Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a surprisingly fun kart racer that is filled with unlockable content and fun references to Nickelodeon’s huge catalog of franchises. The drifting never feels natural, but the racing itself and the various modes are enough to satisfy anyone looking for a simple and fun kart racer.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
Developer: GameMill Entertainment, Bamtang Games SAC, Bamtang Games
Price: $40
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a Switch code for review
Like many people, I grew up with quite a few of Nickelodeon’s classic cartoons. it’s only natural that something as nostalgic and iconic as the Nicktoons would be put into a crossover racing game, though it might be surprising to hear that the final product is actually pretty strong. If you ever wanted a fun game that lets Ren and Stimpy race CatDog, this is the game for you.
The main mode you’ll be playing to unlock things is Grand Prix, which features a series of races for various cups.. These take you across courses from shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Rocko’s Modern Life while recording your place in each race. Beating Grand Prixs unlocks new characters and pit crew members, with some characters being exclusively unlockable through this mode. The races never feel too long or dull, and it’s a good way to see just how meticulously crafted each level is.
“These abilities make Kart Racers 2 feel unique, as there are tons of them that all do handy things like boosting you when you crash or giving you extra items. It adds some strategy to each race, which I appreciate.“
There’s so much admiration for Nickelodeon in these stages, from the cartoony underwater Spongebob stages to the colorful Double Dare stage. Every setting oozes admiration towards the history of Nickelodeon, for both its live-action and cartoon roots. This respect also extends to the items (like Ren & Stimpy’s Log and Hey Arnold’s Yahoo Soda) as well as the challenges. In Challenge mode, you’re given specific tasks to perform in races to unlock characters like Gir from Invader Zim and Shredder from Ninja Turtles. These enjoyable challenges often reference jokes from the various shows while also being varied and sometimes quite challenging in their objectives. Throw in Time Trials mode and multiplayer, and you have a great diversity of modes to keep you entertained.
Driving feels satisfyingly smooth and light, with my only complaint being aimed towards the drifting in Kart Racers 2. Drifting never feels quite natural while racing, as its effect is so delayed and harsh that it makes calculating when to use it unnecessarily difficult. Even with different stats that either boosted or weakened the drift stat, it simply never worked as smoothly as it does in other kart racers. It’s a shame, as the rest of the game feels great, but the slippery drift is probably the game’s biggest issue.
There’s a lot of customization to your play style thanks to the Garage and Pit Crew systems. Each character has their own stats that can be altered by swapping car parts that can be purchased with Slime Tokens. If that wasn’t enough, you can also use a variety of abilities through equipping unlockable Pit Crew characters. These abilities make Kart Racers 2 feel unique, as there are tons of them that all do handy things like boosting you when you crash or giving you extra items. It adds some strategy to each race, which I appreciate.
The visuals of Kart Racers 2 are suitably cartoony, with all the characters adhering to a fairly unified artstyle. It works well, as each character still retains their original charm and style without clashing with one another when put side-by-side. I do wish there were voice clips for each character, as it’s eerily quiet when you hit enemies or win races.
The Final Word
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a surprisingly strong kart racer that boasts a great deal of content. While I wish drifting was better and there was voice acting, the number of varied characters, colorful tracks, and enjoyable modes makes this one of the better kart racers.
MonsterVine Review Score: 4 out of 5 – Good
Will1209
October 15, 2020 at 12:58 pm
Definitely better than the first game. Still wished Jimmy was in the game tho.