There’s so much to the create and share aspects of ModNation that it’s easy to forget that there’s actual racing too. This is going to be key to your enjoyment of the game, as it’s by far the title’s defining feature. Whereas we’ve seen level creation done well in the likes of LittleBigPlanet, in ModNation Racers the tools are so easy to use that anyone could put together a drivable track in minutes.

You’re not free to sculpt something exactly as you wish, but the variety of karts on show already, purely in the test network alone, suggests there’s plenty of scope for originality.Īll this character and car customisation is good, but it’s not a patch on the quite brilliant track editing suite. The more races you win and objectives you achieve on the track, the more parts you have to use in the creation suite. This creation runs through to the karts themselves, too, with a variety of body kits, wheels, engines and accessories able to be combined to form crazy contraptions. Still, the character creation tool is easy to use and allows everyone to race as their own Mod or Mod-ette.

While Sony doesn’t have the wealth of famous, family friendly characters Nintendo has, an all-stars racing line-up would have added some much needed likeability and personality to the package. Instead of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and co, you get strange anthropomorphic plush-toy-like creations that can be customised to reflect your own personality. One of the biggest hurdles ModNation Racers faces is the fact that you don’t get recognisable characters to race around as or themed courses to race at. ModNation Racers, the exclusive PS3 kart racer from Sony and United Front Games, is the latest to try its hand at the ever popular arcade racing experience. You’d think copying it would be easy, but there’s a reason other games in the genre haven’t had similar success. Whether it’s you and some mates all sat on the same sofa, playing split-screen, or you against the rest of the gaming world online, something about Mario Kart has stuck, meaning the same basic formula has remained great fun for years.

But most of us love the fact that it’s a racing game that everyone can play. Who doesn’t love Mario Kart? Well, OK, some people can’t stand the way the power-ups mean you can be winning one second then last a few moments later.

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