27.5.2010

The 21st of May was a rather exciting day gamewise - Red Dead Redemption was finally hitting the shelves, and a kart game that followed on from Little Big Planet's 'Play Create Share' ideal was also coming out. "I'll blast through Red Dead in a couple of days" I thought, "and then I'll try out some karting!"So, a week later and I've played 2 hours or so of RDR - partly because of that lovely spell of weather we had over the weekend, and partly because ModNation Racers has far exceeded any of my expectations and has taken up pretty much all of my gaming time! I was lucky enough to have a chance of playing the beta a few months back and was intrigued by the mixture of karting and creating,however I have to say I was a little under-awed by the karting aspect, it just didn't have that Mario Kart spark, yet I couldn't put my finger on it. However I'm happy to say in the full release racing is pretty much on a par with the obvious influence that is Mario Kart, I don't know what they did to make it better, but they did. What takes this game to the next level, above and beyond Mario Kart, is the HD graphics and creation tools at your disposal.So, firstly the driving - as mentioned, influence is heavily drawn from Mario Kart. Controls are simple - accelerate, brake and drift, you're either going flat out or you're stationary because you've hit a wall/been blown up/fallen off a bridge (this is no driving simulator!) Drifting around corners builds up a power boost bar that can be used to either go faster (by holding down L1), or as a shield to protect from attacks (by pressing circle). These attacks are just like Mario Kart - small pods are dotted around tracks, you drive over a pod, and you gain the ability to attack your opponents in different ways, like with rockets, or by electrocuting them. Run over another pod or two and this upgrades your weapon, and if you hold square instead of pressing x to fire a weapon, you can instead lay a mine-style trap to blow up people on your tail. As mentioned, the control is simple and smooth, kart control is quite easy all things considered. Tracks feature big jumps and all-round craziness, it really is a PS3 Mario Kart. There's all sorts of other interesting things, but I wouldn't want to spoil anything. There are many game modes, like career (where you take part in one player races where by winning you unlock items to use in create mode - just like LBP!) There's also split screen racing and of course online racing, both competitive (for XP) and casual races. All options are accessed through the 'ModSpot', essentially like a chat room with wheels, you drive your cart around and other online players can come up to you to challenge you to races, and you can drive about to the different areas to decide what style of race you want. Here is where you also find the Creation Station...When it comes to creation, much like Little Big Planet, this is where Modnation Racers really comes into its own. Like LBP, it is a fun game in its own right, however the creation tools on offer propel this into 5 star game territory. There are three main areas of focus when 'modding' - tracks, mods (your characters) and karts. For the tracks, items you pick up during career mode can be used to populate your tracks, and there are numerous different settings (like desert tracks, alpine tracks) where your track can be based. Where Modnation is different to LBP is in its creation simplicity. I have made 2 LBP levels, both pretty good (my 2nd has 5 stars and over 50,000 plays!) and I'm quite proud of them. However, I've had LBP since release and both levels took 50+ hours of creating, tweaking and correcting. In some ways this is good, however with Modnation Racers building a track (you simply 'drive' and lay the track as if you were moving your kart over the landscape) is so simple, pretty much anyone can create a professional looking track in less than an hour. It still takes something special to elevate your tracks to the top levels, just like in LBP, but it does mean that Modnation is so much more accessible when it comes to creating. Mod and kart creations are similar in approach to each other, in that you have preset items (for example on the Mods you can choose hair, glasses etc) and you can also apply stickers. Stickers work a bit like photoshop, in that you can build up layer after layer to create new shapes and designs, so it really is a case of where your imagination can take you. Already I have seen A-Team karts, Optimus Prime Mods, all sorts. Anything you make can be shared with the community for download, and conversely anything the community puts up you can download and, in an interesting twist, 'remix' to improve or adapt different ideas. The original creator still gets credit, but it means that you can go further for inspiration.It's hard not to think of Modnation Racers as a cross between Mario Kart and Little Big Planet. Even the look of the game packaging looks like it was lifted straight from a design Media Molecule would come up with if they made a kart game, with it's stickers and bold colours. However, firstly this comparison really isn't a bad thing, and secondly United Front have put in enough to ensure this is more than a game which relies on its influences - this is Modnation Racers, game it its own right, effortlessly fun, incredibly enjoyable and a creation mode that is as in depth as you want it to be. One criticism is that I found it a bit frustrating to play my friend online, as you have to both go online and then one of you invites the other to your Modspot, and if there are too many people already in your Modspot, it says they can't join you. I'd like a simple way of challenging people on your PSN for a race directly. Also, as other reviews have noted, the load times are a bit on the lengthy side - nothing horrific, but they do drag out a big. However, these are minor, patchable setbacks, not gamebreakers. If you like either of Mario Kart or Little Big Planet, this game will appeal, if you like both, you really owe it to yourself to give this a TEST DRIVE! Heehee, test drive, because it's a karting game! Yep...5 stars!

21.5.2010

Since Sony have now pushed back their widely anticipated (and almost widely forgotten) 'Gran Turismo 5' release to December this year, ModNation Racers has come at a time that should rather suitably keep any keen driver entertained until our grand showcase later this year. The result is ModNation Racer - an undeniably satisfactory release for the Summer.'ModNation Racers' takes its name from the fact that it taps into much of the creativity you'd find from 'LittleBigPlanet'. Right from the beginning, you have access to a wide catalogue of items that may use to customise your car and your racer - the two central elements to the game. But what did come as a surprise was that the game is actually story based in your Career mode.The protagonist, which is your character, begins by entering a widely anticipated racing competition in Mod Land which is open to any competitors who choose to enter. The story flows naturally but ultimately predictably - you begin with a shabby car and encounter various problems, but continue to enter fairly easy races, only to gain enough 'Tokens' and complete enough objectives each race to eventually 'mod' your car to your hearts content. You also meet many new characters a long the way whom help you and the finale, of course, is your fate...There is no 'main menu' as such, but rather a small doughnut shaped palladium which you can drive around and offers access to a variety of game modes and options - much of which is online. With online modes becoming ever more important in video games, I was rather concerned that my game was only connected to the Mod Server for about 30% of the time I had tried to log in (whilst my internet connection was fine, and PSN was will connected). It could well be just the servers overloading, but we'll have to wait and see. For the time that it has been operational, I have thoroughly enjoyed 'meeting' other races and talking to them. Watching everyone bumbling around in their cars is quite funny, and you can even race them around this small community.This is probably the main theme of the game - it is purposefully designed to be the almost opposite of what Gran Turismo games offer, and so shouldn't be taken seriously. The 'Mod' characters are fun little people who drive wacky cars, each of which in completely unique. The story offers a gesture of jokes and sidekicks on the way, mainly from two Mods who present a News program that updates 'the audience' (you) on the events of the races, which adds some laughs in-between races. The humour is nicely balanced between being childish and a biy more clever.In the driving seat, the racing is fun but certainly not ground-breaking or original in any way. Much of the game play elements tap into the ideas of Mario Kart; that you obtain items on the track, use them as weapons, and try to defend yourself against weapons in order to win - all of which is catalysed by how much 'Fuel' you have in your right gauge. The vehicle handling is very loose and you will require a good amount of play time before you can adjust to the slightest movements of the analogue stick, unless you tend to 'Drift' most of your time. Other than this, the rest of the controls are easy to remember and there are no hidden agendas. Unlike Mario Karts however, you have much more control over your cars handling and, of course, you can use the wonderful Track Editor to create your own circuits.I'll confess - I have had one attempt at completing my own circuit, and while it was a long and often frustrating process, its a feature of creativity unrivalled by many games today. I feel that with practice and more time, we will see projects that could exceed those seen in LittleBigPlanet - no question.Once you are in modes like this where you pay close attention to detail, you can't escape the wonderful graphics this games offers. Although the Aliasing is a bit poor at times, textures are never pixelated and remain clear from any perspective. This occurs best when you 'mod' your car, and you can adjust how much it glistens in the light. Neat!The trouble with reviewing this game is that it promises so much for the future, even though at the moment although its already a satisfying game. Without being online, you simply won't have access to the upgrades that will be available, to meeting other racers, and even competing with them in real time. Bear in mind too that Sony have suggested the rather odious loading times 'will' be improved in the future through updates, though I wouldn't say they're too bad at the moment. On the other hand, I come from an era where I had to wait 8 minutes for Trivial Pursuit to load on my Sinclair ZX Spectrum! And the games were Cassettes...To buy or not to buy? There is no denying that this is an incredibly well produced game which offers copious amounts of gameplay styles and modifications, but I would merely question the value for money when, no doubt in a month of two's time, the price will have dropped significantly - just as 'LittleBigPlanet' did. Sony have not made use of the 'SIXAXIS' controls either for their gamepads, which I feel is a real loss given even the Wii offers you to control many racing games using its motion sensors. I certainly wouldn't rush out and buy this game in a heart-beat, but if you're looking for a more creative alternative to the rather boxed in 'Mario Kart', but without compromising on fun, then this is a winner.(2GB of Hard Drive space is required to install the game)

6.6.2010

I had mario karts and i loved it and thought it was the best and only very good game on the wii so i was thrilled when i gave this one a shot and found out how awsome this game is. the problem with mario karts is that once you have completed it then there's nothing else to do. You know all the maps inside and out, you use the same kart/bike all the time and you win everytime (unless your playing against online people) and theres only a certain amount of characters to play as (other then your mii but even they arnt very creative and individual.one of the best things about modnation racers is that you can customize pretty much everything. you can customize you player (mod)and you can make it any colour or pattern and you can also add stickers to them and the clothes you can edit too, if you like the style but dont like the colour then change it! when your done making the mod look amazing then you can move onto your car, give it the body you always wanted and choose a pattern (or not) and work on the engine and the suspension, etc.the modspot reminds me of playstation home but its more fun. you drive around crashing into others and driving up the ramps and drifting around and you can chat to other players via keyboard or mic. you can challenge other players and you can look at other players profile (see how many races they did this week and last week, see their XP, what level they are, etc.)in the modspot there are some screens, one to show you who is here in the modspot, a coming attractions board, top mods (see the top 3 mods players have made) top karts (top 3 karts...), a top tacks board (where you can play the tracks people have made that are voted the best), Hot Lap board (see who has done the fastest laps on tracks and see if you can knock them off the leaderboard), Share (where you can download other peoples creations (mods/cars/tracks) that they have published/shared, i currently have 3 downloaded mods, one is a bear which i will not mention about on here, another is rosalina and the last one is vanille from final fantasy XIII, all where made by other players) creation station (where you edit your mod and car) and the race station (where you go to do the career mode/story mode, quick races, online races and split screen races.)One more thing about Share is that there is a HUGE amount of mods you can download from there, ive seen all sorts there, like (please excuse the spelling mistakes) : Stewie Griffin, Homer Simpson, Sephoroth, batman, the joker, sackboy, cloud strife, squirtle, mario, ironman, spiderman, luigi, the guy from monopoly, silvester (looney toones cat), bender, ronald mcdonald, zombie ronald mcdonald, goku, link, mr t, stitch, the cookie monster, jigsaw, jack skeleton, yoda, that blue thing from avatar (i cant remember the names from that film), knuckles, gizmo, and the list goes on for hundreds of pages. there is soo much choice!!bad points about the game:the camera, it gets annoying, i just want to look around at my surroundings and the camera does you weird crazy spin thing in one direction and i have to drive a bit to get it normal again.the load times, seriously i could clean my house in the same time that it takes for it to load.all in all a great game, plenty of fun and lots to do so i think its well worth the money, i just hope they will sort the camera and load times then its 5 stars all the way.

11.7.2010

I will say that this is one of the best PS3 games I have played and what makes it all the sweeter is that its a PS3 exclusive and NOT for the Xbox 360!!This game for me is like Mario kart on the Wii yet gives you alot more options to create your own mod.kart and tracks you can also publish them for other people to download your creations, also you can do online play and race to either gain xp to up your leveled stat(s) or race for fun and have a good time.*for those who don't want to read this review anymore look away now*I first want to start off this part by talking about Career mode in Modnation racers basically you race through 20 or more tracks and gradually as the you progress get to face elite racers depending on whether you complete the 3 challenges set during that race.So lets give and example below(in order):1- Finish 3rd2- Collect 3 items pods and finish 1st3- Takedown 4 racers on *insert said part of track here*The objectives set and tracks to race do get harder as you go along career mode and sometimes objectives the further you go along do seem weird and hard, yet very fun while doing them(but sometimes you do have to play lucky). Also when you achieve set objectives you unlock new items for your Mod,Kart and objects to put on your creatable race track. For me its a great way to earn it all, and feels good to know you have a range of cuztomizable parts for you "Modnation Racer".The last thing(s) I want to say about this game is, I have noticed how the A.I in this game is definatly against you and a tiny bit unfair, like when your near the finish line your on your final lap then someone hits you with a weapon and the you can sometimes end up finishing 3rd or lower. but don't let that put you off buying this game its great fun the positives far outweight the negatives for this game:POSITIVE:- Online Play is great you can either do XP races to up you XP lever from LVL 1 and upwards to the top.- You can collect tokens during races to spend on unlocking items to give more range of Mod items for Mod,kart etc..- Multiplayer(split screen) with having friends or family round is fun.- Meet,rate,talk to and challenge other Modnation racers in the "Modspot" using keyboard or bluetooth headset.- Create you very own race track and build how you like it in a choice of four areas.- Besides XP races online you can host your own race "casual race" or join a casual race (where you gain NO XP).- Also once you create you Mod or multiple Mods, you can publish them so other people can download you creations and get rated by other "Modnation racer" players from around the world.NEGATIVE:- Sometimes A.I is against you and unfair during races.- ocasionally you can get disconnected from a race online.I would recommend that people who own a PS3 to buy this game its one of those games that rarely come about.Its original,unique for the way you can personalise you racer,karts and tracks.You have alot of fun racing online with other racers and creating a variety of Modnation racers.Anyway hope this review helps!(I would have given this game 5 stars instead of 4 if it wasn't for the really tough, A.I.)

29.12.2010

Before saying anything else, yes.. as a lot of people will have mentioned, the loading times in this game can be lengthy at times. But not long enough or frequent enough to damage gameplay.Now for the actual game. Aside from loading times, there really is VERY little to criticise here.This game looks beautiful when racing or moving around your pit-stop area. The ingame videos can look a bit off, but those are videos.The controls are near spot-on, not perfect, but close to it. It can be a bit painful on your thumb to be making so many slides around corners, but you get used to it and you don't notice while playing due to the fun you have.The main system for racing is to slide around corners,build up your boost and then use it. You can slide at any point, not just at corners. But the key is to slide when you can and boost away.There are weapons to use too, or you can choose to use it as a sheild instead. It not quite as precise as shooting in (for example) WipeOut, but you can still hit people.It has to be said, the AI can be tough, even on casual and you will find that you might be 1st in a race, get hit by a weapon and suddenly drop down to 5th really fast. But if you stick at it, you can win the races in at least 3rd.There is an entire storyline, of a type, to play through here with the career mode and its done pretty well, teaching you the mechanics of the game as you go decently. You unlock and win extra items to use when modifying your car or player when doing the career mode.There are challenges to complete during the career racers, which you get items for doing.But I found the most fun is during online play, against real people, where you can either do a casual race or earn XP. You earn XP depending on your winning position, how many damage you do during the race, stunts and so forth.Its easy to level up. Im not sure what you get for leveling up, as I havent gone far yet though.Playing online racers is great and works fine. You pick an online race, you wait for players to join you and then its away. No issues at all during races.The race tracks and locations are wide and varied, with speed boosts, weapons, hazards, bends, hills and so forth to see and experience.Then we have the mod (or little big planet style) aspect!You can basically customise your car, player and create a track from scratch in any way you wish. You can upload your creations to the PSN and let others share them, and download others too.There are hundreds of car, player and track designs to download!My only gripe is that they have obviously released. and no doubt plan, to release a lot of exclusive DLC packs which you MUST buy to access certain items in the customise area. But those packs are all that expensive, but its still a bit frustrating and an obvious way to make money from us.All in all, if you ever wanted a Mario Kart for the PS3 this is spot on. Only a few small gripes, but nothing major enough to damage the gameplay. And ontop of that you get to build cars, players and tracks.

9.6.2010

every now and then a game comes along that raises the bar and becomes the new benchmark for the genre, Modnation Racers is such a game and its now done the impossible and wrestled the crown from Mario Kart.even taken simply as a kart racer this is no simple clone, it has a precision of control that hasn't been seen since the original Mario Kart on the SNES and in addition to this a great balance between risk reward as you build boost by drifting, but this boost can also be used to shield against all weapons (no blue shell unblockable killers here. in addition to this the weapons can be use instantly in weedy form or built up to a 3* power level to unleash more damage (if not blocked).single

28.5.2010

There is a lot of emphasis on arcade racers these last few weeks with Modnation Racers, Split/Second and Blur all being released around the same time. Modnation Racers is a very deep and fun experience, it offers online play with the option to rise up the ranks, a great offline campaign and a 4 player split screen mode. The level of this depth becomes apparent when you start to use the customisation options. You have the ability to create endless different 'mods' and karts, the only cap being your imagination. This is all fantastic and I've found myself spending ages making karts and not realising that there is a game to be played! The whole reason I purchased this game though, is for the 'create and share'

1.6.2010

MRC is a far better game than one might expect. Sony have taken a leaf from Nintendo's book and rather than trying to make an ultra-realistic racer (like the much delayed Gran Turismo), have opted for a manic arcade racer. Cutesy characters in no way hinder the enjoyment of the game. I have never been too enthralled with modding cars, especially where it has no performance effect, but MRC modding really is rather fun.I spent the best part of the weekend playing MRC with my 8 year old son. It says something when when a near 40 year old and 8 year old can pick up a game and play. It is a lot of fun. The tracks are very well designed, and the learning curve is perfectly judged.

21.5.2010

When I purchased this game I didn't expect too much... I expected restricted customisation and a fun racer...Well I was pleasantly surprised... I have not enjoyed a cart racer since Mario Kart 64... It is fast paced... all the specs for the cars are the same so it really is about tactical and technical ability... and also having an eye for a short cut...The career is good and gets you used to the control system... but online is where it comes to life... 12 player races are extremely fun... and the addition of split screen if fun for friends at home... the connection can be temperamental but I am sure this will be ironed out...

24.8.2010

Before I bought it, I was nervous reading some of the comments here highlighting the load time. However, from the moment it popped into my letterbox any fears have long since disappeared.This game is simply fantastic. Frantic racing, great tracks and topped off with the ability to create and customise your own driver (Mod), karts and tracks - something my 7 yr old son loves. These last aspects set it apart from Mario/Sonic kart games and in my opinion far outweighs the load time between races and screen.So how bad is the loading time? Personally I do not find it such a problem, why? The racing is fast and intense and I think it is a good thing to be able to take a short forced pause as the next element loads.

26.5.2010

Upon the release of this game I wasn't sure whether or not it was for me. It looked very childish at first glance, with a reminiscence to the lego games. However I played a demo of the game in my local video game store and it blew me away. The visuals are top class for an animated racer. The creative aspect to the game is simply a bottomless pit of fun possibilities. The gameplay itself is also worth buying it for as it is one of the best kart racers of recent date.If you were a fan of littlebigplanet then this game will be right up your alley. I've had the game for just over a day now and have played it for atleast 8 hours... it's really that addictive. You create your character,

4.6.2010

Modnation racers from start to finish is superb,brilliant & loads of other commendable words. The gameplay is just right for a kart racer, the physics, drift mechanics etc. are all really good. The weapons selection & track design is 1st class making this a really fun title. The customisation in this is very deep, I was surprised at how deep it actually is, you can modify everything from clothes, hair etc for your mod to crazy supension wild spoilers etc. for your kart. There are loads of options to choose from, so you can make something unique no matter what level you are at. The career mode is surprisingly lengthy with quite a lot of events & increasing difficulty as you go through,

2.7.2010

This game is one of the best racers around. The gameplay is very technical aswell as a bit cartoony. It has virtually unlimited creative developed within the game. You can customise characters, karts and create your own tracks. The different things you can make is astounding. The track creater most of all. Truely amazing. Online play is good and the ability to upload and download tracks, karts and characters is a very good touch aswell as people being able to give feedback on these things. Campain is not great but does unlock other accessories to create stuff with and the cutscenes are amusing. The only and major problem with this game is loading time. Sometimes you dont want to commit suicide but the wait is well worth it.

30.5.2012

I seen videos of this online and I'd thought I'll buy this as it looks epic, wild, creative, imaginative and fun to play. As it arrived at the door today, I was excited to play this and as I soon booted the game up on my 80gb phat PS3, it took a long time to update it, install it and the loading screens, even the servers dropped out in a while when I played this directly from the Modspot lobby. Despite the loading times and connection problems, it is still an awesome game that is highly creative in creating your Mod (character), Karts, Tracks and influenced from Mario Kart's kart racing and Little Big Planet's creativity fulled with action, death traps, stunts and extreme speed in single player,

11.7.2010

Hello everybody,ModNation Racers is for sure a game that I can recommend!The gameplay is very good. The track- and character-editors are easy to handle and they add a lot of additional fun to the game. (I must admit that I might have spent more time modding my karts than racing so far!) ;-)Another great thing about this game is that anybody can play! It doesn't matter if you are 6 or 90 years old. This is a game for the whole family!! There is a great variety in the tracks and if you hit the boost button, you can "feel" the speed!For me the only negative points are the facts that the gamepad cannot be configured in any combination you want and the handling of extra items is a bit more tricky

ModNation Racers - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail