modnation report 01

PLATFORM: PS3
RELEASE DATE: 5/2010
DEVELOPER: United Front
ESRB RATING: E

Progress: 20% trophies as of posting

There was no real decision for me in purchasing Modnation Racers. As a big fan of Little Big Planet and the whole concept of "Play, Create, Share" combined with a history of Nintendo kart racing-love this was indeed a day one purchase for me. Seeing as this game will very likely represent years of content and challenges for me I felt a normal review wouldn't cut it and this is the first of many "Modnation Reports" I will be posting.


I pre-ordered from a local GameStop so I got two downloadable creations right away with codes in the box: Kratos (GOW) and Sackboy (LBP) mods and carts. There was also a full color manual; I always see this as a sign that I've made a good purchase. I still appreciate the printed material that comes along with a top tier game; and am often disappointed with what is out there. For sure, a black and white manual with tons of "Notes" lined pages in the back is a bad sign.

This game is nonstop fun, pick up and race with friends or spend some time with the creation aspects of the game. You begin the game in the Modspot which is the central location in the game with access to all of the available play modes and creation areas as well as community interaction. I spent a good 20 minutes just hopping my kart over the fun box in the ModSpot before racing. Saying Modnation Racers is a good purchase is the understatement of 2010.

 Mod Creation

After a Quick Race I got down to mod creation. My first mod is kind of conservative. I went with a black white and gray theme and ended up with Mr. Grey that you see above. The controls for customizing your mod are very easy to navigate but with so many options it can be a little confusing at first. After a few minutes of playing with the controls navigating becomes much easier allowing your imagination to really take over. In fact, the controls are very similar to LBP but they actually seem much easier. You are limited to the basic mod body shape which looks a lot like a Sackboy (LBP) crossed with a Dunny toy from KidRobot. This body shape is not a limit to the creative modifications you can make.

The community has really taken to creating mods based off of popular franchises. You can find mods for every game and comic by now probably. Popular mods are showcased in the Modspot for everyone online to see. Mod homages to Mario, Iron Man and Spiderman continue to dominate the "popular" mods on display all this week.

Next, I want to tackle track construction which I am just getting my feet wet with. I'll be figuring this out and watching the tutorials this week. Stay tuned for more on Modnation Racers as I create my track and strive to gain popularity in the Modnation community.