14 DAY TRIAL // Apart from the fact that it takes more time to install, get updates and then start up than any other title exclusive to the PlayStation 3 I tried out in the last two years, ModNation Racers might just be the simple, easy to get into and (somewhat) funny racer that the PS3 needs to pick up some of the people who are getting a bit tired of powering up Mario Kart Wii again and not prepared to graduate to something like Gran Turismo 5.
The game drops a new player straight into some racing, even before showing off the various options and modes that it has to offer. And the racing is quite fun, sharing a lot of ideas with recent console racers aimed at a more hardcore audience like Split/Second and Blur.
The actual performance linked to driving is never sufficient to win as the weapons available on the circuit can be enough to get a player from last place to somewhere near the front quite quickly as long as it's deployed on a good spot on the track.
But the big surprise with ModNation Racers is how vicious cartoony characters can be when the stakes are high. All races have a condition for progress and two are linked with bonuses that will allow the player to build better looking karts and create a more complex avatar.
Progressing is not too tough after an initial race to get a sense of how the track flows but unlocking the bonuses can be really tough with the other players very quick to gang up on someone who seems to be getting too far ahead in first place. And while the viciousness is to be expected from real people, the bright colors and Toy Story-like looks of the other racers make it more menacing. Finally, a piece of advice: never try to sideswipe when you can deploy a weapon.