Proto:Crash Nitro Kart (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox)/Official PlayStation 2 Magazine Demo

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Another demo version was part of the Official US PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc 77. It's slightly more complete if compared to the previous demo build, but still contains many differences. According to the modification dates of the files, the demo is dated around July 24th, 2003.

Just like the previous demo, it also features Jungle Boogie and Out of Mime as playable race tracks.

Menu Differences

Demo	Final

• The startup sequences use static images. There is no music, narration or animated screens.
• The game's logo is a static image on a dull background. It says Press Start Button to Begin! using the game's font, instead of Press Start Button in a white font.
• Three options are available in the main menu: 1 Player Race, 2 Player Race, and Control Setup. The CNK's logo is missing, and there are no other game modes.
• The background is much lighter than the final game.
• A meteor would orbit Velo's Coliseum in the background of the selection menus.
• "Accept" and "Back" button hints are always on-screen, regardless of the menu you are in.
• Demo mode doesn't work properly. The demo ends just after the game loads it.

Demo	Final

• There are some control layout differences: the Rear View button is set to R2 instead of L2, and Toggle View is set to L2 instead of Select.
• A lot of options are missing: FX Volume, Music Volume, Voice Volume, and Button Layout.
• "Boost" is called "Turbo Slide", "Power-up" is called "Use Power-up", and "Brake/Rev." is called "Brake".
• The dark background is missing.

Demo	Final

• The background is much lighter than the final game.
• A meteor would orbit Velo's Coliseum in the background of the selection menus.
• The planet on the left has an orange tone in the demo, as opposed to the purple color from the final.
• The unlockable characters icons are invisible and their shadows don't appear.
• There is a 1 number in the left corner of the highlighted P1 icon outline. In the final game, it's used only in multiplayer modes.

Demo	Final

• Two levels can be selected. There is no preview thumbnail, track minimaps, or even the number of laps.
• Out of Time is called "Out of Mime", likely a typo (or a reference to Norm's planet where everyone is mimic).
• The letters in "LOADING" fly from the right, just like in CTR, but in front of a plain, black background.

Gameplay Differences

• A few smoke comes out from the exhaust pipes when the kart is idle.
• The smokes suddenly change to black when powersliding, rather than fading smoothly.
• There is a height meter that pops up every time the kart is lifted from the ground.
• The powerslide bar has the colors inverted.
• The boost counter is placed on the right corner of the screen and appears from the right, similar to Crash Team Racing.
• The characters' model are now affected by the shadow of the environment.
• The characters now feature static animations, although they don't play properly in-race.
• The tire tracks are etched on the ground for a long time.
• The boost counter appears on the right and over the minimap.
• It's much more complicated to skid karts.
• The item roulette gives an item too early.
• Wumpa crates give to the player a few Wumpas, usually between 2-3 fruits.
• The CPU racers have a louder voice in-race.
• There are many unused voice lines which were removed or reduced in the final game.
• Pressing X to resume the game will reset the level's theme.
• X crates are now present.
• The speedometer won't glow when 10 Wumpas are collected.

Race

• Single Race is called Arcade.

Demo	Final

• The characters spawn much further ahead of the start line.
• The minimap is larger and now is in the final position on the HUD.
  • Because of this, now the height meter is overlapped by the minimap.
• Start lights have a different texture than the final game.
• The symbol that represents the player on the minimap is the same size as the CPU one and doesn't blink.
• The idle animations are activated much more quickly than in the final game.
• Start banners are now implemented.
• The position number is placed too close to the character icons.
• The results screen was very simple at this time and there wasn't any commemoration for achieving first place.
• The demo features Crash with a deeper voice. All of his voice effects were sped up for the final game, but the original ones were still kept for the Game Boy Advance version.
• The races are based on Team Mode. However, it works very differently from the final game, since the Team Frenzy feature didn't exist at the time. If the player receives an Aku Aku, Shield or Voodoo Doll, the CPU racer of the same team will also receive it if the player is next to that character.
• The CPU racers have a high difficulty in the demo and throw a variety of items such as TNTs and Freezing Mines, which doesn't happen in the final game.
• Some power-up explosions, such as the bowling bombs, are purple.
• The Velo mask wasn't implemented yet. Instead, all characters who are protected by it in the final game are protected by Aku Aku mask with Uka Uka's voice and music as placeholder.
• A lot of voice clips are missing in the demo.
• The characters have an extra voice clip for when they are hit.
• Some falling voice clips are much longer, causing it to continue playing even after the character respawns.
  • Most of them also have longer voice clips for other actions, which were shortened in the final game.
• The mask makes its sound effect and its invincibility theme plays when the character falls.
• The mask comes down to rescue the character way faster.
• There is no black screen transition before the respawn.
• The characters respawn way faster.

Multiplayer

It isn't possible to access 3 or 4 player modes, as the demo only grants access for one and two players.

• In general, multiplayer mode was heavily unfinished at this point.
• The HUD layout is based on Crash Team Racing with many similarities and much larger.
• The characters' icons are bigger.
• The camera is much closer to the players.
• There are two colored lines in the screen division.
• The karts are emitting smoke, which was disabled in the final game for multiplayer modes.
• The height meter was also present in multiplayer.
• There are no sound effects for player 2's actions.

Power-Ups

Voodoo Doll

The Voodoo Doll is an item that was removed from the final game which surrounds the player in a bright aura (complete with a heavenly choir) while supplying a short Team Frenzy-like effect with unlimited power-ups for a short amount of time. It also shrinks down whoever's in 1st place, generates a rain cloud over their head (similar to what happens in Crash Team Racing with the Red Beakers), slows them down, and makes their kart slippery. The icon for the voodoo doll is still present in the final game, and you can see it flashing among the other power-ups when you break a crate.

TNT

• The "Jump!" message warning is missing.

Freezing Mine

• The freezing mine used to have a different icon that is still used in the Game Boy Advance version.
• The old model was a small crystal surrounded by a blue fog.
• The effect of the freezing mine is shorter in the demo.

Static Orb

• The thunder bolt is the Static Orb's original form. It was only different in appearance and icon.
• It uses the missile tracking sound effect when following the player, in the juiced up form.
  • The target icon is also of the same color.

Power Shield

• Power Shield's icon is the exact same icon used in Crash Team Racing.
• The shield has a different appearance.
• If your teammate activates the shield as well, a small sphere of energy will emerge from the bubble and automatically fly to the nearest racers, causing a shock to the opponents.

Aku Aku/Uka Uka

• The masks have a very different theme.
• If you hit someone while invincible, they will spin.

Super Engine

• Super Engine's icon is the exact same icon used in Crash Team Racing.

Track Differences

At this point in development, more crates were added into the tracks in order to adjust the difficulty, although some of them were later removed for balancing.

Jungle Boogie

• Jungle Boogie uses Tiny Temple theme.

• There is a X crate in the shortcut that was removed in the final game.

• This Wumpa crate was moved further ahead in the final game.

Out of Time

• The giant hourglass floating up above the ramps was now removed.
• There are no eagles flying around the stage's background.
• The windmills have a different sound effect.

Demo	Final

• The ramps have a different texture and don't give a dash.
• The ! crate is misplaced on mid-air.

• This X crate was removed in the final game.

• This Wumpa crate was moved to the other side of the fence.

• This Wumpa crate was removed in the game.

Demo	Final

• The worms still have different holes, which are just patches of dirt. However, the holes are now closer to the final.
• The X crate is absent.
• If one of the worms eats you, the camera doesn't change angles like in the final game.