10 Powerful Video Game Bosses That Became Weak Playable Characters

Crash Team Racing's plot is hardly gripping stuff: Nitros Oxide, a being from the planet Gasmoxia, has challenged the fastest drivers on Crash’s world to a race, promising to transform the planet into one huge parking lot if he wins.

Needless to say, Oxide does not play fair. His races (he is taken on twice) take place on his own track, the long and winding Oxide Station. He rockets away before the countdown is finished, getting a head start, drops copious amounts of items to scupper the player, and initially only span out briefly when hit by even Juiced-Up weapons (though this isn’t the case in remaster Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled).

He seems like an impossible speedster, but when he’s unlocked in Nitro-Fueled (he isn’t legitimately available in the original), players realize this isn’t the case. His Driving Style is Acceleration, making him functionally identical to the others that share this style. This is academic now that Racing Styles can be customized, but Nitros Oxide’s artificial difficulty is very common in racing games.