Modnation Racers is full of customization and cool racing, though the load times and inconsistent AI are major letdowns.
Like many cart-racing games before it, Modnation Racers doesn't mess with the fundamentals too much, but there are some new gameplay mechanics to help it stand out from the crowd. Acceleration, braking, and the archetypal drifting are all present, in addition to a cool offense/defense balance. Drifting, getting airborne, and performing stunts earn Boost power, which can be spent on not only an increase in speed, but also can be spent on a shield to block attacks or a sideswipe to shove nearby players aside. It's a fantastic idea that nails a good balance between aggressiveness and command of your cart driving. The different item abilities also get a twist, where collecting multiple power-ups lets players "level up" their attacks to more powerful abilities. For example, a simple "Level 1" lightning strike may just shock a single racer in front of you, but a "Level 2" may broaden the attack's range, or a "Level 3" may attack multiple players. This adds a bit of strategy to the already frantic gameplay, keeping a strong unpredictability that is bound to keep you coming back. The only real problem with the actual racing gameplay is that drifting can feel a bit loose, but after practice, it becomes much easier to nail. Modnation Racers has some great racing action that expands upon the cart-racing standard in cool new ways.
Modnation Racers throws the player into the ModSpot instead of at a main menu screen. The ModSpot is a lobby that the player can drive around in, whether to race, to design game aspects, or simply to talk to friends and rivals. It's a cool way to dive into what Modnation Racers has to offer, where even wandering around aimlessly helps develop a community. Seeing other drivers talk or meander around the ModSpot shows the uniqueness of Sony's goal; you really do feel a community growing in the world of Modnation Racers. Even a few weeks after its release, players are already designing their own car, track, and driver (in this case, called Mod) designs and uploading them to the Playstation Network for other players to check out. The designing modes in the Creation Station (Modnation Racers' car, track, and Mod designing area) are remarkably easy to use. Even the track design nails that accessibility/depth combination that makes it appealing and approachable to all players. As they did with LittleBigPlanet, Sony has encouraged players to be creative with the tools available in Modnation Racers, and what's been seen thus far in the player-created content circuit is nothing short of impressive.
But if the community and creation aspects aren't your cup of tea, there is a decent amount of racing action. The Career Mode follows an up-and-coming racer named Tag and his climb to the top of the ranks in the Modnation Racing Championship. The Career Mode has a number of uniquely designed tracks, many of which have shortcuts and challenges throughout. The overall track design feels rich and expansive. You may be drifting around turns in one track, but flying through the sky in another. The variety is solid and feels well-crafted to all of the different mechanics introduced in the controls and power-up gameplay.
With each track in the Career Mode, there are achievement challenges. Achievement challenges can range from taking out a specific racer with an attack or getting enough points by driving stylishly. The achievement challenges are welcome additions, adding some length to the Career Mode, but they can be incredibly demanding, almost to the point of ridiculousness. Many of them demand the player to complete objectives all while getting 1st place. To those who like some serious challenge in their objectives, this won't be a problem, but the achievements feel more like tough padding instead of true replay value. Another issue with Modnation Racers is the AI. While tough competition is always welcome, the computer-controlled racers have a bad tendency to spring back into first place after a critical hit. This inconsistency in the racing makes Modnation Racers' Career Mode much more difficult than you may expect. Overlooking this issue is troublesome; lone players will find the Career Mode's rubber-band AI to be a serious problem, one that makes the single-player experience more sour than sweet.
But Modnation Racers doesn't cater to the impatient, mostly in part to the load times, which are far too common. The initial load time when you first boot up the game is staggering, only to be served up with a number of lesser load times afterward. It must be said that Modnation Racers has a lot of content, and the unique interface in the ModSpot is definitely commendable. Still, this all comes at a hefty price; there's nothing more frustrating than having a creative idea and having to sift through so many load times before you can get it going in the Creation Station. Modnation Racers is ambitious, but it really shoots itself in the foot by stuffing so many load times in between the racing and customization.
Modnation Racers captures the wackiness of the cart-racer very well, while also offering some great customization options for aspiring designers. Seeing your designed Mod and cart throughout the Career Mode does add some personality to the races, even if it is a minor bonus. The lighting effects are great, a serious step ahead for the cart-racing genre, and the different locales and tracks have a decent amount of style. The audio is mixed; the themes are energetic (though you'll hear them quite a bit during the load times) and give a competitive drive to the racing. The commentary, however, is annoying. Hearing one commentator insult the other gets old fast. The amount of customization fuels Modnation Racers' personality, and while they aren't pushing the polygons too much, the presentation elements have plenty of charm.
Pros
+ Creation tools strike a good balance between accessibility and creative depth
+ Challenging and intricate track design
+ Racing controls and actual gameplay are impressive and expand on the fundamentals
+ Does a good job of showing a community-related effort
Cons
- Some achievements can be absurdly demanding
- Rubber-band AI can be very frustrating
- Frequent and lengthy load times
It's hard to fault Modnation Racers for trying something new. In fact, it's the new stuff that turns out to be the best part of the game. Sony and United Front Games have made an accessible and deep customization engine for players to check out, all while keenly implementing a community environment that is inviting and easy to jump into. But it's the simple equations that really hurt Modnation Racers' appeal. The odd achievement design and inconsistent AI are frustrating blocks in the road, but it's the load times that really will get to you. They break up the action far too much. At the end of the day, Modnation Racers plays toward a new standard in the cart-racing genre; the ability to customize and share so much in-game content is unquestionably progressive. Overcoming the loading, challenge design, and AI problems is an ordeal, but it doesn't hide the fact that Modnation Racers does something new for a genre that desperately needed it. Creative and social gamers will love it, and anyone looking for a new twist on the cart-racer will find enough to like in Modnation Racers.
But remember: patience.