Let's face it, some platforming characters wear out their welcome rather quickly. No one asked for a third Bubsy game for the PlayStation. Hell, come to think of it, no one was really crazy upon the arrival of Bubsy II on the Genesis. But some companies still try, and one of them is Vivendi Universal. Along with milking out new Spyro the Dragon titles left and right, the company also focuses well on the Crash Bandicoot franchise, first made popular by Sony and Naughty Dog on the PlayStation years ago. Since both parties departed company with the bandicoot and moved on to bigger things, one had to wonder if Vivendi and Radical Entertainment were up to recapturing the magic of old days with their superstar. So far, so good- last year's Crash Twinsanity wasn't half bad, and this year, we get Crash Tag Team Racing, which is a little bit better than you might think. Not overwhelming in depth, but at least not a half-ass slapped-together mascot game.

In the game, Crash once again finds himself racing against friends and foes alike, from the sweet Coco to the dastardly Neo Cortex, and every sort of baddie and hero in-between. There's a wide variety of characters here, even though they mostly play about the same. There's a number of modes to choose from as you proceed, ranging from Race (typical mode) to Rolling Thunder (speed plus destruction sort of thing) to Run and Gun. Let's face it, most of these are the same, focusing on Crash and company using high-speed cart-racing antics and weapons in order to win.

The game's not entirely deep, but it does have one thing going for it that manages to push it ahead of the lackluster Crash Nitro Kart, and that's the power of invention. Throughout the game, you'll run into a number of odd, insane weapons that somehow fuse an animal with a lot of firepower. For instance, in one sector, you'll pick up monkeys that carry around dynamite, who come in handy for latching onto the competition. There's also missiles that resemble dolphins, turning your opponents into tuna. Ha! Not really, but they'll slow them down significantly. The fact that the game didn't take a straightforward route with all these weapons helps.

Another thing to consider is the all new "clash" play mechanic, which is where the Tag Team comes into play. If you hit a particular button during the race, you'll find yourself in a strange blue glow. Get close enough to another racer, friend or foe, and you'll find yourself merged with that car, becoming a destructive force to be reckoned with. To further mix things up, each character packs their own significant weaponry, making them that much more unpredictable. The best part about all this is that you can depart from "clash" with another press of the button, giving yourself the advantage and somewhat confusing your former "clash" partner. It takes a couple of times to see what the powers are all about, but you'll like it once it sinks in.

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