Nickelodeon Kart Racers Reviews
It's hard not to have strong feelings about the laziness of Nickelodeon Kart Racers. The cynic might suggest that Bamtang Games and publisher Maximum Games were never all that bothered about producing something of quality to begin with, so long as the title could still cash in on the lucrative Nickelodeon licence. This is a crying shame, and not just because the PS4 and Xbox One currently lack a Triple-A kart racer. Since the title doesn't even attempt to hide its shortcomings, it feels like its creators are perhaps aware that parents might not read up on the title's shortcomings before purchasing it for their child, safe in the knowledge that it's a recognisable brand. That, if true, is something to really take issue with. Thankfully, the world is full of people with a conscience, who will deter folk from this monstrosity and tell them to go play Mario Kart instead.
No online multiplayer, oddly narrow selection of properties, a lack of characters and imagery from the shows they used along with oddities like no voice work make it hard to recommend, there's the nugget of a great kart racer in here but it all feels so half-hearted. A real shame.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a game trying hard to stay stuck in the past. It is merely using the Nickelodeon name as a promotional tool, offering a shallow karting game underneath it. The lack of licensed characters, terrible tracks, and average gameplay doesn't help it stand out among the countless other Kart Racing clones.
If you're looking for a fun karting experience on the Nintendo Switch, are on a budget, and your kids love the cartoon series from Nickelodeon, then this $39.99 release is definitely going to make them very happy. My kids are certainly fans of Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so they ended up gravitating to those characters when playing the game for many hours.
That said, it's hard to recommend this game to a general audience, especially with the miles better Mario Kart 8 Deluxe available on Switch, and Team Sonic Racing on the horizon. Nickelodeon Kart Racers has no online function, and its unlockable Grand Prix cups are just different combinations of tracks from the base cups. There is a decent progression and cart customization system here, but bland visuals and uninspired gameplay mean you can probably sit this race out.
Even though Nickelodeon Kart Racers may appear to be another cartoon cash-in, it actually offers solid racing gameplay.
Overall, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a complicated kart racing game that might please experienced kart racing fans but isn’t approachable for casual players who could pick it up to play as Squidward in a Mario Kart clone. The visuals aren’t too interesting and neither are the tracks themselves, but there is a true depth to kart selection and customization that makes the game more challenging than many other simple kart racers. It’s a worthy game for racing fans, but if you’re planning on a fun casual party game with friends, this might not be what you’re looking.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a disappointing cash grab, a terrible celebration of Nickelodeon's contribution to cartoons and one of the worst games I've played in a long time.
On the bright side, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is the kind of game you can buy for a nephew that you can’t stand. Just think. On the surface, his parents will give you brownie points for such an appealing looking gift. The nephew, on the other hand, will know full well that you have completely screwed him over.
As a whole younger gamers may really get a kick out of Nickelodeon Kart Racers but I’d say their enjoyment would heavily depend on both their familiarity with Mario Kart and their outright love for these characters. The further they are on the scale towards the latter rather than the former the better hopes that the game will have some longevity. For all of the modes and small touches that it brings to the table, though, it’s impossible to escape the fact that overall it feels like a knock off and without its colorful and popular license it likely wouldn’t warrant much attention at all.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers had so much potential, but in the end, it turned out to be yet another Shovelware failure. While the game has a lot more tracks than you’d expect, the overall package is a disappointment for both diehard Nickelodeon fans, and for casual players. If you or your kids are huge fans of the IP then it might be worth waiting for a price cut.
Overall, it’s a game that borrows heavily on nostalgia and caters to kids and their parents who’ve watched the show or just want to play with their kids. Considering there is no online mode, they have no choice but to invite friends over or play with the family. It’s a clone of a game that i’ll hide in the name of Kario Mart but falls short and failed to introduce new mechanics that could improve the genre. Motion controls is a bit of a hit or miss like auto-accelerate. It’s probably there for kids but not advisable for drifting as it’s clunky and at times hard to initiate.
I couldn’t recommend this to anyone but the most hardcore of Nickelodeon fans and if your child asks you for it really consider it before you part with your money.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is an unpolished Mario Kart clone, but with that being said it manages to capture the excitement of a Mario Kart race, so it's worth checking out if you don't own any existing Mario Kart titles.
It’s a kart racer, that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less and let’s be honest, these characters deserve far, far better than this.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a great addition to the family-friendly kart racing genre. Visually, it’s very colourful, the characters are all well represented and there is a lot going on but not too much that it becomes a distraction. While lacking an online mode, the fact that it has a local 2-4 player mode is amazing and can be played by families and friends as they see who can emerge the victor.