+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted April 18, 2010 Subscriber² Share Posted April 18, 2010 Mario Kart is a broken game. There, I said it. The person in last place gets all the good loot, the AI rubber-bands, and there isn't much you can do defensively. Sometimes, playing it turns into little more than an exercise in frustration. ModNation Racers, Sony's upcoming racing game, may not make a big deal about going after Nintendo's best-selling franchise, but there is some competition going on. We've had a preview build of the PSP game for a while now, and yes... this is a big leap forward for the kart-racing genre.What does this game do better than Mario Kart? Well, we have some details for you. Tactics come to racing The racing itself is good, and the ModNation Racers karts feel much heavier than they do in Nintendo's games. But the real jump is in the offensive and defensive moves. You gain points to fill up your special moves meter by doing different things: moving up in position, spinning while you fly through the air, and drafting and drifting. Once you have some power, you can boost, you can take people out by side-swiping them even if you don't have any weapons, and you can activate a shield to deflect incoming attacks. That's right, with a single button press you can now defend against incoming attacks. You are no longer an unwitting target of the cruel arrows of fate. The weapons are about what you'd expect: you pick them up from bubbles on the track, and then shoot them in front or drop them behind you. Naturally, hitting enemies gets you points toward either more boosting or your shield. You get rewarded not just for racing well, but also for using all the advanced techniques the game offers. The depth sets it apart from its competitors. The graphics aren't the most detailed you'll find in modern gaming, but they don't need to be. The trade-off is the impressive frame rate and smoothness of the racing. You always feel like your kart goes where you want it to, and when you mess up it always feels like it's your fault, not the game's. The career mode in the PSP version mirrors the PlayStation 3 game, down to the animated cut-scenes, and you'll get a crash course in the game's moves and controls in the first few races. Then you'll be asked to customize your Mod, your kart, and a track. That's where things get interesting. Building is easy, sharing adds value Creating the racers, called Mods, is a simple matter of choosing different features, and we'll undoubtedly see a ton of licensed characters when the game launches. It's the same thing with your kart, and as you go you'll unlock more content to play with. This is all icing on the cake, as the real fun lies in designing the tracks. You basically drive a vehicle and steer it, and that allows you to put down track as you go. It's a simple and intuitive process, and once you're done, you can add obstacles, details, and deform the terrain. While we'll see some complex stuff come out of the track editor after the game launches, creating something simple can be done in minutes. You can even adjust the behavior of an object, such as telling a stomping, slamming obstacle how long to pause between attacks. When your creation is finished, you'll be able to share it with the community, and hopefully this will create an endless number of tracks to play with your friends online. The whole experience feels very much like LittleBigPlanet, with its emphasis on content creation and sharing. The good news is that the racing itself is done well, so you'll want to play on the tracks you create. ModNation Racers for the PSP will be released alongside the PS3 version on May 25. Mario Kart finally has a worthy competitor. Source: arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/04/modnation-racers-taking-down-mario-kart-feautre-by-feature.ars?utm_source=microblogging&utm_medium=arstch&utm_term=Main%20Account&utm_campaign=microblogging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikh Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 I do agree MD:Racing looks promising but I don't think it'll steal the thunder away from Mario kart. It'll put Sony out there for making a Mario kart or a better Mario kart. I shall be getting this game when it's out. Already on pre order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 How long before gamers attempt to recreate Mario Kart levels in the editor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted April 19, 2010 Author Subscriber² Share Posted April 19, 2010 How long before gamers attempt to recreate Mario Kart levels in the editor? They were doing it in the beta, so well, day 1~3 :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheElite Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 They were doing it in the beta, so well, day 1~3 :p :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red. Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Rainbow Road :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy0 Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 This game is really looking more and more promising. When it is out and how much is it going to cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solid Knight Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 You can do somethings to defend in Mario Kart especially against red shells. Blue shells are a pain but you can defeat those too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 This game is really looking more and more promising. When it is out and how much is it going to cost? regular cost, May 25th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirnh1 Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 This game sound better and better everytime I hear about it. Just around 1 very long month left of waiting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HilariousNinja Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Rainbow Road :yes: God, I loved that track and hated it so much at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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