‘CTR’ Unveils Final, Climactic “Gasmoxia Grand Prix” – Emperor Velo Arrives!
Almost (exactly) one year ago, I got to demo Crash Team Racing with the Beenox Team and ask a few questions. One question – or rather side comment – I remember making was how it’d be cool to see content from other CTR games appear in this series; and MAYBE even have Emperor Velo be the actual final story boss. The Beenox team simply laughed and said, “that’d be N-Sane!” As the months passed and more and more content and Grand Prix were revealed, I always thought back happily to that moment. But I still wondered, ‘what about Velo?’! Well, the FINAL CTR Grand Prix is here and as I wished one year ago, Emperor Velo has arrived with a plethora of challenges for racers to overcome!
So what does this new Season entail? What new challenges will Velo bring? And what new items/ customizations will we earn? Well, let’s take a look at the announcement trailer and break it all down.
Drive Through Danger – CTR’s Master Level Track:
You’ve raced and you’ve raced; and now it’s time to put everything you learned to the test – LITERALLY! This is most likely the final new track we’ll ever see from CTR and it has got everything. ‘Drive Through Danger’ is a track designed around the war between two major fast food chains: Toxic Burger and Nuclear Pizza. This will play out both in the environment as you see a space battle taking place around you; but also on the track itself. As racers start the race, you’ll see a massive gate representing each side of this war – green for Toxic Burger, orange for Nuclear Pizza. Which side is driven through first will determine how you navigate the track as boost pads will not only change colors but also change location. Additionally, the first racer through on each subsequent Lap will get a chance to reset this. So racers will need to stay on their toes and pay attention.
Beyond that though, this track is basically Rainbow Road (a Mario-Kart staple) on steroids. This is the most twisted track yet and there are little to no railings – which while dangerous could also prove invaluable for experienced drivers. As I said, this track will test everything you’ve learned – and reward you for it. So if you’re a master at air-braking, congrats. You might be able to skip sections of the track! Love maintaining a boost? Well then, forget that almost 180 degree turn and just shoot off the railing-less side. You might stick the landing on a different part of the track! Whether purposefully or inventively, this track is sure to have more “shortcuts” than ever before!
The Trials & Spoils of Emperor Velo:
Though a new track isn’t the only thing that’ll test your racing skills. As I said earlier, Emperor Velo will serve as the game’s final major challenge – and that isn’t just something that can be accomplished in one race. Instead, Velo will forever become a part of Time Trials. So if you’ve already beaten Oxide’s Ghosts? Cool, but now try it against a real master. After 8 seasons of Grand Prix, you’ve most likely learned a few new tricks after your last Time Trial attempt. So now you have added incentive to get back in there and dominate those old tracks one final time!
Now this long-awaited challenger isn’t the only thing racers will get out of this season. Fans have been hoping for a chance to get Velo’s Chopper as their preferred kart for just as long. And this season, you can! Throw in a ton of galactic / space-themed skins and some kart stickers to help you choose a side in this fast food war, and you have another exciting season of rewards to chase after!
As for what comes after this, no one knows for sure. Will we have a hiatus and then get another set of Grand Prix reveals? Does this mean we’ll start getting details on entirely new Crash projects? Whatever comes of this, CTR now has a total of 40 Racetracks, 12 Battle Arenas and over 50 characters. Thanks to Beenox, the master of the kart-racing genre has returned and long may it reign!
*The “Gasmoxia Grand Prix” starts today (February 20th) and runs until March 22nd!
Joe primarily covers video games news (i.e.: Pokemon, Spyro & Destiny) as well as the occasional ‘Theory Thursday’ pieces. Before writing for FanFest, Joe was the Creator & Editor of TheInsightfulPanda.com. He is also an illustrator and is currently working on Season 3 of his not-for-profit, fan-art crossover series PokéRangers on Instagram.
