When ModNation Racers was announced at Sony’s E3 press conference earlier this year, I wasn’t completely sure what to make of it. I definitely like kart racers—well, to be more specific, I like Mario Kart. It’s hard to come into the genre without being constantly compared to Nintendo’s long-running franchise, which is some stiff competition. ModNation Racers was described as being the next game in the “Play, Create, Share” line-up, the first being last year’s LittleBigPlanet, another intimidating title to be weighed against. Still, the idea of a next-gen kart racer with a deep track creator, online play, and the potential for a community of talented level-builders was extremely promising. Last night at a Sony preview event in New York City, I finally got my hands on ModNation Racers, and let me tell you, I didn’t miss those blue shells one bit.

When I jumped on, I found myself in a sort of hub, in which I could customize my driver or car, or simply start racing. After scrolling through an overwhelming character customization menu, I decided I just wanted to race, and found myself at the starting line of a fairly simple in-game track. The controls are intuitive, and comparable to most driving games; the right trigger is the gas, while the thumbstick directs your driver. The game has a unique visual style, with the drivers looking like dolls and the vehicles themselves taking the appearance of, well, toys. The environments are stylized, but not as cartoony as that other kart racer.



While you’re competing against six other racers, it will take more than speed to get you to the finish line first. ModNation Racers has four different kinds of power-ups scattered around the board: speed boosts, rockets, lightning, and portals that, instead of affecting other racers, transport you further up on the track. What’s interesting is that these collectable orbs are upgradeable, and have three levels of power. If you hang on to your power-up, and collect another one, it will advance to level two, becoming stronger; again, you can either use it or hang on to it. While you might think being patient is always the answer, you will lose your orbs if hit by another racer’s lightning or rockets, and it’s pretty hard to resist hitting a kart directly in front of you, even if your weapon is only at level one. Also, there is a certain balance to these boosts—you can only hurt players in front of you, or advance yourself, but there’s no punishment for being in first place, and you don’t have to worry about repeatedly being hit if you’re trailing behind. In ModNation Racers, everyone has a chance, and winning is more determined by skill than luck of the draw.

After I finished first place in my race, I looked over at the screen next to me, where someone was driving on a long, winding racecourse. I asked United Front’s Dan Sochan, one of the game’s producers, if it was a level one of the game’s testers had made. He told me that no, someone in the room had made it only minutes before, and he was also seeing it for the first time.



At this point, I was ready to try out the level creator. After my experiences with LittleBigPlanet, I didn’t expect to be able to make a complete track and actually be able to play it within the span of a few minutes, but that is exactly what happened. First I changed some of the terrain; raised it here, lowered it there, made a volcanic structure in the ground, changed the color of the grass. All of this is extremely simple to do, with no need for the endless tutorials of LBP. Laying down the track is even easier. Using the same controls as racing, you basically drive around the board, and that is how the track gets placed. As you do this, the elevation can be raised or lowered, with terrain shifting to suit your track. For example, if you want to go through those mountains you made, they will part and make room for the road.

Once you’ve connected your racetrack, you can auto-populate the rest of the level. What this means is that trees, houses, orbs, and ramps will be placed where the game thinks they will be appropriate. However, you have the option to go into the level and move or change anything the game places, so ultimately, the level of customization is up to you. If you just want to make a quick level with a cool track, you can do that, and ModNation Racers takes care of the rest. On the other hand, if you have a clear picture of what you want, you can take control.



ModNation Racers is full of potential. The comparisons to Mario Kart, while inevitable, really aren’t quite fitting, because the game has its own distinct identity. It’s undeniably fun, and even though I didn’t mess around with character or kart creation or customization, I was told that those two options were also very deep. What I’m most looking forward to about this game is what the community will come up with once it is released, and I think the beta starting later this month will be a good indicator of what to expect. Not only can you share your custom levels with the rest of the world, but characters and karts can be uploaded as well, with other players able to use or modify any of your creations. Playing ModNation Racers made me see it as more than just a quirky kart racer with a track creator; it may just be one of the most promising new games of 2010.

ModNation Racers is due out in the spring of 2010 exclusively for the PlayStation 3.