019
So, with the continued success and the obvious resources going into Crash Bandicoot, will we see a new game in the franchise pop up? It seems inevitable, especially considering Activision’s current slate. After letting Destiny go independent, it seems like a slam dunk move. However, nothing is official quite yet. In fact, the company may be waiting to see what the tail looks like on Crash Team Racing before going forward. One thing is for sure though. If this is the last time we see the characters of the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled roster, they’re going out in style.
When you click on a retail link, we might earn a commission that helps us support the site. Learn more here.
Crash Team Racing Roster
-
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Roster | Who's Who in this Throwback Kart Racer?
Even after Crash Bandicoot came back with the N. Sane Trilogy, it seemed insane that we'd also get a remaster of Crash Team Racing. And not only are we getting that, but we also getting new content imported from later games in the series. For anyone new to CTR, here's a crash course covering who's who among the more obscure characters on the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled roster. -
Fake Crash
A joke character cooked up by Naughty Dog to mock some off-brand Japanese merchandise, Fake Crash made his only playable appearance in the Crash Team Racing games. He's got huge eyebrows, a whole row of buck teeth somehow, and a questionable set of dance skills that he loves to show off to deserving players. -
Pinstripe Potoroo
Pinstripe is a boss character from the original Crash Bandicoot. A typical mobster, Pinstripe runs Cortex's factories as well as serving as the main baddie's bodyguard. In the manual for Crash 2 in Japan, it's said that Crash's old flame Tawna shacked up with Pinstripe after the events of the first game. -
Papu Papu
A tribal leader on the island where Crash washes ashore in the original Crash Bandicoot, Papu is the first boss that the Bandicoot defeats in his adventures. In his CTR boss battle, Papu loves throwing chemical beakers behind him to slow you down. -
Ripper Roo
A boss from the first two Crash games, Ripper is a kangaroo who was hit with Cortex's evolution laser twice in quick succession. That turned his hair blue and his mind moldy, making him very much insane. Although he eventually regains his intelligence and becomes a college professor, Ripper can snap back into his looney persona with frightening ease. -
Komodo Joe
The skinnier of the two Komodo brothers, Joe speaks just like a snake and wields a curved sword. He is a solo act in Crash's karting adventures, although he appears with his brother in his debut boss fight in Crash 2 and in his appearance in Crash Bash. -
Doctor Nefarious Tropy
The self-proclaimed "master of time and quantum warp technology," N. Tropy is the catalyst behind Crash's time travel adventures in Warped. His signature weapon is a huge tuning fork, and players have to master Time Trial mode to nab him in the original Crash Team Racing. -
Crunch Bandicoot
If you can't solve a bandicoot problem, why not throw a bandicoot at it? That's the thinking behind Crunch, another mutated marsupial that quickly joins with our heroes against his former master Cortex. He may be dim-witted, but he's loyal to his new family. -
N. Trance
A cyborg from the 5th dimension (we can't make this stuff up folks), N. Trance is a master of hypnosis that battles Crash in his Game Boy Advance adventures. In Nitro Kart, N. Trance brainwashed Dingodile, Polar, and Pura to join his side and form a racing team. -
Norm and Big Norm
Aliens from another planet, Norm is one of the racers Emperor Velo XXVII brings in to battle Earth's teams. He is actually one being that can split himself into two characters and each one appearing as an unlockable in Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. -
Nash
A cybernetic racing shark from the planet Barin, Nash uses his sharp teeth as weapons, just as all good sharks should. In the original Crash Nitro Kart, he shares a voice actor with one Phillip J. Fry, which is quite the experience for any Futurama fans out there.
