Nickelodeon Kart Racers

Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a 2018 racing video game developed by Bamtang Games and published by GameMill Entertainment in the North American release and Maximum Games in the European release. The game features Nickelodeon characters in a crossover, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rugrats. The game was released on October 23, 2018 in North America and October 26, 2018 in Europe for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[2] It was the first new Nicktoons video game to be released in over seven years (the longest time gap for the series), with the last one being Nicktoons MLB in fall 2011. It is also one of the last Nickelodeon-related video games to be released during Stephen Hillenburg's lifetime, before his death on November 26, 2018, one month after the game's European release.[3] On June 10, 2020, a sequel was confirmed for release on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.[4] The sequel, titled Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, will include characters from additional shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Ren & Stimpy Show, The Loud House, Invader Zim, Rocko's Modern Life, The Legend of Korra, CatDog, Danny Phantom as well as real-life celebrities that Nickelodeon featured such as JoJo Siwa. It will also include 70 crew members, online/split screen multiplayer, 28 tracks and 2 arenas. The game is currently set to release in October 2020.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers
North American PlayStation 4 cover art
Developer(s)	Bamtang Games
Publisher(s)	NA: GameMill Entertainment EU: Maximum Games
Series	Nicktoons
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	NA: October 23, 2018 EU: October 26, 2018[1]
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Gameplay

Nickelodeon Kart Racers features a selection of 12 playable characters from four different Nicktoons; SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rugrats. 24 race tracks based different locations from the shows are included in the game.[5]

It also has a co-op mode, where the player can "pull off devastating fused attacks, and local free-for-all multiplayer." The karts can be customized in the shop and power-ups can be picked up from the tracks.

Development

The game was announced on July 25, 2018.[6][7] A trailer for the game was released on September 13, 2018.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 42/100 (PS4)[9] 41/100 (NS)[10] 49/100 (XONE)[11] Review scores Publication Score Nintendo Life 3/10[12] OXM (UK) 5/10[13]

Nickelodeon Kart Racers received "generally unfavorable" reviews on all platforms according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Nintendo Life gave the game 3/10 stars, criticizing it for the lack of voice acting and the roster size which only consists of two to four characters from four different cartoons while lacking characters from other popular Nickelodeon cartoons like The Fairly OddParents, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Invader Zim, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Loud House.[12]

PlayStation LifeStyle gave the game a slightly higher score of 5.5/10, stating that "while [it] provides plenty of content and has smart references that integrate well with some very solid racing, the poor visuals and botched battle mode leave plenty to be desired. If you accept the game for what it is there’s definitely some fun to be had but its shortcomings are jarring enough to require some substantial blinders."[14]

References

1. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers (PS4)". Amazon. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
2. https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-switch/games/nickelodeon-kart-racers/163553
3. Otterson, Joe (November 27, 2018). "'SpongeBob Squarepants' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Dies at 57". Variety. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
4. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix announced for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
5. "Mario Kart-Inspired Game With Nickelodeon Characters Announced". GameSpot. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
6. https://www.gamestop.com/xbox-one/games/nickelodeon-kart-racers/163551
7. https://www.gamestop.com/ps4/games/nickelodeon-kart-racers/163549
8. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers Announce Trailer" – via www.youtube.com.
9. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers (PlayStation 4)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
10. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers (Switch)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
11. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers (Xbox One)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
12. Vogel, Mitch (November 4, 2018). "Nickelodeon Kart Racers Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
13. Towell, Justin. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers". Official Xbox Magazine (UK). No. 172. Future plc.
14. "Nickelodeon Kart Racers Review — Needs Another Coat of Slime (PS4)". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2019-11-03.