Mario Kart has held the throne for Kart racing games for a long while now and many attempts has been made to usurp Mario Kart from its throne. Few months ago, Endless Bag of Games gave a review to a decent attempt: Sonic & SEGA All-Stars racing, but the game shared some minor mishaps since the online feeling was not quite there (tournaments and cups missing from online). Modnation Racers however is a different story, the game shares not only excellent gameplay and online play, but also “Play, Create, Share” mantra, the same first outlined by platformer LittleBigPlanet which made it a hit.

Freedom to interact with the game

The use of UGC (User Generated Content) is a feature which is becoming more common among the game developers and I cannot blame them. UGC allows flexibility and freedom to interact with the game thus multiplaying the game’s lifespan. Few million levels in LittleBigPlanet made by gamers is a good example of this. Modnation Racers is a title, which will do the same to racing kart genre as LittleBigPlanet did to platform genre. Modnation Racers thus could be called LBP on wheels and the potential is substantial.

Once you have unfolded the game and put it in your PS3 you find yourself in a kart driving through the track for your first MDR experience. The game teaches controls and all the necessary elements which help you to overcome what is yet to come. Once animation sequesences ends, you find youself in the menu, which is you sitting in the cart at Modspot and around you, you’ll be seeing other racers at the same spot. To selecting what you want to do, you drive to different stations and press square for options. There is also possibility to quickly “skip” the driving and press select to bring up the quick menu. So of you go to create your Mod, Kart or Track.

At the heart of customization

A substantial part of the MDR’s appeal comes from the character and kart customization. There are various ways how characters can be customised via different materials, colors and accessories. The combinations are virtually endless and the ability to download Mods made by others and rate them is fantastic. I’ve already downloaded a dozens of funny Mods including Mario, Spiderman the Monopoly guy and even Kermit, all exceptionally well made. The same goes for actual Karts and Tracks. The tools available to you here are very easy to use and you can always test your creations any time.

The customization enablers of the game really make the hours around the game worth your time.

There is a good amount of game modes available for you to choose from; online, split-screen (2-4 players), quick-play and single player career modes. The campaign mode is hard enough giving you some challenge to play the career mode. It also unlocks various parts and equipment to be used with the mods, karts and tracks. The racing itself is great even against AI opponents and the gameplay is good and similar or even better than in Nintendo’s finest. There are boost pads, power-ups and weapons to pick-up and unleash against your opponents.

Modnation Racers truly is a an online-game and you find enjoyment racing other racers online racing officiall or custom-made tracks. The only thing that I’ve found lacking in the online experience is the ability to have a cup in casual mode. Everything else is superb, if the connections are good that is.

The Verdict:

Modnation has really been a Modtastic! experience being most enjoyable kart game that we’ve seen for a while. The more we play, the more we want to play since the gaming experience seems to become richer every time. Sonic and SEGA All-stars racing was a good attempt to usurp Mario Kart from its throne, but I really have to say that Modnation Racers was more than a simple attempt. Buy this game and try it out yourself.