Review: ModNation Racers

[Swifteye]

This game looks fun. It's all the fun of mario cart with the ability to create whatever I want. I'm one of those guys who really enjoy user created content. But not other people's content no. I just like making my own content because I'm super creative like that. Funny no one ever thinks about people like me when talking about these user generate games.

 

[Craftybonds]

that boost/shield meter is actually original to the Extreme G series, it worked pretty well in that, so i'll look foward to trying it out in this game.

 

[CK76]

It is a really fun game and I do think shield/boost system helps lessen cheap effects of leading and getting barraged with weapons.

The biggest downside to this game? The load times.

Seriously, you play this with friends and want to switch up tracks and you'll likely be staring at load screens more than playing. It is one thing to wait a minute or so before playing an hour, but to do so and then play for 2-4 minutes and repeat is just bad design.

I really like this game, but this is one shocking flaw that reduced the fun of the multiplayer component.

 

[Woem]

Review: ModNation Racers

It's LittleBig Racers, though with a bit more ease of use and a bit less charm.

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Other than Little Big Planet there are three more words that are appropriate for this game: Big Red Racing [http://www.google.be/images?hl=nl&q=big%20red%20racing&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi].

 

[Blackadder51]

If I had more disposable income I'd buy it. I tend to get bored of racers which have a set amount of tracks.

I'm hoping people will eventually create the F1 tracks, the Mario Kart tracks, the F-Zero tracks and any other classics that they can think of

That would be awesome.

There are so many mario tracks its not funny.

OT: Its a really fun game apart from the loooong loading, good review

 

[Brad Shepard]

The powering up the Power ups isent new, they did it in Diddy Kong Racing.

 

[Tom Phoenix]

Review: ModNation Racers

It's LittleBig Racers, though with a bit more ease of use and a bit less charm.

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It's too bad you couldn't make Char, that would have been fantastic. That said, it's probably for the best. If you did somehow manage to create one of Japan's biggest pop culture icons, this would have inevitably drawn the attention of Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto to your article....and he would kill you for referring to Mario Kart as "childish".

Heck, is it just me, John, or do you seem to be having a death wish recently? First it was the whole MMOG thing and now this. It's increasingly becoming a real-life game of Postal 2. You need to watch your back, man.

Anyway, while I will probably never get to play this game, the way the review presents it strongly reminds me of Yahtzee's review of Little Big Planet...and I think his conclusions regarding the concept are just as valid here.

Some game developers don't seem to get the point of user-made content. Don't get me wrong, customisation can be a very nice thing and it certainly increases the longetivity of a game.
But the reason why it works for some games is either beacuse the core product is also good or modifications make it a completely different game (or both). If the core game is mediocre and you only have customisation that applies to that game specifically, then the novelty of it will eventually wear off once people realise they are just repeatedly playing the same mediocre game in a different packaging.

 

[Unhappy Crow]

Here's to getting this game close to summer break next week. Love the Vegeta mod btw.

 

[faefrost]

I picked it up the other night. It's a fun game and definitely worthwhile. Yeah the racing is nothing spectacularly new. But it is well done, the controls are responsive yet forgiving (unlike alot I have played) and the overall gameplay is enjoyable.

The user customization is absolutely where it shines. You can spend hours on creating your character and car and getting it all just how you want it. And it is astonishing seeing what people have already done with the character creation engine. It brings to mind the shear fun that was the City of Hero's character creation.

The ability to create your own tracks, or if not so inclined, pull in tons of other user created tracks is huge. Yeah much like LBP there will be acres of garbage to wade through, but there is also a metric ton of really good stuff in there.

The cons are pretty obvious as well, and the reviewer seemed to nail most of them. The longish and annoying loading screens being the biggest, followed with the annoying drive around UI system to move between the custom shop, racing etc. This stuff could have easily and more smoothly done with a menu.

 

[Megacherv]

John Funk tried to make a Char Aznable racer but failed miserably.

I really don't blame you for trying, that would be awesome...*contemplates making an LBP Char*

I'm thinking of getting this, but I'll definitely be getting Split/Second first.

 

[Ursus Astrorum]

I'll be getting it soon either way as I'm a big fan of being able to create my own tracks/etc, but I've got to ask: Do you get everything to work with your cart/character/track up front or do you have to slog through the story mode and unlock everything first? That was my biggest complaint about LBP. I mean, I understand wanting people to actually play the track that the developers put time into, but at the same time some people like myself may just want this for the creative aspect of it and grinding through a painfully badly-written plot with cheesy dialogue just... Well, put bluntly, it sucks.

If you do have to slog through the campaign, and I'm assuming (and dreading) that you do, how hard is it to unlock everything? What do you have to do in order to get stuff, anyway?

 

[Aedes]

I can't believe no one said it yet... So I'll!

It's over nine THOUSAND!!!

*Aham*, now, looks like a pretty game. Racing is hardly my thing but when it comes with rockets, I can give it a shot.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I'm a huge fan of mariokart but I have a PS3 so this looks perfect, but is it worth getting if you don't have online?

 

[ThisNewGuy]

Haha, complaining about the plot in this game is like complaining about plot in Forza or Mario Kart.

I mean...seriously?

 

[Endocrom]

... and I thought the video would go without mentioning >9000. Silly me.

 

[ECasThat]

It looks like Little Big Planet meets Trackmania.

I think I'm going to get this. It looks fun.

 

[KDR_11k]

Char is against the rules, your car would go 3x as fast and nobody could catch up.

Anyway, I think the game will have to stand on its own without the tools if it wants commercial success, not just nice reviews. LBP had 2.3M levels created but 3M sales (which is nice but New Super Mario Bros Wii sold 14M), most people lack the skill and patience to create good content and don't really enjoy the process either. And those who do have the skill to make AAA level content have the skill to make their own game and sell it for money.

 

[John Funk]

Haha, complaining about the plot in this game is like complaining about plot in Forza or Mario Kart.

I mean...seriously?

When the game makes you do it to get to the meat of the game (i.e. to unlock all the customization options), it's irritating. And the announcers are still painfully stupid in ANY gameplay mode.

 

[ThisNewGuy]

Haha, complaining about the plot in this game is like complaining about plot in Forza or Mario Kart.

I mean...seriously?

When the game makes you do it to get to the meat of the game (i.e. to unlock all the customization options), it's irritating. And the announcers are still painfully stupid in ANY gameplay mode.

Huh? Gran Turismo makes you play the career modes (its story mode) to get to the "meat" of the game too. I think it's the same way with almost every single racing game in history.