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Nicktoons Racing is, as its name suggests, a racing video game starring characters from various Nicktoons. The game was first developed and released for the Game Boy Color and Microsoft Windows in 2000, while versions for different platforms were released in subsequent years. Nearly all versions were developed by Software Creations, with the exception of the Game Boy Advance version, which was developed by Firemint, and the arcade version, which was developed by Chicago Gaming. It is styled after other kart racers such as the Mario Kart series.
Plot
Various Nickelodeon characters each receive a letter invitation to compete in a Grand Prix for the top prize, the Krusty Krab Big Bun Award. The host of the competition, also the individual who sent the invitations, is an unknown, unseen driver of a sleek, black car with a tinted dome window simply dubbed as the Mystery Rider, which the participating racers are challenged to beat, as well as each other.
Gameplay
Nicktoons Racing focuses on engaging players in go-kart racing on various Nicktoon-themed tracks, similar to the Mario Kart line of games. The game features a wide selection of playable characters from various Nicktoons, including characters from Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Hey Arnold! and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Characters and cast
| Character | Show | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Pickles | Rugrats | Elizabeth Daily |
| Angelica Pickles | Cheryl Chase | |
| Stimpy J. Cat | The Ren & Stimpy Show | Billy West |
| Ickis | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Charlie Adler |
| Arnold Shortman | Hey Arnold! | Alex D. Linz |
| Helga Pataki | Francesca Marie Smith | |
| Norbert Beaver | The Angry Beavers | Nick Bakay |
| Daggett Beaver | Richard Steven Horvitz | |
| CatDog | CatDog | Jim Cummings and Tom Kenny |
| Eliza Thornberry | The Wild Thornberrys | Lacey Chabert |
| Darwin Thornberry | Tom Kane | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | SpongeBob SquarePants | Tom Kenny |
| Patrick Star | Bill Fagerbakke | |
| Sheldon J. Plankton (The Mystery Rider) | Doug Lawrence | |
| Race announcer (non-playable) | N/A | Chris Jojo |
Reception
The PlayStation game was not reviewed on IGN, while the Game Boy Color version seemed mixed or negative with a 3.0/10 from IGN.[1] The Game Boy Advance version received an 8.0/10 on IGN.[2]
Sequels
After several years of re-releasing Nicktoons Racing for different consoles and platforms, with the last being the arcade version released in 2003, a sequel was put into production. Nicktoons Winners Cup Racing was released exclusively for the PC in February 2006. In 2008, a third Nicktoon racing game was put into production, and was released in 2009 as Nicktoons Nitro, exclusively for the arcade. A fourth Nicktoon racing game, Nickelodeon Kart Racers, was released in 2018, and received its own sequel, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, in 2020.
Trivia
- This game is often thought to be the first Nickelodeon crossover game ever created. In actuality, Nickelodeon Director's Lab, Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker, and Nickelodeon BrainBender all preceded it.
- All of the voices for the racers are all archived recordings with some taken directly from episodes.
- For some reason, a clip of Chuckie screaming is used for Tommy. Similarly, a clip of Harold laughing is used for Arnold.
- The announcer from the game's opening shares a striking resemblance to the Salesman from Ren & Stimpy, but with a different color scheme.
- Ren and Oblina appear alongside the other racers in the game's opening, but aren't playable. It is possible they were planned to be playable since The Ren & Stimpy Show and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters are the only shows that have one playable character (not counting shows with grouped characters).
- Stimpy and the Gritty Kitty Litter item were removed from the 2003 arcade version of the game. This may have been due to the advent of Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, which premiered the same year. Despite this, the Ren & Stimpy stage and the Powdered Toast Man Crouton Launcher item were kept intact.
References
| This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The article or pieces of the original article was at Nicktoons Racing. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Nickipedia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
