User Review : ModNation Racers

As flat as a slashed tire

After acquiring my new PS3 I went looking for exclusives to compliment my system. After scouring the internet to read various reviews I decided to plunk down some cash on ModNation Racers. I felt even more justified in my decision because I was diversifying my game library.

I went into this purchase thinking "Hey, I remember having a great time with Mario Kart. Perhaps this new generation has something just as fun."

That's where the opinion portion of reviews really comes into play with this game. Typically when gamers discuss titles they can find common ground. If i was writing this review about Super Mario 3 I think we could all find common ground on why we like the title. For ModNation Racers I find myself in disagreement with some reviews that were given. Even to the point of finding some of them to be far too generous with their scores.

Simply put ModNation Racers is a title with a world of potential. There are so many areas where I want to say "I love what they did here." Instead it feels like someone rushed through a homework assignment. I can see the ideas that the creators had. The concept of customizing your own racer, car and even course is enough to intrigue anyone. I like making things my own and adding my personal touch to things in games. It is something that makes the experience more immersive to me. In the end all of these things seem to fade away because of the shortcomings found in this title.

The character creation tool is really something that is up to each individual gamer. While I wasn't cranking out highly detailed or creative characters it doesn't mean you can't. I've seen The Joker, Fred Flintstone and a variety other creations that impressed me and reminded me how creative people can be with the right tools.

Likewise the vehicle creation tool has a modest number of selections that allow you to be as creative as you want. Judging these is highly subjective. A gamer might like the selection of available body styles. Some might be put off by the goof ball inclusions and long for more regular/traditional body styles.

Track Creation is a nice touch. You get to lay the road, raise and lower terrain, and add the backdrop for the course. With no question this is the best creation tool offered in this game. While it's not perfect, it offers a modest variety of tools to make something of your own and share it online with the community.

While it sounds good to have all these creation tools they unfortunately get overshadowed by rather lousy game play. After all, what good is your character and car if they repeatedly get blown off the course?

The single player career mode is one that seems good and early on it's not too bad but after putting in a number of hours I hesitate to call it good. A few matches into it I was already getting tired of listening to the banter between Biff Tradwell and Gary Reasons. These reporters act as filler between matches commenting on a variety of things. If the creators of this game had merely kept these reporters at providing you with course information, racer rundowns and the like we would have been ok. For some reason Biff constantly likes to annoy, provoke and (for lack of a better word) troll co-reporter Gary Reasons. At first I was surprised by the comments as I wasn't expecting it. I had a quick chuckle before a race and that was good. As time progresses and you advance in the game this charm is short lived. There is nothing witty or clever about Biff's comments. He comes across as a badgering, angsty twit. The commentary they provided did nothing to immerse me. I was more focused on skipping those cut scenes as they provided nothing of value.

The biggest issue I have with ModNation Racers is with the game play itself. Since I referenced Mario Kart earlier I will make another comparison.

In Mario Kart your actual driving skill always had the biggest impact on the outcome of the race. This is especially true if you took the time memorize the track, anticipate every turn, use items in a timely and strategic way. If you were exceptionally good, you had no problem lapping the competition. I never felt as though I would win a race by chance. When I won the race it was because I was good at the game.

In ModNation racers this simply isn't the case. Just for grins I would pick one course early on and play it a multitude of times. I would pay close attention to race the same each and every time. By doing so I started to notice something. The outcome of the race was heavily dependent on the power ups acquired by the other racers. You might slam into other drivers, drift and draft to the best of your ability, utilize each short cut with precision and this might get you into first place early on. The key word being "Might".

You also might get knocked off the course, or taken out of action multiple times throughout a race. You can go from cruising along at full speed to a dead stop from getting hit by a rocket barrage. It would be like the computer on Mario Kart always having red shells and those red shells target only you with supreme accuracy.

The AI on this game is heavily aggressive. They will stack those power ups just like you and always prevent you from having a comfortable lead. I was looking forward to the single player career mode. After getting into it some it was something I began to hate going back to. In fact the single player almost made regret buying this game. You see games like this need balance. A balance that is sorely lacking. It no longer has to do with you and your driving abilities. It has all to do with the AI and what power ups they acquire.

I have been in dead last and due to some catastrophic event with the racers I have been able to place in the top three or even win a race. Again that's not anything I did. While I would feel relief because I would move on, I never felt like I won that race. Overall it's too chaotic and far too dependent on chance.

Another issue with the game is the load times that you will encounter. It's a consistent problem that takes away from the flow of the game. While load times over 45 seconds are rare they do happen.

While the create sections of this game are a good idea they ultimately fall flat. Moreover they are largely overshadowed by the mediocre game play that is plagued with balancing issues. This is a title that has a world of potential. Remove the bickering, immature commentary, fix those load times and work on balancing the game play out and you have yourself a winner. As it stands right now, this game is a rough draft that should have had some more refining and constructive criticism put forth in the development process.

I was hoping to pick this title up and then go on to recommend it to my friends. This isn't something I can do in good faith. I sit here wondering what people were focused on when giving this game anything over an eight on their reviews. Were they voting on what they hoped this game would be? Do they just vote up exclusive titles to the system? I suppose I'll never know. Here's hoping that there is a sequel and it is far more refined then the lackluster effort we have before us today.