How Crash Team Racing Challenged Mario Kart and Made Naughty Dog What It Is Today

USGamer looks back on the kart racing hit with Naughty Dog's co-founders and Crash Team Racing's lead artist.

[naruga]

original CTR was far superior to Mario Kart 64 in every way....though rcent remake is not in any way at the same standards as Mario Kart 8 ...recent remake is just the original thrown into a new graphic engine editor without any real artistic talent behind it

[Platformgamer]

mario kart 8 deluxe doesn't hold a candle to original crash team racing, so is not even close to be better than the remake

[PurpHerbison]

CTR and MK64 are pretty much on the same exact level. Had insane amounts of fun with both. For me, the thing that gives CTR an edge is the story mode.

[specialguest]

CTR was far superior than MK64?? ........ BwahahahhAHAHHAAHH!!!!! get out of here! No really. Get gone! LOL

[Araragifeels]

I am still waiting Unkarted ;)

[DrumBeat]

Strong Woman Nadine would have the best stats.

[no_more_heroes]

even though it took just as much inspiration from Diddy Kong Racing?

[Relientk77]

CTR is still my favorite racing game ever.

[EddieNX]

I wanted to be excited for this and I absolutely understand why people loved the original....

But it doesn't even look half the game Mario Kart 8 deluxe is ( which is perfect ) so I think I'll be skipping it.

I guess it's nice for people who don't have a Switch.

[Platformgamer]

crash team racing is objectively better than any mario kart in existence, so don't worry, whoever doesn't own a switch will play the best kart game in town anyway ;)

[EddieNX]

It's just not though. It wasn't as good as Mario Kart 64, let alone all the entries since. Mario Kart 8 deluxe is one of the most perfect and polished games I've ever played. There's literally absolutely nothing to criticize.

[Platformgamer]

...and surpassed it.

[chris235]

sorry, not rebuying. if i wanted a kart game that plays fine and got game mechanics from previous decades i‘d get a nintendo gadget. but that‘s not why i‘m into gaming, so i won‘t.

[marioJP87]

Too bad Mario kart left this game in the dust. In terms of sales and gameplay.

[TheUndertaker85]

Who cares? It’s not like Naughty Dog is the same Naughty Dog is used to be or that they’re involved with CTR in any way, shape, or form.

I’m glad Activision has this remaster. Activision has been putting out absolutely top tier remasters with more effort than any other company to make that product better, not the same old same old.

““That left Crash Team Racing with more bugs than most of the other Naughty Dog titles,” says Rubin. “CTR crashed. CTR gave nonsense results in data. CTR had other issues. Nothing that rose to the level of industry standard, and therefore it is not remembered as a ‘buggy game.’ But compared to Naughty Dog standards, it was sloppy.”

Still, “nobody complained,” says Rubin.”