CTR: Nitro-Fueled Hands-On - 7 Ups & 2 Downs

5. Considered Weapon Balancing

Another thing I'll hold up as better than all is Naughty Dog's original choice of weapons. Yes, there's a lot of similarity to the holy grail of Mario Kart, but CTR managed to balance what you get from each crate better than the competition.

Out in first? Mario Kart says you'll likely get a coin or a boost - things you don't need, being you're leading the pack anyway. Crash on the other hand will shower you with potions and TNT crates - items that'll help you maintain that lead by laying down obstacles in your wake. The only trade-off, is now you need to dodge everything on the next lap.

Going into Nitro-Fueled, I hoped Beenox would balance all of this, and not only do the drops feel authentic, but some weapons have been balanced for online play.

Missiles for example, have been slowed down in their base form. You'll need to pick up 10 Wumpa fruits on any track to get them back to their 90s-level speed. Blue warps can now be summoned multiple times too, but they'll shatter crates as they move around the track, likely backfiring on those who keep deploying them too quickly.

Tiny things like this will have the biggest impact online, but it's fascinating to think of a developer balancing an old-school classic towards a whole new way to play.