Kart racers are a dime a dozen, each of them trying to emulate the success of the genre’s king, Mario Kart. Many have tried, few have succeeded, but what about Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix? Well, it doesn’t quite succeed in besting Mario at his own spin-off, but it does put in a good effort, and it’s definitely worth a look if you’re tired of the same old Mario Kart tracks.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 expands on the first game in just about every way. For one, the number of playable characters has been increased massively, introducing characters from Invader Zim, Avatar, and more, as well as returning racers from Rugrats, SpongeBob Squarepants, and other popular Nickelodeon cartoons. It’s a nice long list of characters, and I’m sure any player will be able to find their favourite. Mine are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – because I’m still a big kid on the inside.
Characters are all well and good, but they don’t make a racer. Tight, responsive controls, track variety, and power-ups are what make a good kart racer. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 has these in abundance.
What’s immediately noticeable is the performance – at least on PS4 Pro – with the game running very smoothly. the frame rate is rock solid, and jumping into turns and drifts is as responsive as the best of them. The game looks great, too, with a really clean presentation with colourful, eye-catching graphics.
Power-ups are varied, too, with a little bit more depth than I expected. Before you race, you choose your character, your vehicle and its parts, but also supporting characters. These supporting characters – of which there are more than 70 – make up the rest of your racing loadout. They act as your perks during a race, with one being a slime-powered perk, meaning you have to collect enough slime to fill the slime meter before you can use that particular ability. It might sound a little complicated, and I guess for younger players it is, but having abilities tied to characters makes it easier to remember what each ability is – even if they don’t really fit in with the characters.
There are several game modes to play, ranging from the standard Grand Prix to challenges that task you with completing missions. These are fun and I’ve got to hand it to the developers for adding something a little different, even if they are one-and-done events.
The Grand Prix is where I spent most of my time, either playing by myself or in split-screen with my boy. There are three racing modes – Slow, Medium, and Fast – and I generally prefer to play using the Fast setting, if only because I enjoy a good challenge. On the lower speeds, things are on the easier side, though my boy, who is 4 and a half, preferred the Slow and Medium races. Because he’s a kid and losing can and does result in a temper tantrum.
There are over two dozen tracks to race around, and they’re fairly inventive, too, with interesting layouts with ample opportunity for attacking manoeuvres if you should find yourself at the back of the pack. I rarely did because I’m amazing, but it’s good to know all the same.
On the topic of attacking, I’ve got to throw out massive props to whoever decided to include the hand-over-the-screen attack. Every single time, without fail, when that hand came sliding in from left to right, I laughed my hairy head off. I don’t know why. There’s just something so ridiculous about it that I get triggered into a fit of giggles. That hand is more dangerous than anyone could have imagined…
I haven’t got many complaints about Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2, though one thing that does stick out like Squidward’s nose is the lack of voice acting. It’s a real shame that nothing could be done on this front because there’s plenty of opportunity for some in-race banter between characters. Without it, it feels like there’s something missing, and as great as modern technology is these days, that’s not something likely to be fixed with a patch.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a great effort at a kart racer, and instead of trying to ape Mario Kart at every turn, the game takes its own course and sets a path for what I hope will be a returning franchise. But please, for goodness sake, at least get some soundbites from the TV shows to give these characters a bit of life.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix PS4 Review
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Overall - Fantastic - 8/108/10
Summary
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a great effort at a kart racer, and instead of trying to ape Mario Kart at every turn, the game takes its own course and sets a path for what I hope will be a returning franchise. But please, for goodness sake, at least get some soundbites from the TV shows to give these characters a bit of life.
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Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.
Reviewed using PS4 Pro.
