GENRE
	Action / Racing
	DEVELOPER
	Radical Entertainment
	PUBLISHER
	Vivendi Universal
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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Crash was once considered Sony's answer to Mario. Like Mario, Crash has appeared in a number of different games spanning a number of different genres. Unlike Mario, his popularity has diminished over the years. His newest attempt to regain his former standing is the platforming-racing hybrid Crash Tag Team Racing. The game does a lot of things, it just doesn’t do any of them well.

visuals

In the platforming levels, everything looks bland. Tag Team Racing looks like it belongs on the N64, not the GameCube, as nearly every texture is a dull, flat mess by today's standards. The game does do an excellent job of distinguishing the ground from the wall, if that's an accomplishment. The racing portion looks only slightly better. There are a few nice elements on the various tracks, such as destructible statues and... more destructible statues, but the environments look like their platforming counterpart. That makes sense, since Crash is supposedly racing through the platform levels, but it certainly does little for the aesthetics.

All of the quality graphics were apparently exhausted on the unplayable portions of the game. Why do cutscenes receive so much polish when the main game receives so little? Crash and his group look great when the player is not in control. Because of the cartoon style of Tag Team Racing, it seems that the entire game could have reached at least close to that graphical level.

audio

Sound is the only above average aspect of the game. Tag Team Racing features full voice work in both the cutscenes and the main game, taking the liberty of mocking famous voices from Howard Cosell to Mr. T. There are a few funny lines sprinkled in, but for the most part the solid voice acting is wasted on boring dialogue that adds nothing to the gameplay, meaning players will ultimately chose to skip the scenes. The music is generally well done, and some of it is outstanding. Every level has a different tune, from instrumentals to chants. Some of the music would be better suited in a different level, but it still has a great sound.

gameplay

Tag Team Racing is split into two sections-- racing, as the title implies, and platforming, which is actually the majority of the game. The majority stinks. Crash needs to collect jewels to help repair an amusement park. Whoever collects the most will be given the deed to the park. The jewels are collected in the platforming portion to open more areas and more race tracks.

Crash has a lot of resistance in his jumps making him feel sluggish as you attempt to collect the required items. This is combined with a number of camera problems to make him difficult to control. The camera generally stays behind Crash, but when he nears a wall it shoots above him and Crash suddenly disappears. This makes jumping a horror at times, especially considering Crash is less than responsive to the pressing of the A button.

Of course, it really does not matter if Crash falls to his death, since there is no punishment for dying (which makes it strange that there are enemies). Forget having a limited number of lives, Crash is not even placed back at the beginning of the level. Any strategy or thought process about what to do becomes irrelevant when there is no penalty for failing. Of course, this turns out to be a positive. The designers decided that certain areas would be off-limits, and they made them off-limits by initiating an instant death. Jump to the wrong piece of land, and Crash dies for no apparent reason. Strange decisions are at work throughout the game. For a platformer with below average graphics, horrible camera problems and sometimes shoddy control it does not even try to redeem itself with interesting level design. Even the mini-games, most of which are just cosmetically different versions of one another, are boring.

Part two of Tag Team Racing is the actual racing. It is the better portion of the game, but that's not saying much. The cars turn like Crash jumps-- slow and unforgiving. It feels as if the car is fighting a massive wind trying to stop it from steering. Of course, steering is not that important, because the tracks designs are overly simple and extremely repetitive. Aside from different environments, every track feels the same, with the exception of the requisite oval track.

Of course, track design is not important, because it is best to clash with another driver and just start shooting everyone. Two drivers can merge (thus the "Tag Team" in the title) to create a combination of a driver and a shooter. Without a partner, weapons are picked up on the track, but partner controlled weapons are by far more powerful and much cooler. Each character has a unique gun. The weapon choices, ranging from rapid-fire machine guns and magnetic bombs to mortar-style cannons are fun to watch and fun to fire. The game's battle mode, however, which focuses solely on destruction, does not allow players to use the character specific weapons. What a surprise.

multiplayer

All racing modes are available for multiplayer. Players can clash with one another to create an entirely player controlled driver/gunner team. As expected, multiplayer is best with four players pairing for a two on two team battle.

overall

Who would have thought that a game with parachuting dynamite monkeys and ninja penguins would be this bad? The game tries to be funny, and honestly there are a few giggles to be had in this title. But just too many sloppy mistakes crash around every turn. Nine years ago, this would have been groundbreaking. Nine years ago. Everything this game offers is executed much better somewhere else. Crash Tag Team Racing was just an accident waiting to happen.

5.0/10