To an average gamer picking this game up of a shelf it would probably be put back down with not much thought going into it. A lot of people try to compare it with Mario Kart which sort of give’s Modnation a dirty feeling that it should be on Wii and a lot of Gamers don’t want to touch it... I can tell you this Mario Kart wannabe impression is so far from the truth. Modnation defiantly holds its own and has put Karting games in a new light.

Single and Online Gameplay

Modnation controls can take some time to get use to; you do however have options to tweak the handling of your kart which makes the controls a lot more suitable to the gamer.

With smooth handling and bright surroundings Modnation really does stimulate the gamer’s taste buds. The pre made tracks in the Career mode do start out a little boring and a bit too easy but once you get into your 2nd series you will start to feel the pinch. I myself am up to the last series and finding myself getting very frustrated, when you finally make it to first place and can see the finish line only to get blown off the track with no warning pushing you back to 4th so you can’t progress to the next track makes Me want to Cuss.

One issue I have found during the career mode is getting stuck off the track behind a barrier and unable to do anything but restart the race. I do hope a patch will fix this as it seems to happen a lot in the later tracks and I see it a lot in online games as well.

The biggest issue with Modnation would be the Loading times, I have not clocked one but I estimate probably about a minute on most loading screens, this can be annoying if you want to quickly jump into races or you need to go in and out of Modspot, this is meant to be getting worked on so we should see a patch soon.

The modspot is an interesting sort of lobby system in Modnation racers after your first initial tutorial race you go to you Modspot where if connected online you will find other players from around the world. A tip to first time Modnation Racer’s when you first enter the Modspot go into you options and mute everyone. I found that after a while the constant gabbing of idiots yelling at everyone to download and vote for the Creations became a bit much.

Online in Modnation is nothing short of Fun, XP races a quick way to jump up your XP but you don’t really get much out of it. They don’t unlock anything but you ranks. XP single race is the more popular mode and it is easy enough to find a full room. For the racers who would rather play 5 races in a row with not waiting for those loading screen try the XP Series although there seems to be issues with matchmaking you can sit in empty XP series lobby for ages only to see one person join then leave after a few minutes. It’s best to keep trying to join a series that already has racers in it.

Playing with friends is great not only can you play the pre made track but you can play any track the host has downloaded. It is some good fun although a lot easier for those who know the tracks and short cuts well. Playing with friends is best set up in a private room you still get XP from these races it not much but its more than some games offer to private games.

The Creation Station

Here you can create Karts, Mods and Tracks; I have spent more time creating in this game then actually racing. A lot of things are locked and you will need to race to unlock items but you still have a good selection to start with so don’t feel you have to play to create.

Creating is easy and very addictive. I only wish there was a way to change the Height or width of your Mod. Also the stickers can be a pain when trying to layer them over clothes they won’t appear and the Helmet sticks won’t work on the kung fu masks, My Ninja turtle has no Eyes!!!!

This aside customisation on Mods is very versatile you can make anything if you put enough though into it. I do however feel it needs more options with clothes but have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more DLC coming up.

The kart creation although not as fun and time consuming as the Mod creation is only another way to personalise you character, Be it a Flower covered hippie van or a Wooden Hillbilly Car you will find you ride. Also for those of you not sure how your token works I’ll give you a tip the 1 token choice is rubbish. 2 Tokens give you engines and there are some great ones from the hamster driving engine to the beating heart and Beer Keg! 5 Tokens are car bodies; this is a risky option and can feel like a waste of tokens but does have some good bodies in it and some rather average ones as well. My tip if you don’t get what u want restart the game if you can handle the loading times :p

Track creation is one of the harder aspects of Modnation if you want to do it all yourself. You can always lay a track and auto full it but where the fun in that. If you have the patience of a saint you can make some impressive tracks and place short cuts, boost pads, weapon pods and anything u see in the game on you track.

Just a few tips for Modantion to those thinking of getting in on the action, Don’t be a tool don’t ask people in lobbies to download and vote for you creations it only gets you reputation lowered because you are annoying!

Don’t swear your head off or abuse people online in this game it’s a fun game and that how it should be treated, thankfully I have only had good experience with players so far.

Don’t go into the game comparing it to Mario Kart. Modnation offers a better experience because of its creation features and the 2 games should not be compared.

Well that's my Modnation review and after writing this I need to get back into it. So I hope you enjoyed and I hope I’ve convince a few that this game is well worth the play!

I give Modnation a 9.5 out of 10 Rubber Chickens (loose of .5 for loading times)

SPT Member Comments

Axe99: Easily the best Kart Racer I've ever played - the handling is great, the packed-in tracks fun, the online well put-together with plenty of options and the creation tools take it to the next level. The only downer are the long loading times, which are about the only thing preventing this game from getting a perfect score. 9 out of 10 rubber chickens from me. Oh, and now I think I'll have to go into the Modspot and make me a rubber chicken race

Scott: I love the Race Builder, there's a fantastic amount of depth to it with a good terrain editor and you can fit an impressive amount of stuff around 1 track!. The career mode has a good learning curve and the challenges give it more depth and replay-ability!.
The character design and vehicle designs are even more impressive!. I like trying to create the craziest and/or most ugly thing possible!.

The only downsides are the abysmal loading times and the races do feel like they are lacking something.... I think, maybe, they could have made the races a bit more complex. More weapon variations or something wouldn't have been a bad idea

Still it is the best Kart racer the PS3 has to offer!. 9 out of 10 Rubber Chickens

Overall SPT Rating 9 out of 10 Rubber Chickens

Below are some of SPT's Creations