Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled has proven to be an infuriating but equally entertaining game. Steeling ourselves for a win, my s/o and I have had plenty of fun, sprinkled with ample amounts of competitive rage.

Couch racing each other these past weeks since the game’s release in June has become somewhat of a ritual, though albeit one that sometimes drives us crazy.

Behold:

• The game doesn’t drive as smooth as we want.
• The drifting mechanics are tricky (though once mastered they are a TON of fun). Learning to properly time Turbo Boosts and Power slides was even tougher.
• My s/o found out to his dismay that once you begin story mode in a difficulty setting (in his case Medium), it’s impossible to switch mid-story (he found it was nearly impossible to beat certain tracks because the opponent he was racing had endless weapons. Eventually he got it though)!
• I wish the most adorable driver, Pura, was a mid-sized character.
• And, yes, I do kind of wish the characters would WHOOP when their weapon finds a target so I know I got ‘em (okay, Mario Kart, you’ve spoiled me).

These little "annoyances" are all personal preference, of course. It's a difficult game to get the hang of!

We get angry, we threaten to rage quit, we curse mostly. And not only that, I’ve found myself sweating more on my hands lately than I had in previous years, most likely due to age (yay).

Gamer Goo has been a lifesaver during these tough Crash Team Racing crunch weeks. I’m pretty obsessed with dropping a bit of Teakwood and a bit of Vanilla Sugar together before I play – the warm scents are great together.

Playing Crash Team Racing has us thinking about our little kid selves. The first several times we played, learning how to drift then Turbo Boost/Power Slide were annoying challenges we quickly became impatient with, which is funny since as children it never bothered us doing the same thing over and over till perfection. We both agreed our 7 yr old mini-mes readily enjoyed sitting in front of the screen and doing the near-impossible thing over and over till we got it right, or until our eyelids gave.

We also assumed it might have been possible because we had more free time then, and wow. How terribly depressing.

But I digress. Impatient anger can be useful in dire race situations such as CTR. We thought we were competitive before, but playing this has taken it to a whole new level. Trash talking during this game can cause relationship strain, buyer be warned.

I love the game despite my complaints, though it still infuriates me (and really, aren’t those the best kind). Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, you’re a real gem. I’m curious what the future holds– curious to try out wacky Ripper Roo, whose face also terrifies me for some reason; turn the Pura into a sabretooth, AND I hear Spyro & friends are joining the roster soon (I'm a big, big fan)!

I also need to figure out which track is this game’s Rainbow Road (there’s already a few contenders I’ve noted – Thunder Struck and Electron Avenue). Luckily, Gamer Goo will help keep my thumbs still enough to keep me from flying off it. And to that I say cheers.