While ModNation Racers may be a typical kart racer in some respects (cute characters, boost pads, power-ups, etc) the latest offering from United Front Games is more ambitious in a number of key areas. Though the user generated aspect of the game has received the lion’s share of pre-release attention, we’ll begin with a look at the core racing experience. After all, if this doesn’t stack up, you’ll have little motivation to delve into other aspects of the title.
ModNation Racers is just as accessible as most of its rivals, but it also demands a surprising level of strategic thinking and resource management from its players. The boost system is typical of this approach. You build up your meter by drifting, drafting and performing stunts. It’s a little reminiscent of the Burnout series in this respect. You can then dip into your boost supply to increase your speed, shunt a rival into the wall or project an energy shield around your kart. The shield is arguably the most critical of your powers as it represents the only sure fire way of protecting yourself from other drivers. Of course, as soon as your meter is depleted, you can’t do any of these things. Judicious management of your boost meter is almost as important as finding the correct racing line. Achieve the right balance and you’ll always be able to defend yourself from an electrical storm or rocket past a rival just before the chequered flag.
Items are obtained by driving through levitating icons placed at various intervals on the course. Most deliver effective but relatively uninspired outcomes. For instance, one item enhances your speed for a short period, while another deposits a proximity mine onto the track. You’ve undoubtedly seen it all before. Fortunately, the game has an ace in reserve. Each item can be upgraded by collecting additional icons, again forcing you to decide between short and long term objectives. Will you attempt to bullseye an opponent with an unguided missile or wait until an upgrade provides you the more reliable heat seeking variety? That’s up to you, but you could always take a leaf from my book and drive over the edge of a cliff before you get a chance to use either.
The career mode casts you in the role of Tag, a brash young driver with talent to burn but nary a penny to his name. Your unlikely tilt at glory is backed by a brilliant but belligerent pit chief. By any reasonable measure, the man should be confined to a mental institution. When he’s not beseeching you to run over puppies, he’s interrupting races to tell that you’re the wind beneath his wings. Each event is introduced by sparring commentators Biff and Gary. The former is a narcissistic bully, the latter his long suffering victim. While occasionally amusing, Biff’s never ending stream of abuse eventually becomes a tad disturbing, particularly given the target audience of the game. Most of your championship rivals are tedious, but relatively inoffensive, racial and/or national stereotypes. On occasion, the game does step over the mark, such as when Hawaiian driver Aloha is labelled a “tropical banana” by your pit chief. Suffice to say, ModNation Racers won’t be winning any awards for cultural sensitivity. However, it may just score the odd gong for its suite of modification tools.
Throughout the career mode, you’ll find yourself unlocking numerous art assets, which can then be combined to create new drivers, karts and tracks. The user interface is remarkably straightforward and it won’t be long before you’re altering your character’s face, hair, clothing and accessories. You can add several layers of design, with each decal customisable in terms of size, shape and colour. With patience, you can use the system to brand your driver with almost any image. The same holds true for kart customisation. Though the game does offer some very basic tuning opportunities, these alterations are purely cosmetic.
While you can whip up a new driver or kart in a matter of minutes, creating a track can soak up hours of your life. The road and terrain are entirely malleable and the sheer range of options available can be quite overwhelming. You may decide, for instance, to have the outside of a particular bend rise 45° higher than the inside. Fortunately, you’re not expected to plant every tree or place every power-up. Once you’re satisfied with the basics of your course, you can auto-complete the remaining elements. However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be loath to surrender even a modicum of control.
The next step is to share your handiwork online, where it can be rated and downloaded by your fellow enthusiasts. Predictably, most seem to be using the tools to recreate Spiderman or the A-Team Van. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll uncover some far more original creations, including a driver with a disco ball where his head should be and a ramshackle sedan made entirely of cardboard. Of course, user generated content wouldn’t be particularly useful if the game didn’t feature a solid multiplayer component. ModNation Racers caters to up to four players locally and up to twelve online. Once you move beyond the officially sanctioned courses, you’ll encounter some truly diabolical custom tracks, including some that requires you to spend the majority of race soaring from one skyscraper to another. The best of the community generated content actually makes the developer’s designs seem a little generic by comparison.
I can’t finish without mentioning an issue that very nearly derails the free flowing tempo of the game. Your ModNation experience kicks off with a mandatory install followed by a lengthy software update. When the game finally begins, you’re confronted with one loading screen after another. How long does it take? Let’s just say that you could grow a beard while waiting to compete in your first race. Expect a lengthy delay whenever you progress from one course to the next or attempt to switch from one mode to another. With its accessible controls and self contained levels, ModNation Racers should be well suited to short bursts of play. However, the loading times ensure that there is no such thing as a quick game. The issue will reportedly be addressed in a forthcoming patch, but it does little for current players and even less for anyone lacking internet access.
Fortunately, the loading times, while difficult to endure, have no effect on the in-game action. United Front Games should be praised for adding an element of strategy to the kart racing formula. Yet more impressive is that they managed this feat without sacrificing the accessibility that enabled the genre to reach such a wide audience in the first place. This alone would be enough to mark ModNation Racers as a worthwhile endeavour. Consider also the game’s comprehensive customisation tools and you’re looking a rock solid package.
