Crash Nitro Kart is a racing video game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox versions were released in North America on November 11, 2003 and in Europe on November 28, 2003; The N-Gage version of the game was released in Europe on June 30, 2004 and in North America on July 28, 2004. The Mobile version was released on September 20, 2004. The PlayStation 2 version was re-released in the three-disc "Crash Bandicoot Action Pack" compilation (alongside Crash Twinsanity and Crash Tag Team Racing) in the United States on June 12, 2007 and in Europe on July 20, 2007. The game is the ninth installment in the Crash Bandicoot series. It is an indirect sequel to Crash Team Racing and the first game in the series to have full motion video. The game's story centers on the abduction of Crash Bandicoot, along with other characters in the series, by the ruthless dictator Emperor Velo XXVII. Threatening to destroy the Earth if they refuse, he forces them to race in his gigantic coliseum for the entertainment of his subjects. Crash Nitro Kart received mixed reviews, with reviews varying from version to version. The home console version was met with generally fair reviews. Reviewers dismissed the game as a generic kart racer, but commented positively on its "power slide" system. The Game Boy Advance version earned slightly better reviews than the console version, while reviews for the N-Gage version were middling, with much of the criticism going to the game's "tunnel vision".