Crash Nitro Kart plays much like its predecessor, Crash Team Racing. The player races against other characters, which can be computer controlled or controlled by other players. Crates are placed throughout the tracks, which, when broken, grant power-ups. Collecting ten Wumpa Fruit from special crates improves the effect of any power-up. Many of the tracks contain obstacles, which, if not avoided, will cause the racer to come to a complete stop briefly. New to this game is the Team Frenzy Mode, which allows players to race as part of a team. A victory by any one team member counts as a victory for the team. Additionally, getting close to a team member during a race grants unlimited weapons for a short time.
In Adventure Mode, the player chooses to play as either Team Bandicoot or Team Cortex. The player must travel through four worlds, collecting three trophies in each world by winning the three races there. Each world also features a boss which must be raced after collecting all three of a world's trophies. Defeating a boss earns a Boss Key, collecting all four of which allows you to race the final boss. The player must also collect other items, such as relics, obtained by finishing a race in under a certain time, CNK tokens, obtained by finding the letters C, N, K in a race track, and gems, obtained by winning special races.
In Battle Mode, players battle against each other in a number of competitions. These battles take place in special arenas. The Arena Editor allows the player to change arenas by placing crates and other objects anywhere within an arena.
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Story:
Crash, Coco, Crunch and their protector Aku Aku are relaxing at home, when suddenly a bright light appears and abducts their entire house. Meanwhile, at Cortex Castle, Cortex is trying to think up another plan to defeat the bandicoots, but as he sends Tiny to assist N. Gin with his latest experiment, the castle tower is abducted by the same white light.
Crash, Coco, Crunch, Cortex, N. Gin, and Tiny exit their respective domiciles and find themselves in a large collesium in the middle of space. Cortex immediately blames Crash, but a giant holographic display of a large alien head interrupts him. The head explains that he is Emperor Velo the 27th, ruler of the galaxy, that he has heard word about their racing skills, and that his people hunger for entertainment. He has taken them to this collesium to race alongside Nitrous Oxide, Zam, Zem, N. Trance, Polar, and Dingodile in his Galaxy Circuit. If they win, they win their freedom. If they refuse, Earth is destroyed. Faced with this threat, both teams agree to race for Velo in order to return home