I’ve been looking forward to playing a non-Mario Kart kart racer for quite some time. Sure, Mario Kart Wii is great, and may still be the best kart racer to come out of this generation when all is said and done, but my palette is looking for something a little different right now.
Enter ModNation Racers. This PlayStation 3 exclusive is part Mario Kart and part Little Big Planet. I’ve only played about an hour of campaign and split-screen, but I don’t think it would hurt to share a few opening thoughts about what I’ve played so far.
ModNation Racers did not leave a good first impression for two reasons, one of which isn’t directly it’s fault. When I popped in the disc, I just wanted to jump into two-player split-screen. First, I had to sit through 30 minutes of downloading 300+ MB of patches and a mandatory 3 gig install. I know this is how the PS3 was built and a lot of games have to go through this, but this process completely kills the excitement of playing a game for the first time. Next time I need to experience this process, I will play my XBOX 360 or Wii as the PS3 does what it has to do.
The second reason I was irked by ModNation Racers was because it forces you to start the game a certain way. If it’s your first time playing the game, you have to complete the tutorial race and sit through a cut-scene before you can even access the menu. Need For Speed: Shift on the iPhone does this as well. I hate this. Give me your tutorial when I go to start the career mode. You don’t need to force this on me right now. It’s not like I won’t be able to figure this game out on my own if it doesn’t hold my hand the moment the game starts. Just let me start with two-player split-screen and be done with it.
Once I finally got to racing, it was a much more enjoyable experience. Mario Kart purists may be thrown off by the subtle differences in overall driving feel, boost mechanics and weapons, but it’s very easy for anyone to pick up and play. I’m really impressed with the game’s frame-rate. Sonic Kart All-Stars Racing looks great in screen-shots, but it’s inconsistent frame-rate made the game nauseating for me to play. ModNation Racers has a smooth and solid frame-rate, even with two-player split-screen. I hope this holds true for four-player as well.
I’ve only played a few of the easy tracks, which were as enjoyable as beginner tracks would be. Having the ability to make or download user-created tracks will definitely extend the life of this game for me, but I’m a bit concerned that the nature of the game engine and set pieces will limit the creativity in the tracks. Just as an example, Mario Kart Wii has a course where you bounce on giant mushrooms to get across a chasm. I’m hoping that the creators of the game and other players prove me wrong.
So far, I am happy with the ModNation Racers experience and I think its safe to say that this is a solid Mario Kart alternative for those in the market for one. I will continue to play through it. As I play through, I’ll keep up updated.
In Third Person 