[PS3] Modnation Racers

[JardeL]

This is one of my most anticipated games for 2010. Play.Create.Share themed game like LBP. Here are some screens and videos ;

E3 2009 Video ; [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf0uKjEr-Tw ]
Trailer & Gameplay
Editor Demonstration
Desert video ; [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfgCSw8fVME ] ...

 

[slider]

As stupid as this'll sound... it's the racing that'll make or break this for me. So far, so interested though. Love the aesthetic.

 

[Acert93]

As stupid as this'll sound... it's the racing that'll make or break this for me. So far, so interested though. Love the aesthetic.

Yeah. Mario Kart was only ever as good as the racing and this is why most clones didn't even compete. It is hard to make an accessible racer that takes skill + having fun, balanced weapons.

That said I wish this game was multiplatform The concept is awesome, I hope they execute and make this a killer app. We need more kart games!

 

[goonergaz]

As stupid as this'll sound... it's the racing that'll make or break this for me. So far, so interested though. Love the aesthetic.

spot on - excellent concept does not mean brilliant game, LBP pulled it off and I'm hopeful this will too...

 

[Yemeth]

I have the beta voucher waiting . Although my playtime is consumed by Demon's Souls (even don't have the time for the excellent LBP and NBA2K9), I am looking forward for it to start.

 

[ShadowWolf64]

Could be good or it may end up being crappy.I hope it ends up being good as we need more Mario Kart racers that don't suck...

 

[patsu]

The attraction here should be the racing mechancis, and the user creations. If the racers create "mad enough" tracks at the level of LBP authors, then I'll give it a look.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well, I guess that's pretty limited. LBP is as mad as it is because of the logic and interaction of switches. If the race mechanics are just path, pickups and shortcuts, there's not going to be a huge amount of variety possible.

 

[patsu]

Then I fear for their future *if* GT5 has some basic track editor also. The racing mechanics better be fun as hell. I am in their target group. I am a Mario Kart guy [wave both hands at developer], not so much a GT guy.

EDIT: Is there really no way to build a "mad enough" editor and levels for race tracks ?

 

[Acert93]

The question is: Are you a MK SNES guy (good racing machanics and design where weapons were strategic), MK64 guy (less focus on racing, more on weapon use, cheating but competitive AI, and huge last-to-first combacks regardless of racing skill), or MKDD!! guy (simpler driving model, slower pace, tamer experience, more cooperative play)?

 

[patsu]

What is the GameCube one ? I think I played the MK64 one too.

On the track editor, would be great if they add more building blocks a la LBP. e.g., Construct a racing Monopoly game where you race to different locations to build hotels.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

MK64 was one of the best multiplayer experiences ever in gaming IMO. We played quite a few clones like Speed Freaks and Crash Team Racing, but none nailed it like MK64, although the boost mechanics I tended to prefer in the clones.

Perhaps if there are controls/pickups to affect the track, 'mad' levels could be made. I suppose a lot depends on what Patsu's definition of 'mad' is? I can't see anything managing LBP's diversity though, which allows for completely non-platforming experiences. At the end of the day, every MNR track is going to be a linear circuit race, just with different obstacles/scenery.

 

[patsu]

Sorry, no formal defiinition of "mad". I think the devs would know. IMHO, it's not good enough if the track editor is flexible, versatile, complete, etc.

It needs to be "Huh ?".

I already have MotorStorm as a mature standin for Mario Kart (I know, no weapons... but the off-road tracks and aggressive AI grab my attention). ModNation Racer needs to be more different or addictive if it wants to stand out.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well, for everyone else, it's probably a good title. There isn't a proper kart racer on PS3, so this is a nice family addition if nothing special. I certainly wouldn't count MotorStorm as a substitute for MK! I still don't like the style though. It's got 'attitude', similar to Speed Freaks. It's not what I expect from a Sony title. Sackboy's in custom built karts would be more suitable.

 

[patsu]

Fair enough. Would be a waste though. Since they are already "half way" there with user generated tracks. Might as well go all the way to add building blocks not found in other racers.

I also think that they don't have to follow Mario Kart's formula. MK has very well-known Nintendo characters to help drive it.

 

[Crossbar]

This game will be a day one buy.

My 5-year old son will love it. He loves MK on his DS, he loved MaterNational, Burnout Paradise and he loves Little Big Planet. (he hates GT5P) What more he loves the create mode of Little big planet, even though he cant make a proper level, he and the neighbour boy love to mess around adding all those strange vehicles you get from the internet levels and putting stickers all over the place. Not to mention how much time they can spend modifying their sackboy characters.

The create mode of ModNation racers seems to be more child friendly than LBP. We watched the E3 create demo together and he is really pumped for this game.

The auto-complete function is a very smart feature that will lower the barrier fo casual track creators (link).

If you forget where you are when creating the track, you can use an auto-complete feature to automatically finish the track for you; an auto-complete is also available for area population that'll automatically throws trees and other items down on the course.

 

[tha_con]

Well, I guess that's pretty limited. LBP is as mad as it is because of the logic and interaction of switches. If the race mechanics are just path, pickups and shortcuts, there's not going to be a huge amount of variety possible.

There should be a fair amount of variety in design, just not overall differences in mechanics. Still, if users can create tracks with multiple paths ala MotorStorm and some intense jumps and narrow passings, we could see some good tracks.

 

[patsu]

May be worthwhile if we can create loop-de-loops and other freeform tracks in the game using the new controller. Personally, I would still like a richer vocabulary for the editor, in addition to any new controller support.

 

[tha_con]

Well, the way things look, you could possibly create things akin to anything in Mario Kart, which for me is more than good enough, because Mario kart was nothing more than jumps and short cuts, and it's freaking amazing. I'm confident that the hardcore user base will create plenty of neat tracks for this.

 

[patsu]

Mario Kart is more than jumps and short cuts. The cute characters and the "weapons" are good additions too. When I played MK, there were stuff happening everywhere on the track, contributing to the chaos and fun. It's also relatively short, so we could always go for another quick round; and another, and another. At least that how I remembered it. ^_^

Modnation could certainly try to reproduce that experience on PS3. If they are really good, then I supposed the game would be addictive without the modding.


I agree that kids like to fool around with the editor. My son likes to go into Create mode on LBP and float too. It's just that without the "mad" factor, the play-create-share concept may go stale after sometime.

I need to see the editor. If they are serious about user generated content, I feel that "deep" variety is important. The last time I saw a modnation demo, it gave me the impression that it's mostly about decorating the landscape and doing track layout. e.g., I am not sure if I can drive over the water I put in. I don't need *a lot* of variety, but a few deep building blocks would be good.

If the editor is shallow, the user tracks may play similarly. People will just go back to the built-in tracks.