Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix Review

"Racing With Modern Faves"

Campaign

October 17, 2020 at 9:40pm
By Jason Stettner

I suppose the first Nickelodeon Kart Racers was a bit of a success considering we now have a second entry that does improve on many areas of the experience. It’s definitely larger in scale, and a tad more fun as well. This is a series that has some real potential, and I think in one more entry they’ll be entirely there.

The big changes that made an impact here were having a larger roster of characters which now includes thirty. They go further by having team members which adds seventy characters, but that’s not quite the same as having actual drivers. It’s a nice way to include further properties, at the same time I feel their roster can get larger.

Especially considering these are largely modern incarnations of the classic characters. Hopefully if we get a future entry they’ll have some classic alternate designs. That would be cool, since I’m a product of the 90’s and know of slightly different looking characters. Getting back on task, there are cups to work through to unlock new characters and parts to use.

There’s also just quickplay which provides a good combination of modes. That includes traditional racing and also some arena type battling. There’s a decent amount of variation, though they could take the modes further quite honestly. Still, I was pleased with what was provided. You can also enjoy some of this in local four player splitscreen, or go online to compete with up to eight players which is nice for those that want to compete with others that aren’t necessarily presently available.

Gameplay

This handles quite well, with various improvements to the driving mechanics. It’s actually quite slick, and features the typical karting moves you’d expect. You’re racing about on really colorful tracks gathering power-ups to unleash and are using the slime sprayed everywhere to get some boosts.

These power-ups range from offensive by shooting projectiles to somewhat defensive such as mounds of dirt flowing around you. The tracks are of course all distinct, and inspired by their own respective franchises. You get some really neat ones here, such as the dream level which is wild. Some of these include some hidden spots to drive through, and jumps among other little boosts to your speed. With that, it handles well and does look quite good.

They capture the styles of the various characters perfectly well and somehow make them look as though they all belong within the same universe which is impressive. You get characters from Spongebob;, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Airbender, Rugrats, Hey, Arnold! and more. I wasn’t a huge fan of unlocking some of them through the cups area, but it’s a small goal to ask for to get more I suppose.

As mentioned prior, these are recent versions of the characters and it would have been nice to even have some nostalgic skins options. The team members grow the options, but they’re just tiles that slightly adjust your abilities further when playing. You can also adjust your karts with new parts that you earn while working through the cups.

The Conclusion

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix brings fun karting action with a solid roster of well known characters while improving core mechanics and expanding the scope of the experience. They’ve really got something good going with this series and I do have high hopes for what a third iteration might be like. There’s a lot of potential to really push things further. The improvements here were highly appreciated as it’s playing better and looking far better than it had prior.

The roster growth is solid, and the track selection is great. There are some modes to play, and ways to connect locally or online. It’s definitely something that should please its target audience. With that, it’s a good all ages option as I had fun playing it as well. There’s some good action to be had here and competitive times too if you’d like to set it that way.

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Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix Review on Xbox One X
Review Code Provided by Sandbox Strat

Rating Overall: 7.4