ModNation Racers Review

Hey, Trigger here. I thought I'd post a review of something on here like my co-poster, but I haven't bought any new albums lately, so I figured I'd just go with a game. A few days ago, I received ModNation Racers on PS3. Those who've seen promotional material for the game or have been following it in different media will already know this, but this game is basically Mario Kart and LittleBigPlanet put together, but directed at a slightly older audience. What results is, well...you'll read  about it below. My reviews are only out of 10, because...well, just because that's how I do them, but the game has been split up into several areas for convenience.

ModNation Racers (Platform: PS3)

First Impression: 10/10
Minutes after booting up the disc, I get the feeling I'm in for a fun ride. The world of ModNation Racers (or MNR, for convenience) is colourful, entertaining, and well-planned. The game eases in new players and introduces them to the key features of the gameplay and the menu right of the bat, while the dialogue is lighthearted and funny while loaded with sarcasm and wit. Even with the basic starting creation tools, I quickly create my own avatar, or Mod, and his matching Kart. This brings me to the next point.

Customization: 9/10
One of the big draws of this game is the customization tools. Drawing from the success of LittleBigPlanet, this game gives you the tools to make your own players, vehicles, and even race tracks, and share them with the world. The track creation tools, though I have yet to try them, promise to be simple enough to create basic levels with ease, but detailed enough so that those who want to spend time making something amazing can do so. The Mod and Kart customization tools are equally detailed, but can be time-consuming to use and can be cumbersome if you don't know what you're trying to create. Overall, though, I was impressed with the smoothness of the interface.

Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay is MNR's greatest asset and its greatest weakness at the same time. The controls are different from previous kart racers and take some time to get used to, but feel surprisingly intuitive after a few races. The single-player Career Mode spans a couple hours for basic completion, and is highly enjoyable. However, each race has additional secondary objectives, such as drifting a certain amount or getting so much airtime, that allow you to unlock new customization tools for Mods, Karts, and tracks. My one complaint, and it is a bit large, is that the game can get incredibly difficult at times, especially when trying to get the secondary objectives. The AI drivers will pound you into the dust relentlessly, and it takes some time to get used to balancing boosting, shielding, and trying to fight back, all while trying to stay on the course. Those familiar with Mario Kart should have a slightly smoother transition, but the races can get pretty hectic.

Multiplayer: 10/10
The multiplayer, both online and offline, is where MNR truly shines. Capable of up to four-player splitscreen races, it's easy to challenge your friends and enemies to a race. When going online, the experience feels smooth and simple, and it's noticeably more fun racing against real people than against computers. A minor issue is the loading times, which can be quite long in some cases, but on a whole they were reasonable.

Graphics: 10/10
MNR knows what it is: a cartoony kart racer. It doesn't try to be anything else, especially when it comes to graphics. The animation is done very well, and everything seemed to look the way it should. That's really all there is to say on the matter.

Sound: 9/10
Again, MNR doesn't try to be anything but cartoony. The sound effects, such as explosions and zaps, aren't incredibly serious, but seem to fit right in. The voices for main characters in the single-player campaign are spot-on, and the dialogue itself was done masterfully. The only problem seemed to be in the soundtrack department. The game seems to only have about three songs to play, which it cycles at random. While the songs themselves are pretty catchy and are often covered up by the general "oh-my-god-how-the-hell-am-I-still-alive" of the races, they did grow a little repetitive as time went on.

Overall: 9/10
ModNation Racers is a great game with a few minor flaws which you can easily look past. While the single-player may be a bit difficult at times, you can always turn to the multiplayer for some awesome racing. The grapics and sound hold up just as well, and the customization tools are fun and easy to use. While it may not be as kid-friendly as the old games were, in my opinion, this is just the rejuvenation kart racing games need.